Minutes of Extraordinary Meeting - Monday, 30 June 2025

BYRON SHIRE COUNCIL

Extraordinary Meeting Minutes 30 June 2025

MINUTES OF THE BYRON SHIRE COUNCIL Extraordinary Meeting HELD ON Monday, 30 June 2025 COMMENCING AT 3:04PM AND CONCLUDING AT 5:52PM

I2025/957

PRESENT: Cr S Ndiaye (Mayor), Cr J Dods, Cr E Hauge, Cr D Kay, Cr M Lowe,
Cr M Lyon, Cr A Pugh, Cr J Swain, Cr D Warth

Staff: Mark Arnold (General Manager)

Esmeralda Davis (Director Corporate and Community Services)

Phil Holloway (Director Infrastructure Services)

Shannon Burt (Director Sustainable Environment and Economy)

Matt Meir (Legal Counsel)

Heather Sills (Manager Corporate Services)

James Brickley (Manager Finance) – Item 4.2

Amber Evans Crane (Minute Taker)

The Mayor opened the meeting and acknowledged that the meeting is being held on Arakwal Country and that we pay our respects to the elders past and present and extend our respect to the Bundjalung clans whose lands and waters are part of the Shire.

The Mayor authorised Zali Spinner of the Byron Edit to record the proceedings of the meeting (30 June 2025 Extraordinary Council Meeting) during non-confidential session.

PUBLIC ACCESS

Prior to dealing with the circulated reports and associated information, a Public Access Session was held and Council was addressed on the following:

Report No and Title		For/ Against	Name	Representing	Submission Received via
4.2	Final adoption of the 2025 - 2029 Delivery Program, and 2025/26 Operational Plan, Budget, and Statement of Revenue Policy including Fees and Charges	For	Peter Westheimer	Self	In Person
			Joti Jaffray	Keep the Flow	Read by staff
			Luke McConell	Broken Head Reserve Road Resident Group	Read by staff
			Jan Barham	Self	Phone
		Against	Leah Kapral	Water Lily Park Landcare Group	In person
			Dale Emerson	Place Planning Collective Mullumbimby	In person
			Sophia Catchpole	Self	In person
			Ray Essery	Brunswick Heads Chamber of Commerce	In person
4.4	Resourcing Strategy	Against	Jan Barham	Self	Phone

The meeting adjourned at 3.54pm for a short break and reconvened at 4.20pm.

APOLOGIES

There were no apologies.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST – PECUNIARY AND NON-PECUNIARY

There were no declarations of interest – pecuniary or non-pecuniary.

RESERVATIONS OF ITEMS FOR DEBATE

Report No. 4.2 Final adoption of the 2025 - 2029 Delivery Program, and 2025/26 Operational Plan, Budget, and Statement of Revenue Policy including Fees and Charges

Report No. 4.4 Resourcing Strategy

Report No. 4.3 Making of the 2025/26 Ordinary Rates, Charges, Fees and Interest Rate

Staff Reports - General Manager

Report No. 4.1 Land classification - part Bangalow sports fields

File No: I2025/864

25-289

Resolved that part lot 9 in DP 748099 be classified ‘community land’ under the Local Government Act 1993. (Pugh/Dods)

The motion was put to the vote and carried unanimously.

Procedural Motion

25-290

Resolved that Council change the order of business to deal with Reports 4.2, 4.4 and 4.3 next on the Agenda. (Ndiaye/Dods)

The motion was put to the vote and carried unanimously.

Staff Reports - Corporate and Community Services

Report No. 4.2 Final adoption of the 2025 - 2029 Delivery Program, and 2025/26 Operational Plan, Budget, and Statement of Revenue Policy including Fees and Charges

File No: I2025/736

Moved that Council:

1. Notes the submissions received during the public exhibition period for the Delivery Program 2025 – 2029 and Operational Plan 2025/26 (including the Budget, Statement of Revenue Policy, and Fees and Charges) as outlined in Attachment 5 (#E2025/58393).

