Life is about challenges. Some are caused by outside influences; of which we have no control.  

Many residents and primary producers in our drought declared region are facing extreme challenges brought on by the dry weather conditions we are experiencing.  

There is no doubt the wait for drought breaking rain is harrowing and what adds another layer of frustration is the fact that the weather is out of our control. In the meantime, the people of our region who rely on the land for their income are being impacted. As a leader in our community, it is hard to stand by while this happens.  

However, there are certain things Council can control, which go some way to minimise the effect drought has.   

The management of our water supply and water reserves is an area where Council invests significant resources. 

We have come a long way in this space and have upgraded a number of facilities in our regional areas like the Mary Valley to ensure residents are getting the water they need.  

We have teamed up with universities to explore how best to save our water. The water allocation trial at Amamoor, which is still running, is one of those initiatives.  

And internally we are constantly evaluating how we, as a council, can deliver the best water and sewerage service possible without it reflecting exorbitantly somewhere else, for example in rates. 

During this term of council, we have faced challenges around water and sewerage head-on to address the legacy issues identified in the now publicly released water and sewerage report. 

I want to take this opportunity to be very clear; our water business is everybody’s business and Council will continue to make sure we deliver this vital service to the standard expected of our community. 

Mayor Mick Curran