August 2024 Oberon Council Meeting

August 15, 2024

The August Council meeting was held a week earlier than usual this month. This was to ensure that any decisions would not be made during the "caretaker period" before the September 14 elections. There will be no meeting in September as it would fall between the election and the date on which the results will be announced (October 3). The October meeting will really only be for the elected Councillors to meet each other and elect the Mayor, so the next meeting which will consider anything substantive will be in November, another reason for bring the August meeting forward to get important business out of the way.

One important piece of business at this meeting was for Councillors to express their appreciation of the work done by Mayor Mark Kellam, who is not standing as a candidate this time.

One matter that could not be left until November was the release of the unaudited annual accounts. The good news is that Oberon Council is in very good condition financially, unlike many other councils across the state. The report is extremely comprehensive and the Council staff must be congratulated on the detail included. The staff and Councillors must also be congratulated on the way the Council is managed. The incoming Council after the election won't be getting any nasty surprises.

It is expected that the audited accounts will be presented to Council in November.

The financial reports can be seen starting at Page 99 of the meeting agenda.

Another thing that could have been delayed by the election process is progress on the new sports complex. The project is running on schedule, but any problems coming up in the next few months will have to be addressed, and to this end the General Manager has been delegated the authority to do as much as possible to keep the project moving toward the expected completion date in mid-2025.

Oberon Matters would like to congratulate the current Councillors and also Council staff for the good work they have done to keep Oberon the great place it is to live and work, and we look forward to working with the new Council after the election.

The agenda for the August Council meeting can be seen here.

You can see a recording of the meeting here.

Minutes of the meeting can be seen here.

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