2. Adopts the following documents

a) Delivery Program 2025-2029 as amended, Attachment 1 (#E2025/63383)

b) Operational Plan 2025/26 as amended, Attachment 2 (#E2025/63424) with the following amendments:

i) New Activity 5.4.2.26: Staff initiate discussions with Waterlily Park stakeholder groups to develop landscape concepts that will assist community engagement as part of the review of the Plan of Management in 2026

ii) Amend Activity 4.1.3.2 to: Audit actions in the Bangalow Village Plan and Mullumbimby Masterplan and engage the respective communities to prioritise actions for the 2026/27 and future Operational Plans

b) Statement of Revenue Policy 2025/26 including fees and charges as exhibited, with the amendments (included in Attachment 3 (#E2025/66108) discussed in the report under the headings ‘Draft General Land Rates and Charges (Statement of Revenue Policy)’ and ‘Draft Fees and Charges (Statement of Revenue Policy)’

d) Budget Estimates 2025/26 as exhibited, with the amendments discussed in the report under the heading ‘Draft 2025/26 Budget Estimates (Statement of Revenue Policy)’ and included at Attachment 4 (#E2025/65966) (Dods/Ndiaye)

AMENDMENT

Moved that Council:

2. Adopts the following documents

a) Delivery Program 2025-2029 as amended, Attachment 1 (#E2025/63383)

b) Operational Plan 2025/26 as amended, Attachment 2 (#E2025/63424) with the following amendments:

c) Statement of Revenue Policy 2025/26 including fees and charges as exhibited, with the amendments (included in Attachment 3 (#E2025/66108) discussed in the report under the headings ‘Draft General Land Rates and Charges (Statement of Revenue Policy)’ and ‘Draft Fees and Charges (Statement of Revenue Policy)’ and including the following further amendment/s as outlined below:

i) The ‘Shire resident parking permit’ fee to be set at $0 for the first two permits per rateable property and $55 per subsequent permit

Procedural Motions

25-291

Resolved that Cr Dods be granted a two minute extension to his speech.

(Ndiaye/Hauge)

25-292

Resolved that Cr Dods be granted a one minute extension to his speech.

(Ndiaye/Lowe)

25-293

Resolved that Cr Lyon be granted a two minute extension to his speech.

(Ndiaye/Dods)

25-294

Resolved that Cr Pugh be granted a two minute extension to his speech. (Ndiaye)

25-295

Resolved that Cr Hauge be granted a one minute extension to her speech.

(Ndiaye/Warth)

25-296

Resolved that the motion be put. (Dods/Ndiaye)

The motion was put to the vote and carried unanimously.

The Amendment (Swain/ Lyon) was put to the vote and declared lost.

Crs Lowe, Kay, Hauge, Ndiaye and Dods voted against the motion.

AMENDMENT

25-297

Resolved that Council:

2. Adopts the following documents

a) Delivery Program 2025-2029 as amended, Attachment 1 (#E2025/63383)

b) Operational Plan 2025/26 as amended, Attachment 2 (#E2025/63424) with the following amendments:

i) The ‘Shire resident parking permit’ fee to be set at $30.00

(Lyon/Lowe)

Procedural MotionS

25-298

Resolved that Council move into Committee to allow for free debate. (Ndiaye)

The motion was put to the vote and carried unanimously.

25-299

Resolved that Council move out of Committee and resume the Ordinary Meeting.

(Ndiaye/Lyon)

The motion was put to the vote and carried unanimously.

The amendment (Lowe/ Lyon) was put to the vote and declared carried.

Crs Ndiaye, Kay, and Dods voted against the amendment.

The amendment upon becoming the substantive motion was put to the vote and declared carried.

Crs Swain, Pugh, and Ndiaye voted against the motion.

Report No. 4.4 Resourcing Strategy

File No: I2025/829

25-300

Resolved:

1. That Council places these three documents on public exhibition for 28 days and holds a related workshop for Councillors prior to adoption:

a. The Workforce Management Strategy 2025 – 2029 (Attachment 1 E2025/54189)

b. The Long-Term Financial Plan 2025 – 2035 (Attachment 2 E2025/66406)

c. The revised Asset Management Policy (Attachment 3 E2024/147509), Strategic Asset Management Plan 2025-2035 (Attachment 4 E2024/147604)

2. That if there are no submissions during the public exhibition period the documents in Point 1 be adopted by Council.

3. That Council reviews the Equal Employment Opportunity Management Plan as per the guidelines of Section 345 of the Local Government Act

4. That Council holds a workshop for Councillors on options to reduce spending and raise revenue and produce a corresponding report. (Ndiaye/Hauge)

The motion was put to the vote and carried unanimously.