Big-idea sessions
Byron Shire residents are well known for thinking outside the box and community members, blue-sky thinkers and entrepreneurs are invited to join Councillors to brainstorm new revenue sources in a series of workshops on 8 and 9 March.
We've heard from many that pay parking is not the favoured option for raising additional funds to deliver Council services and upgrades. Many residents believe that pay parking should be the last option and that there are lots of other ways Council could raise funds.
So let's explore all options - now is our opportunity to sit down, brainstorm and see if there is a hidden gem of an idea out there that we haven't explored.
We've heard about the bed tax, tolls, lottery, and even our own currency.
So let's get together, thrash them out and see what we can come up with.
There may be short-term options and long-term ideas that would require legislative change or partnership with other levels of government. Nothing is off the table. We are committed to exploring all options.
Importantly these ideas will be fed into our Community Solutions Panel who will be tasked with coming up with recommendations around the question - what infrastructure spending should we prioritise and how should we fund these priorities if the rates alone are not enough?
The blue-sky idea sessions will be held at:
- Brunswick Picture House (8 March, 6pm-8:30pm)
- Mullumbimby Civic hall (9 March 10am-12:30pm)
- Byron Bay Community Centre (9 March 2pm-4pm)
RSVP to ourbyron@byron.nsw.gov.au
-
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linkedin Email this link
We heard during discussions on Brunswick Heads and Bangalow
pay parking that there are other ways Council could raise funds.
Now is our opportunity share your ideas - let's see if there is
a hidden gem of an idea out there that we haven’t explored.
View All Ideasover 2 years ago
Close down Tyagarah Airfield
1. Close down Tyagarah airfield. Stop wasting over $140,000 per year on maintenance and over $500,000 on capital improvements. Go forward with the Planning Proposal to reduce the minimum lot size to 1000m2. Then investigate other higher productive and income generating uses of the site such as High Technology Industry, Creative Industries, Affordable Housing , Food Industry etc. This will stop the many complaints from local residents about noise issues and provide a good source of income for the council. Ballina Airport, Lismore Airport, and Murwillumbah Airport have all indicated they have more have enough capacity to absorb users from Tyagarah. Skydive Byron Bay already operate from Ballina Airfield when Tyagarah airfield is closed in wet weather. If the airfield is closed and the council owned land is sub-divided completely the Council owned land at Tyagarah could yield over one hundred (100) 1000m2 lots. This could be a huge financial wind fall for the Council rather than the ongoing loss and trouble the current airfield continues to be.
over 2 years ago
Change the Council fee structure and polices and add extra fees
1. People operating holiday letting from their properties should be charged commercial/business rates if holiday letting is the major use of the dwelling. They should not pay Residential rates. 2. A new fee should be charged by council for upgrading the shire wide Sewerage Treatment Plants to start to install reticulated reuse water in all towns and villages around the shire at the dwelling scale not just large business and community users. 3. If the major use of a rural property is not farming or residential then it should be charged commercial/business rates. i.e nurseries, storage facilities, rural tourist cabins, eco tourism facilities, landscape supplies, service station, café, function centre, restaurant etc. This should be a condition of consent for these types of approvals in the future. Under clause 518B Mixed development land under the Local Government Act 4. Install metres on sewerage pipes to record how much individual households and businesses are contributing. Start to charge sewerage fees based on actual usage. It is clear that the amount of town water used is not directly convertible to sewerage output. Rainwater tanks, stormwater overflow, sand spears ect. are contributing to additional usage. To start, make it a condition of all new Development Applications that involve a connection to the council sewerage system. 5. Change the current rural roads policy so that if a simple majority of land owners along a rural road vote to upgrade the road to bitumen seal and appropriate road width then it is compulsory for ALL of the land owners along that road to pay the proportionate share of upgrading the road (proportionate share being based on number of driveways entering the road). Also change the policy so that land owners are required to pay 66% of the upgrade cost and Council is required to pay 34% of the cost. Some Councils around Australia do not give land owners a choice at all. If a dirt road is identified for sealing land owners are required to pay the full cost of upgrading the road and Councils pay nothing. This policy should not just apply to gravel roads needing to be upgraded to bitumen but also narrow bitumen roads which are unsafe and are required to be widened. 6. Amend section 94 Plan to include the Billinudgel Village into the Ocean Shores area map and out of the Rural North Map. It is bizarre that properties in Billinudgel village pay contributions based on being in Rural North and not Oceans Shores. 7. Amend the section 94 plan to include the Saddle Road / Gulgan Road and Tandys Lane precincts in the Brunswick Heads Area Map and out of the Rural North map. The town boundaries of Mullumbimby, Bangalow and Byron/Suffolk Park expand into eth surrounding rural areas, but the boundaries of Brunswick Heads do not expand out at all. Most of Saddle Road, Gulgan Road and Tandys Lane are identified as being in Brunswick Heads by NSW Lands and Planning Departments so they should also be part of Brunswick Heads for section 94 contributions. They have very little rural road usage, but they are heavy users of Brunswick heads Open space and recreation, community facilities, bikeways and footpaths and urban roads. 8. Investigate the ability for Council to charge for the Environmental Services it currently provides for free such as biodiversity, carbon sequestration, water purification, mitigation of storm events, flood control, etc 9. Crack down on illegal water usage in Byron Shire. There is a large amount of illegal pumping from creeks and streams and bores for commercial use. All commercial uses of water require a Water license except for stock and domestic uses. If the illegal water usage is stamped out there will be more of a market for Council to sell reuse water from its STPs. 10. Charge a Biodiversity offset and Carbon offset fee for every tree removal approval. Invest this income in Council revegetation projects that re-establish Endangered Ecological Communities and Threatened Species Habitat. If Koala food trees are removed make sure that additional Koala food trees are planted in compensation. It seems sometimes when Koala food trees are currently removed they are being replaced with non-koala food trees that will not grow tall.
