New term for deputy mayor and many strategies on show
Michael Hutchence was re-elected as deputy mayor at last night’s meeting of Hornsby Shire Council, while a significant number of draft strategies were placed on public exhibition.
“It’s an honour and a privilege to be once again chosen for such an important role,” Deputy Mayor Hutchence said.
“I look forward to working with Mayor Ruddock and my colleagues on Council for another 12 months.
“I’ve been impressed with how well Council has responded to the challenges of COVID-19 and I look forward to assisting with the ongoing recovery process.”
This is his second stint as deputy mayor in the current term of Council and his fourth in total.
Last night’s meeting agenda was dominated by the approval of draft strategies, which have been placed on exhibition for public comment.
They include the Sustainable Hornsby 2040 Strategy, Biodiversity Conservation Strategy, Urban Forest Strategy, Water Sensitive Hornsby Strategy, Climate Wise Hornsby Plan and the Rural Lands Study.
“The main goal of these strategies is to give Council a clear path towards creating a more sustainable, liveable, productive and collaborative community,” Hornsby Shire Mayor Philip Ruddock said.
“This is not simply a matter of ticking boxes – these strategies will form a core basis upon which Council’s future decisions will be made.
“They will affect almost every aspect of life in the Shire, so it’s vitally important that we have significant feedback from the community about their formulation.
“For instance, it will not be possible to fund all of the proposed actions immediately, so they will have to be prioritised.
“The community consultation will play a key role in helping us to set those priorities.”
Other items on the agenda at last night’s meeting included:
- Adoption of the draft Hornsby Shire Council Car Parking Management Study
- Filling a vacancy on the Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee
- Adoption of the NSW Model Code of Conduct and Procedures
- Appointment of delegates to the Local Government NSW 2020 Annual Conference and selection of motions to be submitted for consideration
- Scheduling of Council meetings for the coming 12 months
- Assigning councillor representation on committees, working parties and other relevant groups for the coming year
- Approval of a submission to the proposed Housing Diversity State Environmental Planning Policy
- Endorsement of participation in the NSW Public Spaces Legacy Program
To see the full agenda of the meeting visit hornsby.nsw.gov.au. The video recording of the meeting will be available from Friday afternoon.
