Mayor and Councillors
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CONTENTS Cowra: Your Shire .......................................................................................... 1 Cowra: Your Council ....................................................................................... 3 Council’s Direction ............................................................................................................................... 3 Organisation Structure ........................................................................................................................ 4 Contacting Your Council ...................................................................................................................... 6 Cowra: Your Representatives ......................................................................... 7 Elected Representatives: Councillors .................................................................................................. 7 About the Councillors .......................................................................................................................... 8 A Word from the Mayor ................................................................................. 9 A Word from the General Manager ............................................................... 11 Quarterly Review .......................................................................................... 12 Health & Well-Being .......................................................................................................................... 13 Education Training & Research ......................................................................................................... 16 Lifestyle ............................................................................................................................................. 19 Governance ....................................................................................................................................... 23 Business & Industry ........................................................................................................................... 27 Transport & Infrastructure ................................................................................................................ 28 Natural Resource Management ........................................................................................................ 32 Expenses & Payments ................................................................................... 33 Legal Proceedings .............................................................................................................................. 33 Rate and Charge Write-offs ............................................................................................................... 33 Section 356 Donations ...................................................................................................................... 34 Contracts over $150,000 ................................................................................................................... 34 Mayor and Councillors ...................................................................................................................... 35 Environmental Activities ............................................................................... 63 Bushfire Reduction Activities ............................................................................................................ 63 NSW Rural Fire Service - Canobolas Zone ......................................................................................... 63 State of Environment Report ............................................................................................................ 77 2010-2011 Annual Report Cowra Shire Council Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 .......................................................................... 83 Companion Animals ...................................................................................... 84 Cultural Awareness ....................................................................................... 85 Diverse Culture Programs.................................................................................................................. 85 Council Works ............................................................................................... 91 Private Works .................................................................................................................................... 91 Public Works ...................................................................................................................................... 91 Business Activities ......................................................................................... 92 Business Activities & Competitive Neutrality .................................................................................... 92 Council Employment ..................................................................................... 93 Senior Staff Remuneration ................................................................................................................ 93 Human Resources Activities .............................................................................................................. 93 Equal Employment Opportunity........................................................................................................ 94 Organisations & Companies .......................................................................... 95 External Bodies – Delegation ............................................................................................................ 95 Controlling Interests in Companies ................................................................................................... 95 Co-Operatives, Partnerships, Joint Ventures .................................................................................... 95 General Regulation Requirements ................................................................. 96 Overseas Visits Funded by Council .................................................................................................... 96 Activities for Children ........................................................................................................................ 96 Access & Equity of Services to All ...................................................................................................... 98 Information ................................................................................................... 99 Privacy and Personal Information ..................................................................................................... 99 Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 .......................................................................... 99 General ............................................................................................................................................ 100 Finance ....................................................................................................... 101 Financial Report ............................................................................................................................... 101 2010-2011 Annual Report Cowra Shire Council COWRA: YOUR SHIRE THE REGION Cowra Shire is located in central New South Wales, only two hours from Canberra, the nation‘s capital, four hours from central Sydney and eight hours from Melbourne. Bathurst and Orange are the major cities of the region. The Shire forms part of a larger Western NSW region, covering more than half of the state, which extends from the Great Dividing Range in the east across to the South Australian border. The Lachlan River runs through the Shire with Wyangala Dam at its headwaters. The river provides town water supplies along its length as well as irrigation to river properties within the Shire and to the adjacent local government authority of Forbes and further onto Lachlan Shire (Condobolin). THE COWRA SHIRE The Cowra Shire is located in the fertile Lachlan Valley, covers an area of approximately 2,810 km² and accommodates a resident population of 12,970 as at August 2011. The major urban centre in the Shire is the Cowra township which is the heart of the region; having been a long established centre since its early settlement as a river crossing in 1849 and later as a service centre for cattle-grazing and gold mining in the area. There are also a number of small villages in the Shire, including Billimari, Darbys Falls, Gooloogong, Morongla, Noonbinna, Wattamondara, Woodstock and Wyangala. The history of these settlements is varied but originates from early mining and agricultural activities of the latter half of the 1800s. A count of businesses by industry type as at June 2007 shows the following: No of % of Total Cowra Businesses Businesses Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 600 45% Retail Trade 147 11% Construction 129 10% Property and Business Services 102 8% Manufacturing 75 6% Others 291 20% Total Businesses 1,344 100% 1 | P a g e 2010-2011 Annual Report Cowra Shire Council The top seven areas of Employment by Industry sector are: Industry % of Employment Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing 17.39% Retail Trade 15.89% Manufacturing 12.73% Health and Community Services 10.01% Education 7.12% Wholesale Trade 5.98% Construction 5.26% Tourism is also a key industry for Cowra in terms of investment, economic development and opportunity and its activities range over a number of industry sectors.