over 2 years ago
A Shire Wide Wifi network
Install a Shire Wide Wifi network with hot spots at all council buildings, bus stops, pay parking stations, public toilets, BBQ shelters and playgrounds. Allow free access to the wifi network but earn income from advertising which is a condition of free use of the network. Free wifi networks such as this occurs through all of Europe and north America and are often provided by Councils. It would also provide good data on visitor numbers to the shire as they would have to register to use the network. Users could opt to pay a fee and then have no advertising. Council could partner with an IT or communications company to roll out this network.
over 2 years ago
Increase enforcement and compliance activities
1. While unauthorised dwellings or unauthorised dwelling additions are a difficult issue to bring into compliance all of those living in these dwellings are not paying rates and they are heavy users of roads and other infrastructure just like tourists. Council could avoid making specific issues of the unauthorised dwellings as evictions could create a large homeless problem. Council could however issue ongoing fines for illegal waste water treatment. Those fines could be charged on an ongoing basis until all sewerage systems are brought into compliance. This would avoid specifically targeting unauthorised dwellings but instead target the illegal environmental pollution or contribution to Byron STPs associated with the unauthorised dwellings. Council could at the same time encourage the owners to submit Development Applications for either a studio, secondary dwelling, dual occupancy, expanded dwelling or rural tourism accommodation. These options allow pathways for the unauthorised dwellings to be brought into compliance. They would also then contribute section 94 monies and would comply with wastewater requirements, bushfire requirements, flood requirements and the building code of Australia. The owners and residents of unauthorised dwellings should pay their fair share of rates and section 94 contributions as well. Council has records of all approvals for existing buildings on its system and files including complying development. A system could be implemented to systematically audit every property in the Shire. If the number of bedrooms, studios, dwellings, kitchens, laundries or toilets do match with the existing Council approvals under the Local Government Act and the Environmental Planning Assessment Act then they should be issued with on the spot fines under both acts and the Protection of Environmental Operations Act until the systems are brought into compliance. 2. I have been informed that Councils compliance team makes and annual loss if parking fines are not included. There are so many breaches of development conditions, unauthorised development, environmental risks and breaches of the Local Government Act that Council should be able to raise a large amount of revenue from fines alone. Council can issue fines under: The Roads Act, The Local Government Act, the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act and the Protection of Environmental Operations Act. Council should systematically audit every property in the Shire placing high priority properties first and should issue various fines, notices, orders and infringements under these four acts wherever and whenever breaches are identified. The compliance unit/team should be revenue positive not revenue negative. I understand that parking fines are the exception and that the revenue from parking fines exceeds the costs associated with compliance staff issuing them. When council compliance officers conduct an inspection, they should have copies of all approved plans and conditions under all four Acts and should check off any time there is non-compliance with any approvals.
over 2 years ago
Paid Parking
1. Introduce Paid parking in all Central areas of Mullumbimby, Suffolk Park, Bangalow and Brunswick Heads. 2. Introduce paid parking along all beach and river fronts heavily used by tourists including the beach front at Suffolk Park, Belongil, Sunrise, Broken Head, New Brighton, Tyagarah, South Golden Beach and the River front at Brunswick Heads, Ocean Shores. i.e get money from tourists 3. Introduce no parking signs in ALL residential, village, industrial and business zones across the Shire. All Byron Shire Ratepayers and residents would be given FREE exemptions for up to two vehicles per dwelling. All tourists (particularly those staying in Air BnB) and business operators would have to PAY for a daily, weekly, monthly or annual permit for their vehicles to park on the street in residential zones. This would mean ONLY those vehicles with a registered exemption would be able to park in the street in Byron Shire Residential, Village, Industrial and Business zones. This would cost nothing for existing residents and ratepayers, but it would raise money from tourists and businesses who are parking on our streets and nature strips. This scheme would run in tandem with paid parking across the shire. It would also keep vehicles off our streets and nature strips and would charge those people and businesses who have a large number of vehicles in excess of what they can park on their own property. Fees could be $10 per day, $50 per week, $150 per month or $1000 per year per vehicle. Fines would also be issued for any vehicle parking in these areas without a permit or exemption. This would be different than the paid parking areas as it would apply to residential and other areas that are not paid parking. It would be additional to paid parking areas. For dwellings with over two vehicles they would have to pay the fee for additional vehicles. This would create an incentive to keep less vehicles on the Shires Streets.
