Orange City Council resolved at their February meeting that they would not support a shared services model with either Cabonne Council or Blayney Shire. Blayney , Cabonne and Wellington have been part of a successful Alliance for many years now and have seen many advantages from this arrangement. Cabonne and Blayney Councils will now be considering an invitation from Orange Council to undertake a business case to independently investigate the advantages and disadvantage of any potential merger of the local government areas. While this is not Blayney Shire’s preferred direction, Councillors will consider this invitation over the next month as well as continuing working on our stand alone submission to the State Government. All councils have until the 30th June this year to submit their plan to the State Government demonstrating how they will be sustainable into the future and Blayney Council will be exploring every option to meet the Office of Local Governments criteria and we will be seeking input from our community as our options become clearer over the next few months.
Our refurbished Centrepoint Sport and Leisure Centre looks amazing with the freshly painted pool a feature. There has been over $350,000 spent on the facility with support from our Federal member John Cobb; and the contractors and council staff have work very hard throughout January to complete the project in a short time frame. I would urge everyone throughout the Shire to drop in and have a look at the improvements and take advantage of the program's and activities that are offered at CentrePoint.
This Sunday morning the first Blayney Farmers Markets are being held at Carrington Park. The organising committee have attracted a wonderful variety of stalls selling local produce and I believe the breakfast and coffee will be worth the visit alone. This is a wonderful event for our Shire and it’s important that it is well supported by our community so it can grow and become a valuable regular event within our area.
Scott Ferguson - Mayor