Policies

Objective:

To state the Councils commitment to being open and accountable in the exercise of its functions.

To acknowledge the lawful rights of citizen’s access to information held by the Council.

To provide easy to understand information about the Council, its structure and functions, and how members of the public can make representations and participate in decisions.

To provide information on how to access council information.

To comply with legislation regarding disclosure of information, in particular the Government Information (Public Access) Act (GIPA), the Local Government Act (LGA), and the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act.

Council is also subject to the NSW Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act and Health Records Information Privacy Act that establish standards for information handling practices for personal and health information.

Objective:

• To ensure that accesses to private property are constructed to a uniform, practical and safe standard such as will protect roadside drainage, services in footpaths, pedestrians and the travelling public.
• This policy will assist Council in achieving Theme 4, Goal 4.1 of the Community Plan, ‘Connecting our Region High Quality Road Network that is Safe and Efficient”

Objective:

To provide timely and appropriate advice for works that may affect access due to road works or road condition. This policy will assist Council in achieving Theme 4, Goal 4.1 of the Community Plan, ‘Connecting our Region High Quality Road Network that is Safe and Efficient”.

Objective:

1. To commit Mid-Western Regional Council to the investigation and delivery of quality solutions to Affordable Housing in the region
2. To outline the demand for affordable housing
3. To ensure that available funding opportunities are investigated for the provision of affordable housing in the Mid-Western Region
4. To reference best practice for the provision of affordable housing solutions
5. To provide a policy framework that will focus on the establishment of partnerships with local stakeholders
6. To outline a regime for the ongoing monitoring of housing and land supply

Objective:

Mid-Western Regional Council (‘the Council’) aims to provide an environment where employees and others in the workplace are treated fairly and with respect, and are free from unlawful discrimination, harassment, vilification and bullying. The Council aims to ensure that when employment decisions are made, they are based on merit, not on irrelevant attributes or characteristics that an individual may possess. The Council also aims to create a work environment which promotes good working relationships.

Objective:

To provide a set policy for Council’s art collection, including works commissioned, purchased, acquired or gifted to Council.

Mid-Western Regional Council acknowledges the serious health hazard of exposure to asbestos.

In Australia, asbestos was gradually phased out of building materials in the 1980s and the supply and installation of asbestos containing goods has been prohibited since 31 December 2003. Yet asbestos legacy materials still exist in many homes, buildings and other assets and infrastructure. It is estimated that one in three Australian homes contains asbestos.

Mid-Western Regional Council (MWRC) acknowledges that due to the age of some Council buildings and structures in the Region that there will be some materials containing asbestos present, and it has an obligation to ensure that they are managed in accordance with legislative requirements to prevent health and environmental related risks.

Where material containing asbestos is in a non-friable form (that is, cannot be crushed by hand into a powder), undisturbed and painted or otherwise sealed, it may remain safely in place. However, where asbestos containing material is broken, damaged, disturbed or mishandled, fibres can become loose and airborne posing a risk to health. Breathing in dust containing asbestos fibres can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.

It is often difficult to identify the presence of asbestos by sight. Where a material cannot be identified or is suspected to be asbestos, it is best to assume that the material is asbestos and take appropriate precautions. Further information about asbestos and the health impacts of asbestos can be found in Appendix A and website links to additional information are provided in Appendix B.

Council has an important dual role in minimising exposure to asbestos, as far as is reasonably practicable, for both:

• Residents and the public within the Local Government Area (LGA)
• Workers (employees and other persons) in council workplaces

Council’s legislative functions for minimising the risks from asbestos apply in various scenarios including:

• As a responsible employer
• Contaminated land management
• Council land, building and asset management
• Emergency response
• Land use planning (including development approvals and demolition)
• Management of naturally occurring asbestos
• Regulation of activities (non-work sites)
• Waste management and regulation

Objective

The policy objectives are to set the broad framework for undertaking asset management in a structured, consistent and coordinated manner, and to set asset management processes throughout Mid-Western Regional Council by;

• Ensuring Councils services and infrastructure are provided in a sustainable manner, with the appropriate levels of service to residents, visitors and the environment;
• Safeguarding Council assets by implementing appropriate asset management strategies and appropriate financial resources for those assets;
• Creating an environment where all Council employees have an integral role in overall management of Council assets by creating and sustaining a culture asset management awareness throughout the Council;
• Meeting legislative requirements for asset management;
• To manage and operate the appropriate mix of sustainable community infrastructure at the lowest life cycle cost. 

Objective

1. To provide clarity on the proposed extension of the bitumen sealed network within the region.

2. To define criteria for the provision of bitumen seals on urban and rural gravel roads where adjoining property owners request some action to reduce or remove the nuisance of dust on their property.

3. This policy will assist Council in achieving Theme 4, Goal 4.1 of the Community Plan, ‘Connecting our Region High Quality Road Network that is Safe and Efficient’.

Objective:

To ensure that the use and management of Council borrowings (including overdraft facilities):

• Complies with the Ministerial Revised Borrowing Order dated 13 May 2009
• Is undertaken with due regard for Council’s role as a custodian of public funds
• Is undertaken with the care, diligence and skill that a prudent person would exercise in managing the affairs of other persons; and
• Complies with Council’s overall risk management philosophy