Agenda of Ordinary Meeting of Council - Monday, 7 September 2026

Reports submitted to the Ordinary Meeting of Council to be held on Monday 7 September 2026.

Ordinary Meeting of Council AGENDA AND BUSINESS PAPER

Monday 7 September 2026

ORDER OF BUSINESS:

CLAUSE PRECIS PAGE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY 2

REFLECTION 2

APOLOGIES 2

Confirmation of Minutes

CM-1 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES - ORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING - 24 AUGUST 2026 2

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST 2

Reports from Staff

RP-1 ELECTION OF MAYOR AND DEPUTY MAYOR 3

RP-2 OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE REPORT - JANUARY TO JUNE 2026 9

RP-3 2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT NSW ANNUAL CONFERENCE - ELECTION OF DELEGATES AND MOTIONS 13

RP-4 NSW PUBLIC LIBRARIES ASSOCIATION (NSWPLA) SWITCH 2026 CONFERENCE AND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 18

RP-5 QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE 21

Confidential Reports

CONF-1 WAGGA WAGGA AIRPORT FUNDING 25

CONF-2 RFQ CT2026065 SUPPLY & DELIVER ONE (1) HEAVY RIGID TRUCK FITTED WITH AN INTEGRATED BULK LIME SPREADER UNIT 26

CONF-3 RFQ CT2026068 SUPPLY & DELIVER ONE (1) SELF-PROPELLED ROAD STABILISER/RECYCLER 27

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

Wagga Wagga City Council acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land, the Wiradjuri people, and pays respect to Elders past, present and future and extends our respect to all First Nations Peoples in Wagga Wagga.

We recognise and respect their cultural heritage, beliefs and continuing connection with the land and rivers. We also recognise the resilience, strength and pride of the Wiradjuri and First Nations communities

REFLECTION

Councillors, let us in silence reflect upon our responsibilities to the community which we represent, and to all future generations and faithfully, and impartially, carry out the functions, powers, authorities and discretions vested in us, to the best of our skill and judgement.

APOLOGIES

Confirmation of Minutes

CM-1 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES - ORDINARY COUNCIL MEETING - 24 AUGUST 2026

Recommendation

That the Minutes of the proceedings of the Ordinary Council Meeting held on 24 August 2026 be confirmed as a true and accurate record.

Attachments

1 ⇩.

Minutes - Ordinary Council Meeting - 24 August 2026

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Report submitted to the Ordinary Meeting of Council on Monday 7 September 2026

RP-1

Reports from Staff

RP-1 ELECTION OF MAYOR AND DEPUTY MAYOR

Author: Scott Gray

Summary:

The purpose of this report is to facilitate the election of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

In accordance with section 227 of the Local Government Act 1993 (the Act), where the Mayor is elected by the Councillors, the Mayor is to be elected by the Councillors from among their number.

Where more than one Councillor is nominated for the position of Mayor or Deputy Mayor, Council is required to resolve whether the election is to proceed by preferential ballot, ordinary ballot or open voting.

The Office of Local Government identifies open voting as the preferred method of voting for the election of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

Recommendation

That Council:

a conduct the election of the Mayor by open voting in accordance with Schedule 7 of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021

b determine that the term of office of the Deputy Mayor be the same as the Mayoral term, being until September 2028

c conduct the election of the Deputy Mayor by open voting in accordance with Schedule 7 of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021

Report

Section 225 of the Local Government Act 1993 (the Act) requires Council to have a Mayor who is elected in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

Council currently elects the Mayor on a biennial basis, from among its Councillors, as provided for under section 227 of the Act. The current Mayoral term expires in September 2026 and Council is therefore required to conduct a mid-term Mayoral election.

The election of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor will be conducted at the Ordinary Meeting of Council to be held on Monday, 7 September 2026.

Role of the Mayor

Section 226 of the Act prescribes the role of the Mayor, which includes the following functions

· to exercise, in cases of necessity, the policy-making functions of the governing body of the Council between meetings of the Council

· to exercise such other functions of the Council as the Council determines

· to preside at meetings of the Council

· to carry out the civic and ceremonial functions of the mayoral office

Term of Office

Councils that elect their Mayor are required under section 290(1)(b) of the Act to hold a mid-term Mayoral election in the month of September.

Accordingly, Council will conduct its mid-term Mayoral election on 7 September 2026. The Councillor elected as Mayor will hold office until the day of Council's next ordinary election in September 2028, when their civic office as a Councillor and Mayor will expire.

