MPB Community Association Meeting Division 1 Councillor Report 25/05/2025

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming along today to the MPB Community Association meeting.

Today, I will give a brief update on what’s happing in MPB, Division 1 and Council.

First up, I will start with an update of the MPB Master Plan.

MPB Master Plan

Stages 1&2 of the Master Plan which are the Community Building next door and the MPB Parklands foreshore area development, both these stages are now complete, and the final result is better than we could have expected. The Parklands is proving to be a huge draw card for residents and visitors to MPB and is extremely popular and well used. The Community Building has had all tenants except Scouts move into their allocated spaces, and by all reports everyone is more than happy with the facility, I realise there have been a few teething problems which have been dealt with, but you tell me, has it turned out as expected?

Stage 3 of the MPB Master Plan, which is the area referred to as the Celebration Lawn and is the immediate area in front of the new Surf Club building, and the foreshore where the old Surf Club was. There have been some major hurdles to overcome with this area. The urgent need to demolish the old surf club to prevent an environmental disaster has taken funds that were allocated to undertake works in Stage 3 along with the foreshore erosion issues that we also needed to urgently address have left the budget for this area nearly depleted. The foreshore erosion has also seen a direction from the State Government for the works in this area to be changed to keep all new infrastructure out of the Erosion zone, which is roughly the line of the existing curb in the carpark.

This has required us to draft new plans for the area. The concept hasn’t changed, just the location of the lawn area has been relocated further to the West away from the foreshore. The unexpected extra works and the redesign have held up works on Stage 3. There is approximately a $400k shortfall in funds required for this area to be developed and Council is currently in budget deliberations and I am pushing for these funds to be made available in the 2025/2026 budget so that the remaining works can begin. What these works will entail for Stage 3 will include are:

-          Celebration Lawn zone

-          Fibre Crete concrete pathways and Irrigation, and

-          Vendor concrete pads

Other embellishments, such as additional picnic shelters, lighting system etc will have to wait until further funding becomes available. The planned works will tidy the area up and make it look finished, but there will be further works require down the track.  Hopefully my budget request will be successful and works can continue on the Master Plan and  further works on Stage 3 can get underway.

Budget 2025/2026

As mentioned earlier, Council is currently in the process of finalising the 2025-2026 Budget. Major projects that I have been pushing for funds and be included in this budget are for:

·         MPB Community Hall electrical upgrade and carpark light replacement $80k

·         Lagoon Walkway Bridge replacement $255k

·         MPB Master Plan Stage 3 additional $400k.

·         Heales Rd Meadowvale upgrade $3.0million.

·         Rocky Point Winfield Water Facility Upgrade $480k

·         Boaga Rd Mullet Creek Culvert upgrade $300k.

It’s a tight budget and there have been cuts to the capital works program, so I am hoping that the above projects can be funded. Council will adopt the budget before the end of June, at which time I will know more and be able to give a full update.

Proposed change to Councillor Representation

Council is seeking community feedback on a proposal to reduce the number of Councillors from 10 to 8 divisional Councillors plus the Mayor.

At present the Bundaberg Regional Local Government Area is represented by 10 divisional Councillors plus the Mayor.

Why is Council doing this?

This has been proposed as a cost saving measure and would reduce the spend on Councillor wages by a total of $265,000/year by getting rid of two Councillor positions.

How will this occur?

It will only occur if you allow it. There is a process that is underway and needs to be followed, which is:

Step 1: Community consultation – We’ll spend several months listening and seeking as much feedback as possible.

Step 2: Review – If the community is supportive, Council would formally resolve to make a request to the State Government.

Step 3: State Government decision – If endorsed, the proposal would be submitted to the Minister and decided by the Change Commission.Section 17(2)(c) of the Local Government Act 2009 (the Act) allows for a change to the number of Councillors for a local government or divisions of a local government area however section 18 of the Act provides that the Minister of Local Government is the only person who may propose a local government change to the change commission.

Step 4: Implementation – If successful, the Electoral Commission would redraw the electoral boundaries in readiness for the 2028 Local Government election.

Key Facts

• Based on current population, the change would mean approximately 13,000 residents per Councillor, currently this number is around 10,500.

• There are other Local Governments with less than 10 elected representatives, including Ipswich City Council, Cairns Regional Council and Rockhampton Regional Council.

Council is seeking your views and input on this potential change before Council considers making a submission to the Minister for Local Government.

For more information email ceo@bundaberg.qld.gov.au,(External link) attention: Governance and Executive Services or call 1300 883 699.

Survey submissions will close at 5.00 pm AEST on Friday 30 May 2025

TAKE SURVEY

BRC Restructure

The Council CEO and Executive Leadership Team have completed a full organisational restructure of Council over the last 12 months. It is expected that these changes will put Council in a better operating position going into the future. There have been some upheavals and some service levels have been affected due to these changes, but things are returning to normal, and Council will ensure that service levels across all departments return to what we expect and are all use to.

Today's report is only a snapshot of what has been happening in Council and the region, there is always so much going on and most of the important stuff I do share on my Facebook Page as it happens.

We do have time for some questions from the floor, but I will ask that you keep them brief so that we can continue with today’s main event (Opening of the Hub) which will be happening next door after this meeting. Does anyone have anything they would like to raise?

Q & A

(Various questions on many topics were answered from the floor, not minuted)

Thank you everyone for coming along today and for your continued support. I hope you can all join us next door for the next part of today’s agenda the Hub Official Opening.

Regards

Cr. Jason Bartels.