Mayoral Message - February 2025

Published on 06 February 2025

Jasmin Jones, Mayor of Yass Valley

With the year off to a busy start, my fellow Councillors, Council staff, and I have already been working hard and have made significant progress in some key areas that support Yass Valley and our community.

(Pictured - Mayor Jones with Yass Valley Councillors and Yass Valley Council staff at the Australia Day Awards). 

COUNCIL STAFFING

We are very pleased to welcome key new staff to the Council senior management team. 

Mr Jason McGuire joins us as our Chief Financial Officer and brings with him a wealth of experience from over three decades working in finance and resource management in State and Federal Government. We also welcome Ms Peta Gardiner, as our Acting Director of Community and Corporate, and Ms Tanya Whitmarsh as the Acting Governance and Risk Officer - both come with extensive knowledge and experience for these important roles.

Recruitment for our new CEO is well underway through Capstone Recruitment. I’m pleased to say that we’ve received a healthy number of applications, with the application deadline set for Friday, 7 February.

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY 

All of us agree that our top priority this year is to ensure Yass Valley Council is on the right path to financial sustainability. Working with Acting CEO Julie Costa, our strong team of Councillors has begun the necessary work to develop a roadmap toward this goal. I am committed to reducing Council’s $4.761 million deficit by $2 million this budgetary year and improving Council’s cash position.

We were fortunate that a significant amount of financial work was completed in December. Given that no Council meeting is typically scheduled until February, we called an extraordinary meeting in January to move the next steps forward. In a majority vote, Council resolved to set aside a previous resolution (made in November) to assess our financial position and instead, adopt a new, broader scope of work.

This decision followed some key developments - notably we received a thorough presentation about our financial position from Council's contracted financial advisors UHY in December. Council also received and adopted our 2023-24 audited statements from The Audit Office. We received welcome advice about the steps forward from the Office of Local Government, and we received a fresh assessment of our financial position from our new Chief Financial Officer, Mr McGuire. With these planks now on the floor, Council resolved to focus our work on improving our internal financial reporting systems, how we account and handle grant income, and improving other internal accounting processes. 

I must reiterate that while the Office of Local Government has asked Council to consider all available options to improve its financial situation, our priority is to increase internal efficiencies, explore business opportunities for revenue growth, and conduct service reviews in discussion with the community. We will do this before considering any rate increase. Council has not formally notified IPART of any application to increase rates for the 2025–26 financial year.

We will be keeping the community informed of our progress and I look forward to discussing this with you as I’m out and about. 

COUNCIL NEWS 

Crago Mill - The Crago Mill Precinct building project remains on time and within budget, with the library’s steel frame up by Australia Day as promised! It’s important to reiterate that the new Administration Building is essential to provide staff with office space that meets required standards - something we currently cannot meet. Additionally, the building’s design will enhance community resilience. A good example is that it will serve as a refuge in extreme weather, with an on-site generator ensuring power for heating and cooling during local outages.

Onerwal LALC - Our new Council recently met with the Onerwal Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC), and we are developing an excellent working relationship. I thoroughly enjoy my regular meetings with Onerwal LALC Acting CEO, Ms. Marcayla Stopp, where we progress our work together.

Meetings – I have found the recent Canberra Region Joint Organisation (CRJO) meetings highly informative, and next month I will attend the Country Mayors Association meeting where Council financial sustainability will be a key focus (we are not alone!). 

COMMUNITY NEWS 

Binalong Waste Transfer Site - The specialised asbestos clean-up of the tip began on 28 Jan with skilled contractors being employed to carry out the work. It's hoped that the site will reopen within a month. Council really appreciates the patience of residents as we ensure EPA requirements are met. 

Storms - I would like to commend our Council staff for their tremendous afterhours efforts to clear roads well into the night during the January storms. Their hard work ensured our roads were safe and clear by the morning. 

Pools - A big thank you to the pool staff at Binalong and Yass, who have warmly welcomed and safely supervised thousands of visitors to our pools over the school holidays. It is wonderful to see children gaining skills and confidence in swimming. I would also like to acknowledge the Yass Swimming Club squad volunteers, who do an amazing job in their club roles, including hosting visitors from afar for the Shine Shield events. 

Australia Day Community Awards - It was an honour to preside over our annual award ceremony, to be able to share in the community spirit and celebrate our citizens with local community ambassadors Daniel and Toni Neuhaus. Our winners are:

Mayor Jones (L) pictured with the Australia Day Awards winners, Deputy Mayor Kristen Butler (second from left), and local community business ambassadors Toni and Daniel Neuhaus (second and third from right). 

Ben McCann (Citizen of the Year) is honoured for his inspiring work with Apex Village and senior residents. Bimbi Turner (Senior Citizen of the Year) is a local powerhouse of a volunteer supporting Liberty Theatre, Rotary, Red Cross, and local churches. Blake Hollingsworth (Young Citizen of the Year)is recognised for his dedication to the Yass Railway Museum, Scouts, and Youth Council. John Thorn (Volunteer of the Year) has devoted 12 years of service to the Murrumbateman Village Markets. Binalong Progress Association (Community Group of the Year) is celebrated for improving life in Binalong. Yass Valley Concert Band (Event of the Year) has brought music and joy to community events. Yass Hospital Staff (Mayor’s Community & Essential Services Award) are acknowledged for their outstanding service and care. Finally, Oliver Casey (Mayor’s Special Award), at just 12 years old, is recognised for his selfless kindness in mowing lawns for those in need. Congratulations to all!

Yass Rotary - A highlight this month was attending Yass Rotary’s celebration of Alfred McCarthy OAM’s 90th birthday and his 46 years of service as a Rotarian. Congratulations, Alfred!

COMING UP

Golf - Binalong is set for an exciting year of golf, with the Women’s Sand Green Championship coming to Yass Valley this March, following last year’s successful hosting of the Men’s event, which will return in September.

School Swimming Carnivals - I’d also like to wish all our primary and high school students, as well as their teachers, the very best as they return to school this week. School swimming carnivals are also kicking off, and I encourage all students to take the plunge and give it a go. Even if, like me, you’ve never won a swimming race, every house point counts in the final tally, plus you’ll be cooler for the dip! 

Meet the Mayor & Deputy - new date for February - Fri 21 Feb - I remain committed to hearing from you, so if you have any ideas or concerns that you would like to discuss in person, please book your session by emailing Katie Yeo on kyeo@yass.nsw.gov.au.