In accordance with section 231(2) of the Act, Council may also elect one of its members to act as Deputy Mayor for the Mayoral term or for a shorter term as determined by Council.

The Deputy Mayor may exercise any function of the Mayor at the request of the Mayor, or if the Mayor is prevented by illness, absence or otherwise from exercising the function, or if there is a casual vacancy in the office of Mayor.

A Deputy Mayor holds office for the term specified in Council’s resolution. While Council has previously aligned the Deputy Mayoral term with the Mayoral term, Council has elected the Deputy Mayor for successive 12-month terms over the past two years. Council is therefore required to determine the term of office for the Deputy Mayor as part of the current election process. The recommendation in this report proposes that the Deputy Mayoral term be aligned with the Mayoral term, being until September 2028.

Election of Mayor – September 2026 to September 2028

The procedure to be followed for the election of the Mayor is prescribed by Schedule 7 of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021.

Schedule 7 provides for three methods for the election of a Mayor:

1. open voting

2. ordinary ballot

3. preferential ballot.

Where more than one Councillor is nominated, Council is required to resolve which of these methods will be used to conduct the election.

The Office of Local Government Fact Sheet, Election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor by Councillors, identifies open voting as the most transparent method of voting and reflects the normal method of voting at Council meetings. Open voting is therefore recommended for the election of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

The election provisions contained in Schedule 7 of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021 also apply to the election of the Deputy Mayor.

Part 1 - Preliminary

Returning Officer

1. The General Manager, Mr Peter Thompson will be the returning officer for the election to be held on 7 September 2026.

Nomination

2. (1) A Councillor may be nominated without notice for election as Mayor or Deputy Mayor.

(2) The nomination is to be made in writing by two or more Councillors, one of whom may be the nominee. The nomination is not valid unless the nominee has indicated consent to the nomination in writing.

(3) The nomination is to be delivered or sent to the Returning Officer prior to the start of the 7 September 2026 Council Meeting.

(4) The Returning Officer is to announce the names of the nominees at the council meeting at which the election is to be held.

Election

3. (1) If only one Councillor is nominated, that Councillor is elected.

(2) If more than one Councillor is nominated, the council is to resolve whether the election is to proceed by preferential ballot, by ordinary ballot or by open voting.

(3) The election is to be held at the council meeting at which the council resolves on the method of voting.

(4) In this clause:

"ordinary ballot" has its normal meaning of secret ballot.

"open voting" means voting by a show of hands or similar means.

The Office of Local Government Circular 26-15 confirms that Councillors may participate in an election conducted by open voting by audio visual link. Where an election is conducted by ordinary or preferential ballot, Councillors must attend the meeting in person to vote, as these methods require a secret ballot.

Part 2 - Ordinary ballot or open voting

Application of Part

4. This Part applies if the election proceeds by ordinary ballot or by open voting.

Marking of ballot-papers

5. (1) If the election proceeds by ordinary ballot, the Returning Officer is to decide the manner in which votes are to be marked on the ballot-papers.

(2) The formality of a ballot-paper under this Part must be determined in accordance with clause 345 of the Regulation as if it were a ballot-paper referred to in that clause.

(3) An informal ballot-paper must be rejected at the count.

Count-2 candidates

6. (1) If there are only two candidates, the candidate with the higher number of votes is elected.

(2) If there are only two candidates and the votes are tied, the one elected is to be chosen by lot.

Count-3 or more candidates

7. (1) If there are three or more candidates, the one with the lowest number of votes is to be excluded.

(2) If three or more candidates then remain, a further vote is to be taken of those candidates and the one with the lowest number of votes from that further vote is to be excluded.

(3) If, after that, three or more candidates still remain, the procedure set out in subclause (2) is to be repeated until only two candidates remain.

(4) A further vote is to be taken of the two remaining candidates.

(5) Clause 6 of the Schedule then applies to the determination of the election as if the two remaining candidates had been the only candidates.

(6) If at any stage during a count under subclause (1) or (2), two or more candidates are tied on the lowest number of votes, the one excluded is to be chosen by lot.

Part 3 - Preferential Ballot

Application of Part

8. This Part applies if the election proceeds by preferential ballot.

Ballot-papers and voting

9. (1) The ballot-papers are to contain the names of all the candidates. The councillors are to mark their votes by placing the numbers “1”, “2” and so on against the various names so as to indicate the order of their preference for all the candidates.

(2) The formality of a ballot-paper under this Part is to be determined in accordance with clause 345 of the Regulation as if it were a ballot-paper referred to in that clause.

