May2013_COUNCILLORs COLUMN
For all your general council enquiries call 3205 0555 or email mbrc@moretonbay.qld.gov.au
If I can assist further please contact me.
Councillor Bob Millar
Independent – Division 11
Office 3480 6455.
Follow me on @CrBobMillar or
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NEW PROPERTY VALUATIONS
Residents across many Council regions in Queensland will, by now, have received property valuation notices from the State Department of Natural Resources and Mines. With a soft property market the latest valuations for Res A land across the Region, including flats and townhouses, reflected a slight reduction of 1.76% over the valuations of 12 months ago. Any increase/decrease in a properties valuation does not translate directly to a similar change in Council’s general rates for next year. The spread of residential valuations in the Grapevine circulation area ranged from a decrease of 0.90% in Laceys Creek to increases of 2.21% in Dayboro Village and 2.56% at King Scrub. Most other areas experienced little if any change. The Department has increased the amount of information available from its website with valuation details, including how to appeal your valuation if you believe it is inaccurate being available at www.dnrm.qld.gov.au/property/valuations/annual-valuations
BURSARY ON OFFER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDENTS
Tertiary students in the Moreton Bay Region with a passion for the environment are invited to apply for the Don Perrin Environmental bursary worth $2,000 which is named in honour of Don Perrin for his dedication to creating and maintaining the Redcliffe Botanical Gardens. The Bursary will assist a student studying an environmentally related course with their tertiary educational expenses. Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Allan Sutherland said the bursary was established to honour Don’s contribution and to inspire others to protect, preserve and rehabilitate the natural landscape and marine environment. Applications close Friday 17 May 2013. For more information and an application form see The Don Perrin Environmental Bursary or phone (07) 3205 0555
IS YOUR DOGS TRAIL CLEAN
A casual walk along one of the regularly used paths recently revealed 4 instances within 50 metres of dog droppings not having been recovered by their owners. Under Council Local Law, it is an offence not to remove your dog faeces, if it defecates in a public place, and dispose of it in a sanitary way. Whilst some commonsense does prevail in the rural areas, the cleanliness of paths, trails, parks, sports precincts and other public places must be maintained. When your animal (including cats, dogs and horses) is in a public place, be prepared by carrying plastic bags or commercially available "pooper scoopers". On the spot fines of $220 can occur for this offence.
FLYING FOXES
There are two flying fox roost sites at Dayboro that Council and State Government officials have been monitoring – at Railway Street and at Strong Road. Both colonies are located along Terrors Creek, and both colonies are not considered by the experts to be permanent roost sites (i.e. flying-foxes are not present all year round). Council has a Flying-fox Species Management Plan (SMP) which has been approved by the State Government Department of Environment & Heritage Protection (EHP). This document can be viewed on Council’s website at http://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/flyingfoxes . Both flying-fox colonies at Dayboro are not considered to be in high conflict with residents, as outlined in the flying-fox SMP. However, numbers do fluctuate and flying-foxes do shift around as has been the case with the Railway Street colony. Council currently has no plans to actively disperse the Railway Street colony but continues to work with EHP officers and respond to resident enquiries. It is anticipated that the colony will be vacated within the next 1-2 months. Once the roost is vacated, Council officers will assess options to prune or otherwise modify the vegetation of the roost site with the aim to keep the colony at a distance from houses and other structures.
OCEAN VIEW COMMUNITY RECOGNISES FORMER LOCAL
I was pleased recently to join more than 30 Ocean View and Dayboro residents, family members and friends of well known local Brian Crane at the park Council has named after Brian’s late wife Elsie. The occasion, which was an initiative of the irrepressible former Uniting Church Minister Paul Inglis, not only saw participants planting a selection of advanced Tuckeroo and Golden Penda trees, but also taking part in a very pleasant BBQ. Elsie Crane Park is provided with a shelter and picnic setting and is located on Ocean View Road from where it enjoys expansive 360 degree views.
DAYBORO DAY – 22nd Year!
This huge event draws visitors from far and wide, including interstate, and not only contributes to the growing interest in our area as a tourist destination, but is the final major activity of the annual Pine Rivers Festival. This mainly free event, which I am pleased continues to be supported by Council, also provides an opportunity for local community groups to raise valuable funds to support their activities. With volunteerism struggling to provide adequate resources for so many of our important community activities, can I ask all readers, who may not be otherwise engaged in Dayboro Day festivities, to dig deep into their time and energy to assist the small band of people who do most of the organizing for what is an outstanding community event. For more information visit www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au .
DID YOU KNOW?
That Council owns over 170 Halls, Community Centres and Sports Clubs along with 15 swimming pools and 180 public toilets to serve the 390,000 people in our Region.
