Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is in the process of finalising details to install an innovative new parking system in the Port Macquarie CBD which is set to revolutionise parking management.
Electro-magnetic vehicle overstay detection systems, which operate via an in-ground unit embedded beneath parking spots will soon be installed in time limited spaces along Horton and Hay Streets, Port Macquarie. Highly visible signage at all locations will explain that the systems are in use.
Council’s Director of Development and Environment, Matt Rogers, “The availability of parking in the Port Macquarie CBD was becoming an increasingly important issue in the community.
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Labour force data released this week shows that Port Macquarie-Hastings has clearly the lowest unemployment rate of all other Mid North Coast Councils. The data released by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations indicates that the Port Macquarie-Hastings economy continues to perform strongly.
According to Council’s Manager of Economic Development Mr Trevor Sargeant, a key to the very good performance of the economy is the increase in productivity levels, that is the increase in output per worker hour.
“While our area continues to be bound by a range of external influences such as inflation, interest rates and global competition, over which we have little control, productivity grew to around $43,500 in 2008 per employed person. This is a growth of about 4.5% each year since 2001,”said Mr Sargeant.
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Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is taking legal action against the owners of an alleged illegal brothel for operating in a residential area of Port Macquarie.
Council has received numerous complaints from the community about the alleged brothel operating from a house on the Oxley Highway. The house is also close to a pre-school and a church.
After an investigation by a Council Officers, an Order was issued against the owners to cease operating as an allegedly illegal brothel. Following further investigation, Council believed the business was continuing to operate illegally.
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In the lead up to the Christmas season Port Macquarie-Hastings Council lifeguards have issued a warning for beach users to observe signage on all beaches, particularly in the dangerous Town beach area.
Lifeguards and members of the four local surf life saving clubs commenced patrols at the start of the October school holidays keeping watch across five local beaches. Visitor numbers on the beaches were down in comparison to last years figures with 19,000 people supervised by Port Macquarie-Hastings Council Lifeguards during October.
Senior Lifeguard Tim Ferris said “Good crowd numbers were recorded on the beaches when the weather was nice but unfortunately there was a handful of not so pleasant beach days which kept the overall numbers down.
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One of the opening exhibitions at the Glasshouse has been awarded a prestigious Museums & Galleries IMAGinE Award for Excellence in Exhibitions.
At the awards ceremony in Sydney on Saturday the 17th, Black & White: Selections From the Thomas Dick Collection was recognized as the finest exhibition for 2009 curated by an organisation with six paid staff or less at the 2009 IMAGinE awards.
Gallery and museum representatives from across NSW and the ACT converged on the Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour for the presentation. Now in their second year, the awards celebrate the achievements of the museum and gallery sector in NSW and the ACT and those who work within it.
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A report at tonight’s Council meeting flagged the likelihood of a poor outcome for two of Council’s investments following on from the impact of the global financial crisis.
While Council’s investment portfolio has recently performed above benchmark, advice from Oakvale Capital is that Torquay, which was to mature in June 2013, and Scarborough, which was to mature in June 2014, are now at risk of default and are therefore highly unlikely to realise their invested value. Their combined value was $4.5 million.
Acting Director of Corporate and Business Services, Craig Swift-McNair said, “Since the beginning of the global financial crisis Council has continued to mark down the value of its investment portfolio to reflect valuations provided by its independent financial advisors, Oakvale Capital.
“Council’s $25m CDO portfolio was down some $8.5m at the commencement of last financial year and has lost a further $7.2m in value since then
“We are now likely to realise what have been to date ‘paper losses’ on two of council’s CDO investments. We have taken the view that these investments are not expected to return any capital and are carried in council’s books at a nominal value of just over $50,000.
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Port Macquarie-Hastings Council will be undertaking repair works to the rock wall at Town Beach which was damaged during the storms earlier in the year.
The recent work by the Department of Lands has allowed for a partnership approach where the same contractor will undertake the works.
The works will place new rock between the breakwall and the carpark. The works will commence tomorrow (Friday) and should be completed by next Wednesday.
Funding has been provided by Council and the Department of Environment and Climate Change’s Coast & Estuary program.
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Port Macquarie-Hastings Council is to review the number of councillor positions to see if there is broad support for a reduction prior to the general Local Government elections in September 2012.
The move is part of an overall rolling policy and procedural review to ensure that the newly elected Council has a solid and structured platform of governance in place.
Council Administrator, Garry Payne said, “One issue that I am sure will meet with a great deal of community interest is the number of Councillors on Council.
“For a long time now I have watched Councils with a smaller number of elected representatives and I believe they work well together and deliver better outcomes for their communities.
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The Port-Macquarie-Hastings region has been lauded as setting the benchmark for customer service following an assessment by Customer Service Institute of Australia (CSIA) judges this week, in the lead-up to the New South Wales finals of the Australian Service Excellence Awards.
A contingent of Port Macquarie-Hastings Council representatives including general manager Andrew Roach will travel to Sydney on October 22 to find out if the region is State leader for customer service.
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council’s Customer Care Program has been nominated as a NSW finalist in the 2009 Australian Service Excellence Awards.
An awards program initiated by the Customer Service Institute of Australia, Council’s entry is in the running for the top prize in the Local Government category. If successful, it will be the second time the Customer care program has won the prestigious accolade.
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The Port Macquarie-Hastings economy has held its head above water over the last 12 months with the latest data indicating the region has buffeted the impacts of the global financial crisis.
Council’s Economic Development Manager Trevor Sargeant has released statistics on the local economy, retail and building industries in the latest edition of Snapshots – a quarterly publication on economic development in the Hastings.
Key results show that unemployment between July and December 2008 experienced little change with a 0.1% increase compared to the previous year. This is despite the Hastings economy adding 175 more jobs to the market during this time.
“Some of these jobs may not be within Port Macquarie-Hastings,” Mr Sargeant explained. “Around 10 percent of Port Macquarie-Hastings residents commute to work outside the area. It will be interesting to see what impact the global financial crisis has had on local jobs when more recent data becomes available.”
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