(3) An informal ballot-paper must be rejected at the count.

Count

10. (1) If a candidate has an absolute majority of first preference votes, that candidate is elected.

(2) If not, the candidate with the lowest number of first preference votes is excluded and the votes on the unexhausted ballot-papers counted to him or her are transferred to the candidates with second preferences on those ballot-papers.

(3) A candidate who then has an absolute majority of votes is elected, but, if no candidate then has an absolute majority of votes, the process of excluding the candidate who has the lowest number of votes and counting each of his or her unexhausted ballot-papers to the candidates remaining in the election next in order of the voter’s preference is repeated until one candidate has received an absolute majority of votes. The latter is elected.

(4) In this clause, "absolute majority", in relation to votes, means a number that is more than one-half of the number of unexhausted formal ballot-papers.

Tied candidates

11. (1) If, on any count of votes, there are two candidates in, or remaining in, the election and the numbers of votes cast for the two candidates are equal-the candidate whose name is first chosen by lot is taken to have received an absolute majority of votes and is therefore taken to be elected.

(2) If, on any count of votes, there are three or more candidates in, or remaining in, the election and the numbers of votes cast for two or more candidates are equal and those candidates are the ones with the lowest number of votes on the count of the votes-the candidate whose name is first chosen by lot is taken to have the lowest number of votes and is therefore excluded.

Part 4 - General

Choosing by lot

12. To choose a candidate by lot, the names of the candidates who have equal numbers of votes are written on similar slips of paper by the Returning Officer, the slips are folded by the Returning Officer so as to prevent the names being seen, the slips are mixed and one is drawn at random by the Returning Officer and the candidate whose name is on the drawn slip is chosen.

Result

13. The result of the election (including the name of the candidate elected as Mayor or Deputy Mayor) is:

(a) to be declared to the Councillors at the council meeting at which the election is held by the Returning Officer, and

(b) to be delivered or sent to the Secretary and the Chief Executive Officer of Local Government NSW.

Election of Deputy Mayor

In accordance with section 231 of the Local Government Act 1993, Council may elect a Councillor to the office of Deputy Mayor. The Deputy Mayor may be elected for the Mayoral term or for a shorter term as determined by Council.

Council is therefore required to determine the term of office for the Deputy Mayor as part of the election process.

In 2024 and 2025, Council elected the Deputy Mayor for 12-month terms. The recommendation in this report proposes returning to a Deputy Mayoral term aligned with the Mayoral term.

Nomination papers for the positions of Mayor and Deputy Mayor will be distributed to Councillors in hard copy and through the online Councillor portal. Completed nomination papers are to be delivered or sent to the Returning Officer, Mr Peter Thompson, prior to the commencement of the Ordinary Meeting of Council to be held on Monday, 7 September 2026.

Financial Implications

N/A

Policy and Legislation

Local Government Act 1993 (NSW) – sections 225, 226, 227, 230, 231 and 290

Local Government (General) Regulation 2021 – section 394 and Schedule 7

Office of Local Government Circular 26-15 – Elections for mayors and elections for chairpersons of joint organisations and county councils

Link to Strategic Plan

Regional Leadership

Ethical Leadership

Provide strategic direction and leadership for our region to deliver key community priorities.

Risk Management Issues for Council

N/A

Internal / External Consultation

N/A

Report submitted to the Ordinary Meeting of Council on Monday 7 September 2026

RP-2

RP-2 OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE REPORT - JANUARY TO JUNE 2026

Author: Bradley Ristivojevic

Executive: Scott Gray

Summary:

This report provides details of Council’s performance against the Operational Plan 2025-2026 as of 30 June 2026.

Recommendation

That Council receive and note the Operational Performance Report for the period 1 January 2026 to 30 June 2026.

Report

Background

Progress reports are required to be provided to the Council with respect to the principal activities detailed in the Delivery Program, at least every six (6) months.

This report is the second six-monthly report under the recently adopted Delivery Program 2025-2029 and Operational Plan 2025-2026. To retain consistency with the Delivery Program 2025-2029 and Operational Plan 2025-2026, reporting is presented by service area. There are 36 service areas within the report.

Performance has been reported using the same structure as the Delivery Program 2025-2029 and Operational Plan 2025-2026:

· Principal Activities – reflect the key functions a service performs and respond to any specific action identified by strategic objectives of the Community Strategic Plan.

· Service Delivery – the ongoing services and actions that comprise the business-as-usual work of a service area.

