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
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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 Ideasalmost 3 years ago
Electric Vehicle charging and rental (cars, mopeds and bicycles)
Establish a network of electric car and electric bicycle parking/recharging stations throughout the Shire. People could ride their electric bicycles from village to village and recharge at each location. People could do the same with their electric cars. Perhaps install such charging stations in Council carparks. If combined with a good bicycle network and with the Council mobile app listed in another idea the council could raise funds from charging electric bikes and cars and even renting them out. Even better would be if council partnered with a bicycle hire or electric car hire business/ car share business from the private sector. Such a partnership could manage a fleet of electrical bicycle sharing and electric car sharing across the Shire. It could become a condition of future Development Consent throughout the Shire for multi-dwelling housing, housing under the affordable housing SEPP and commercial developments that the Development include an easement for Council to operate am electric bicycle / electric car parking/ charging station.
almost 3 years ago
Expand the Brunswick Heads Nature Reserve
Include the following Council owned land and Crown land at Brunswick Heads in the Brunswick Heads Nature Reserve. Council would then no longer have to spend any money on maintenance of these land parcels which all have high biodiversity value and should have been included in the reserve when it was first declared. o The remainder of Lot 50 DP1067782 o The remainder of Lot 2 DP 728659 o Lot 11 DP1067553 o Lot 15 DP1019200 o Lot 250 DP755692 o Lot 19 DP 1019200 o Lot 20 DP 1019200 o Lot 30 DP 1019200 o Lot 23 DP 1019200 o Lot 41 DP1134059 o Lot 416 DP 728666 South of the Terrace Holiday Park o Lot 413 DP 728684 o Lot 43 DP 755692 o Lot 58 DP 755692 o Lot 414 DP 728684 North of the Playing Fields and East of the old Brunswick STP o Lot 405 DP 728638 o Lot 279 DP 755692 o Lot 397 DP 724681 o Lot 400 DP 724696 South of the old Brunswick STP o Lot 393 DP 724578 o Lot 379 DP 47471 o Lot 428 DP 729722 o Lot 427 DP 729272 North of the Brunswick Heads SLSC o Lot 437 DP 839424 West of the Brunswick Scout Hall o Lot 423 DP 729272 West of Torakina Beach and South of the Marine rescue Tower o Lot 7017 DP1113398
almost 3 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.
almost 3 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.
almost 3 years ago
Charge a fee for use of different Council amenities by non-residents
Charge a fee for use of different Council amenities o Charge a fee for using all public toilets in Byron Shire. Fees are charged for public toilets throughout Europe and Asia. All local ratepayers and Residents would be issued a free key chain (or card) that when swiped at the smart toilets let then be used for free. Convert all public toilets to smart toilets throughout the shire. i.e make tourists pay for services. o Charge for the use of Gas BBQs in Byron Parks. At the moment they are free. Use the same system as that proposed for Public toilets i.e smart BBQs. Let residents swipe their key chain (or card) for free usage but make non-residents pay. o I am not really a huge fan of the following idea but it could also earn revenue for the Shire from Tourists and visitors. Install childproof fences around Council playgrounds in high use tourist areas. Not only will this improve child safety but Council could also charge a daily family charge to use the playgrounds. Once again residents would have free usage by swiping their keychain or card but tourists and visitors would have to pay. Advertisers know the power of pester power and no matter what children will still want to play on the parks and if the parents have to pay a small fee of say $5 per day for the whole family they will still pay. Have smart systems installed on the gates into the playgrounds Tourist and visitors would be given the choice of paying say $2 per use of the toilets, BBQs and playgrounds. They could also pay for an all day pass, say $5. A weekly pass, say $25. A monthly pass, say $80. Or a yearly pass say $500. They could pay using an app or at a self service kiosk. Mobile App technology has improved so much that once the fee is paid visitors would only need to wave there mobile phone near the toilet, BBQ or Playground to activate it. This fee for service system could be integrated with other ideas which could all work on the same technology and mobile application.
