Welcome to Your Hawkesbury - Your Say

Having your say is easy, with Hawkesbury City Council’s new online engagement website, Your Hawkesbury – Your Say.

You can participate in discussions, complete surveys and quick polls, engage and provide feedback, send submissions, email Council and ask questions and view documents relevant to projects.

Better still, you can do all of this by mobile phone, your tablet or personal computer at a time and place that suits you. 

Your feedback will assist Council's decision making processes and help shape our community. After all ……… it’s Your Hawkesbury – have Your Say.

If you want to have your say about what Council does and how it spends its money, as well details of future plans for rates, roads and the many other services Council provides, you need to see Council’s Draft Operational Plan 2015/2016 which is currently on public exhibition until Monday, 1 June 2015.

This is the first time the Draft Operational Plan has been put onto the Your Hawkesbury – Your Say site to make it even easier for residents to communicate more easily and swiftly with Council.

The Draft Operational Plan 2015/2016 identifies the proposed projects, programs and activities to be undertaken during 2015/2016. It also includes information about rates, fees and charges, estimated income and expenditure and the capital works program for 2015/2016.

Have your say on the Draft Operational Plan 2015/2016.

Council is seeking your views about its position that it will not support any proposal for the adjustment of its current boundaries or the merger of our Local Government Area with any adjoining council area. Complete our quickpoll and have your say.

The Hills Shire Council has tried to pull the wool over local resident’s eyes regarding their attempts to influence an amalgamation survey by directly attacking Hawkesbury Council’s General Manager in what seems to be a diversionary tactic.

The Mayor of Hawkesbury, Councillor Kim Ford said that The Hills Shire Council had not presented the NSW Independent Local Government Review Panel’s preferred Option of ‘No Change’ to the boundaries of the Hills Shire Council as one of the options in their recently released amalgamation survey.

This effectively denies all those that complete the survey the ability to vote on what is the preferred option of Review Panel.

“The skewed survey denies residents informed choice,” saidthe Mayor of Hawkesbury.

The Panel clearly states that the preferred option for Hawkesbury City Council is that there is ‘No Change’ to its boundaries.

In addition, The Hills have come up with an option that doesn’t form the basis of any of the recommendations of the Panel and are touting this as their preferred option. For the Hawkesbury this involves The Hills taking over all the area north of Windsor Road and east of South Creek or the Hawkesbury River, which would effectively leave Hawkesbury unviable as a local government
area.

Hawkesbury City Council considered the NSW Independent Review Panel’s report on 30 September 2014 and resolved:

‘Having regard to the recommendations of the Independent Local Government Review Panel and the “scale and capacity” aspects of the “Fit For the Future” package released by the NSW Government, Council not support nor entertain any proposals for the adjustment of the Council’s boundaries as
reportedly being proposed by The Hills Shire Council or the merger of the Council with any adjoining council area.’

“This resolution was communicated to Mayor of The Hills by me and also by the General Manager to The Hills General Manager in separate correspondence,” said Councillor Ford.

“It is not appropriate to attack the General Manager of Hawkesbury indicating that he is opposing reform when in fact all he has done is rightly inform The Hills of Council’s decision.”

“The Mayor of The Hills should be well aware of the processes of local government and that the General Manager does not make decisions in this regard.”

Councils have been asked by IPART to prepare their Fit for the Future submissions on the recommendations of the Panel which The Hills seem to have ignored. They also seem to have ignored the guidelines for community consultation issued by the Office of Local Government, particularly how to conduct a balanced and valid community survey.

The Hills have also criticised Hawkesbury Council’s financial position.

“T Corp has assessed Hawkesbury Council’s financial position as Moderate and its External Auditor has indicated that Council is in a ‘sound and stable financial position.”

“Our level of outstanding debt as at June 2014 was $6.8 million which is well within benchmarks.”

“The debt is made up of a subsidised loan under the Local Government Infrastructure Renewals Scheme for a bridge replacement program and a NSW Treasury interest free loan for sewerage infrastructure.”

“I consider this very financially responsible,” explained the Mayor.

“It will be up to IPART, not The Hills Shire Council to assess Council’s financial position and whether it is a Fit for the Future Council,” he added.

“Council will continue to put its energies into preparing its Fit for the Future submission and work on furthering the recently formed strategic alliance between the Blue Mountains and Penrith City Councils rather than be diverted by the actions of empire builders,” concluded the Mayor of
Hawkesbury.

Visit the Getting Council Fit For the Future project page for more information.

The Hills Shire Council is currently circulating three amalgamation options, two of which would directly affect the future of the Hawkesbury Local Government Area.

One option suggests a merger with The Hills resulting in a super city council of an area one and a quarter times the size of the current metropolitan area, which is clearly unworkable.

