Another enthralling Byron Shire Council meeting will be held on Thursday!
Among the many pressing issues on the agenda are budget adjustments, which are proposed by James Brickley, Council’s Manager Finance.
If adopted by councillors, Council would see a $250,000 deficit for 2023/2024.
In his report, available in the upcoming meeting agenda, Brickley suggests decreasing and increasing funds across Council’s general fund, water fund, and sewerage fund to achieve the outcome.
The report reveals where many of Council’s projects are at, and where staff are juggling priorities.
No doubt flood related projects have helped push the needle into the red. For example, $162,000 is needed to be found owing to a ‘grant being approved for a river flood level warning system funded by the Department of Regional NSW, NSW Public Works’.
And: ‘In the Infrastructure Recovery program, it is proposed to decrease income and expenditure owing to a number of natural disaster affected projects within the program not having a written funding agreement in place’.
Yet the deficit isn’t a concern for the ‘Responsible Accounting Officer’ – Brickley writes that the officer considers ‘the short term financial position of the Council is still satisfactory for the 2023/2024 financial year, having consideration of the original estimate of income and expenditure at the 30 September 2023 Quarter Budget Review’.
Legal costs down
Interestingly, general legal expenses of $54,468.79 were incurred as of September 30, 2023.
This is far lower than the $210,000 budget allocated for 2023/2024.
This could be seen as a win for staff in prudent financial management, or a loss for a community that expects its councillors to push harder against inappropriate development.
The revised estimate would see an operating revenue of $108,734,700 and expenditure pegged at $121,749,200 for the year.
Vanity projects
Given the financial tightrope Council is walking, it’s worth pondering whether there would be more financial security if it wasn’t for the vanity projects that were spearheaded by the previous Council.
They include a large ambitious bioenergy plant next to Byron’s sewage treatment plant (STP), a massive solar project in Myocum, and the flood-prone and now ‘on hold’ Lot 22 ‘affordable’ housing project next to the Mullum Community Gardens.
A lot of time and money was spent exploring these projects – and others.
But the unforeseen Covid impacts and the floods have taken their toll, and it’s unclear whether these grand plans will ever be realised.
For those unaware of the politics behind the scenes, the current mayor, Michael Lyon, was mentored by the previous mayor, Simon Richardson. Both were originally elected as Greens councillors, but over time, distanced themselves from that platform. Lyon joined Richardson’s team seven long years ago, and much of what happens in the chamber still reverberates around Richardson’s legacy.
What will be the Lyon legacy?
‘ Both were originally elected as Greens councillors, but over time, distanced themselves from that platform.’
Says it all really.
Many more will have this Epiphany as real-life experiences & practicalities eventually are realised and sink in.
We will know the “Lyon legacy” in a decade or two when he finally retires as Mayor.
That should keep the Editor going for a similar period.
The Greens will continue to shrink in Byron local government elections.