Clarence Valley Council held its monthly Ordinary Council Meeting on Thursday, 19 June 2025 at the Grafton Council Chambers. Three Notice of Motions were considered and followed by 12 of 36 items debated and the other 24 adopted by consent in a meeting which lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes.
2025/2026 IP&R documents adopted
Councillors voted to adopt the new Operational Plan and associated documents as part of the Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework.
These documents include the Delivery Program, the Community Strategic Plan, Resourcing Strategy and Operational Plan as well as the new financial year's Fees and Charges.
The Community Strategic Plan, The Clarence 2035, describes how we will achieve the vision for the Clarence Valley, in line with our community's goals, priorities and aspirations for the next 10 years. It is the highest-level plan that Council will prepare under the Integrated Planning and Reporting (IP&R) Framework and sets the direction for all Council's activities, identifying key challenges and risks, and linking the community's priorities to strategies that Council will deliver.
The Community Engagement Strategy is based on social justice principles and details how we engage with our community to prepare IP&R strategies. Council's Community Engagement Strategy includes the Community Participation Plan.
The Delivery Program has been developed by considering the priorities communicated by the community – it is the strategies the governing body aims to achieve for the community. Each Delivery Program strategy is linked to an objective in the CSP and likewise each action in the Operational Plan is linked to a Delivery Program strategy.
The Resourcing Strategy forecasts Council's ability to deliver assets and services to the community over the next 10 years in line with the Community Strategic Plan. It comprises of Council's Long Term Financial Plan, Workforce Management Strategy and Asset Management Planning.
The 2025/2026 Operational Plan summarises the work intended to be delivered by various services throughout the financial year, linking those actions to the Delivery Program and identifying primary responsibility for outcomes. It also includes the Capital Works Program, Revenue Policy and Budget Statement.
Councillor Karen Toms congratulated staff on the work that was done to get these documents finalised.
"There is a huge body of work and a large suite of documents that's included in the Integrated Planning & Reporting Framework, which is legislated.
"We've got to think about the future with our community strategic plan which is 10 years, and we've got to think about our community."
"We're here so that community aspirations can be delivered."
The new documents will be available on Councils website at www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/IPR
Clarence Valley Citizen of the Year Awards to open
The 2026 Clarence Valley Citizen of the Year Awards will be held in the Lower Clarence region on Australia Day, 26 January 2026, after Councillors voted to change the date of the Clarence Valley Citizen of the Year and Council's Australian Citizenship Ceremony event from the proposed date of Friday, 23 January 2026.
Councillor Cristie Yager was nominated as the Councillor Advocate for the event, marking her second time in the role after hosting the event in January 2025.
The 2026 event will also see the inclusion of a new award with the Community Vote Winner introduced for each category, allowing the community to be more involved in the selection process.
Nominations are set to open 1 July 2025 and will close 7 November 2025.
More information will be available on Council's website at www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/Citizens-of-the-Year
Maclean Community Precinct project update
A report providing an update on the progress of the Maclean Community Precinct was tabled at the June Ordinary Council Meeting where councillors voted to note the project status.
As of the end of May 2025, key activities on the project include:
- Demolition of all buildings on the site
- Removal of all asbestos contamination
- Relocation of Telstra and NBN assets within the site to remove conflicts with basement slab
- Relocation of electrical infrastructure that conflicts with design
- Upgrade to electrical infrastructure works required for the project has commenced
- Construction contract awarded to Reeman Constructions
- DA modification application submitted to address changes which resulted from an internal review and peer review of design
- Construction Certificate obtained for stage 1 works including excavation and construction of the basement carpark slab
- Reeman Construction have mobilised to the site including establishment of temporary facilities and site environmental controls
- Stormwater pits and pipes delivered to site in preparation for installation.
The construction of the new facility is expected to be completed in late 2026.
Updates on the project will be available on Councils website at www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/Maclean-Community-Precinct
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred Response and Consolidated Disaster Recovery Update
Councillors have noted a report outlining the status of disaster recovery work following Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred, which impacted the Clarence Valley in March 2025.
The Clarence Valley has experienced repeated damage from natural disasters like storms and floods. The current estimated cost to repair all the damage is $230 million and this amount is expected to increase.
Recovering from these disasters takes significant resources and quick work by Council teams. To receive funding under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA), Council has a three-month window from the date of asset accessibility to complete Emergency and Immediate Recovery Works. These repairs must meet strict eligibility guidelines set by both the DRFA and the NSW Essential Public Asset Restoration Guidelines.
Additionally, to secure funding through the DRFA, Council must provide detailed photographic evidence of pre-condition, damage, and completion for all repair works. Following the February 2022 flooding event, this requirement involved managing evidence for over 5,000 defects, consuming months of staff time and in some cases leaving Council to cover costs where evidence was insufficient.
To address this significant administrative burden and financial risk, Council developed an innovative disaster recovery tool in partnership with Retina Vision, a provider of automated defect identification. By leveraging artificial intelligence, the tool analyses existing asset management data to automatically match required evidence for all claims. This solution has streamlined the claims process, saving thousands of staff hours, reducing financial risk, and enabling a more efficient recovery for the community.
This new approach not only helps Council respond more effectively to future disasters but also shows how technology can improve complex recovery operations for the benefit of the community and all involved.
The full report highlights the extensive work and coordination of Council teams in managing multiple natural disasters across the region.