A second option presented suggests The Hills absorb suburbs north of Windsor Road and east of South Creek including McGraths Hill, Pitt Town, Oakville, Maraylya and parts of Cattai and Vineyard severely affecting the future sustainability of our local government area.

“The Hills suggest that the Hawkesbury could be divided and incorporated into neighbouring councils splintering our long established community and dissolving our Council as we know it. The Hills state that this is their preferred option,” said the Mayor of Hawkesbury Councillor Kim Ford.

Hawkesbury Council has formally resolved not support nor entertain any proposals for the adjustment of the Council’s boundaries being proposed by The Hills Shire Council or the merger of the Council with any adjoining council area.

Councils have been asked by the State Government to present plans to make them Fit for the Future that consider the recommendations of the NSW Independent Local Government Review panel which recognises Hawkesbury’s important role in managing the unique rural area on the edge of Sydney. The Panel’s preferred option is to maintain the Hawkesbury as it currently exists, that is that there be no change to its structure.

The Mayor said that he was seriously concerned that The Hills are presenting options to their ratepayers that do not include the preferred option of the NSW Local Government Review Panel, that is that there be No Change to the current status of either Councils.

“I am disappointed that this Council was not consulted prior to these options being formulated.

“The Hills do not seem to understand that our community values the unique characteristics of our towns and rural villages and our strong history as a community that goes back to the very foundations of Australia.”

“Time and time again our community has told us that they value their rural lifestyle.” he said

“Our community does not want to be engulfed by the large scale broad acre development that is so favoured by The Hills, with suburb abutting suburb and high rise development.

“It is difficult to see any positive benefits for the Hawkesbury in being merged into a super council with The Hills.

The Hills admit that there would be challenges in providing services across a region with very large remote and rural areas.

"This challenge is real; we understand the realities of it and work with it day in and day out as the largest Council, in area, in Sydney. Creating a Council of a larger size in area on the outer fringe of Sydney does not make economic sense.” said Councillor Ford.

“Neither will we entertain any move that sees our future viability as a local government area compromised. By taking a portion of the Hawkesbury the area would lose around 8,300 of its population, and one of the few areas available for sustained population growth would be lost.

“This is clearly not in the interests of the residents of the Hawkesbury.

“The last thing we want is a suburb mentality to be imposed on our beautiful Hawkesbury. The Hills options strike at the very social fabric of our area.” said the Mayor.

Visit the Getting Council Fit For the Future project page for more information.

Help Council develop a greater understanding of the community’s attitudes, awareness and behaviours in relation to waste and recycling by completing the Waste and Recycling at Home Survey.

Residents who complete the survey will be helping Council to design waste and recycling communication and education programs tailored to the Hawkesbury's specific needs.

A random telephone survey is also currently underway as part of the consultation project.

Hawkesbury residents who complete the survey are eligible to go in the draw to win a $250 Coles Myer Gift Voucher. (One entry only permitted. Must be Hawkesbury residents to go in draw.)

Vote for your favourite Hawkesbury Super Hero and the three with the top votes will win a prize!

Students who attended the Hawkesbury Youth Summit on Tuesday, 31 March 2015 where asked two questions:

• What's the best thing about living in the Hawkesbury
• What is your big idea for the Hawkesbury?

They were then asked to create a Super Hero to help the Hawkesbury achieve this big idea.

View images of the Hawkesbury Super Heroes in the Youth Summit Hawkesbury Super Hero photo gallery.

Voting is now closed.

Hawkesbury City Council is exhibiting a draft Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA) for the proposed development known as “Jacaranda Ponds”, Glossodia.

The objective of the draft VPA is for the developer (EJ Cooper and Son Pty Ltd) to provide Council with road works, community works, cash contributions, and dedication of lands required as a result of the proposed development.

We invite you to review the draft VPA, an Explanatory Note and other supporting documentation online. Hard copies are also available at Council Offices, 366 George Street, Windsor for the period Friday, 13 March 2015 to Friday, 17 April 2015.

Written submissions concerning the provisions in the draft VPA can be made to Council by any of the methods listed in the FAQs.The last day for the receipt of submissions is Monday 20 April 2015.

If you have any enquiries please contact Matthew Owens, Director City Planning on (02) 4560 4540 or Philip Pleffer, Strategic Planning Coordinator on (02) 4560 4544.

Working out the best thing for an entire community and a large region like the Hawkesbury is a big task. It requires big ideas and even bigger thinking.

Hawkesbury City Council has recently embarked on the first step of a journey to tackle that task. Council is working with community, business and government groups to develop the best ideas for sustainable growth in our region and identify projects that deliver employment and economic prosperity to the area, which also embrace our local beliefs and values.

This Council initiative is a significant step forward in clarifying future sustainable growth for the Hawkesbury. Known as Hawkesbury Horizon – this process is just kicking off and community involvement will be the key to success. Keep in touch
with the latest on this initative on the Hawkesbury Horizon page.