The Jeparit swimming hole is now almost complete with workers laying instant turf linking the whole precinct together being the deck overlooking the river, the new camp kitchen, the outdoor dining pods and the new all abilities amenities block. The 4 cabins also adjoin the area and council are very pleased how this project has evolved and given Jeparit an amenity and area of such a high standard for residents and visitors to the town to enjoy.

Customer action requests are an important part of Councils service to its community and during 2023 we have received over 500 requests to deal with. This averages about 2½ extra tasks per day for our staff and many of these are add-ons to our road crew’s daily rosters and long-term schedules of road maintenance. Please be patient as these can be a time-consuming task to inspect and carry out the works due to the significant size of our Shire, but this initiative is great for our community in keeping our towns beautiful and notifying us of potential hazards on our roads.

Recently at council we passed our Draft Community Action Plan 2024-2028. This came about from data gathered at various community consultations held throughout the shire earlier in the year. This information will be worked through in forming our future plans and the public still have a chance to submit ideas and feedback as the draft plan is available for public consultation from Thursday 14th December to Thursday 25th January 2024.

Council is also working on submitting two grant applications through the HVSPP funding available at present. These are for the Dimboola Minyip road and the Lorquon Netherby road at a cost of around 1 million dollars each, Council has passed to contribute its 20 percent share to support the grant of just over $424,000. Success will mean two of our major roads will receive much needed work.

In finishing, from all Councillors and Council staff, I wish everybody a very Merry Christmas and new year holiday period and if travelling please stay safe on our roads. I hope my columns throughout the year have been informative and updated readers to all thing’s Council.

Merry Christmas!

Cr Brett Ireland
Mayor