· Implementation of plan and strategies – reports the progress of scheduled delivery actions contained within plans and strategies. Not all plans and strategies contain reportable actions (e.g. Engineering Design Guidelines). Where this is the case, the plan/strategy has not been included in the reporting.

· Capital Projects – include one-off actions that either result in the development or acquisition of a new asset and recurrent (annual) programs which are usually maintenance activities or ongoing renewal of assets (e.g. library and art collections).

· Operational Projects – include actions that are not ongoing and funded by a service’s operating budget. These actions include the review and development of plans and strategies.

Performance Overview

Progress of actions is reported using the following criteria to communicate their level of completion against expected outcomes.

Table 1: Action Status

Status	Description
N/A	Indicates a deliverable is reported for transparency and does not have a performance measure status.
Not due to commence	Indicates that an action was not due to commence during the reporting period.
Off track	Indicates that an action is behind schedule or has not been met in the reporting period.
At risk	Indicates that an action may not be achieved if issues are not addressed.
On track	Indicates that an action / measure is on track for completion / achievement by the due date. Actions may span over multiple years depending on their nature (e.g. projects).
Completed	Indicates that an action has been finished and delivered to the intended service level and objective.
Closed	Indicates all retentions and administrative processes related to the project have been finalised. (capital projects only)

On pages 6-8 of the report for each of the categories discussed above. A total of 780 actions are included in the report. 2.1% of total actions have been reported as at risk and 10.1% as off track. Off track actions are most prevalent in plan and strategy implementation (20% off track) and operational projects (17%). A summary of status by deliverable is provided in Table Two (2).

Table 2: Deliverables

Deliverable Category	Completed/ Closed	On track	At risk	Off track	N/A & Not due to commence	Total
Principal Activities	3	120	2	13	27	165
Service Delivery Performance	146	89	6	23	67	331
Plans and Strategy implementation	1	38	1	11	5	56
Capital Projects	47	47	0	13	11	118
Operational Projects	23	45	7	19	16	110
Total	220	339	16	79	126	780

A listing of measures reported as off track or at risk is included as Attachment Two (2).

Financial Implications

N/A

Policy and Legislation

Local Government Act 1993 - section 406

(1) The regulations may make provision for or with respect to integrated planning and reporting guidelines (referred to in this Chapter as the guidelines) to be complied with by councils.

(2) Without limiting subsection (1), the regulations may impose requirements in connection with the preparation, development, consultation on and review of, and the contents of, the community strategic plan, resourcing strategy, delivery program, operational plan, community engagement strategy, annual report and environment reporting of a council.

Local Government Act (General) Regulation 2021 - regulation 196A

“A council must comply with the integrated planning and reporting guidelines in the document entitled Integrated Planning and Reporting Guidelines for Local Government in NSW, published on the website of the Department, as in force from time to time.”

Section 4.9 of the Integrated Planning and Reporting Guidelines for Local Government in NSW requires that “the general manager must ensure that progress reports are provided to the council, with respect to the principal activities detailed in the Delivery Program, at least every 6 months”.

Link to Strategic Plan

Regional Leadership

Good governance

Provide professional, innovative, accessible and efficient services.

Risk Management Issues for Council

The presentation of the Operational Performance Report to Council supports Council’s compliance with its Integrated Planning and Reporting obligations.

Of the 780 deliverables reported, 12% are identified as either ‘at risk’ or ‘off track’. In considering these results, it is important to recognise that Council’s work program is not static. New legislative requirements, emerging risks, audit and improvement actions, grant opportunities and other organisational priorities can arise during the year and require existing resources to be redirected.

The actions identified as ‘at risk’ or ‘off track’ will be further reviewed through upcoming service planning processes to determine whether changes to priorities, timeframes or resourcing are required to support delivery of Council’s adopted work program.

Internal / External Consultation

Internal collaboration with responsible officers, managers and directors was completed for the drafting, review and approval of the Operational Performance Report.

Mail

Traditional Media

Community Engagement

Digital

Rates notices insert

Direct mail

Letterbox drop

Council news

Media release

Media opportunity

TV/radio advertising

One-on-one meeting(s)

Community meeting(s)

Stakeholder workshop(s)

Drop-in session(s)

Survey/feedback form(s)

Have your Say

Email newsletter

Social media

Website

Inform

Consult

Involve

Collaborate

Other methods (please list specific details below)

Attachments

1.	Attachment 1 - Operational Performance Report H2 - January to June 2026 - Provided under separate cover.
2 .	Attachment 2 - Off track and at risk actions by directorate - Provided under separate cover.

Report submitted to the Ordinary Meeting of Council on Monday 7 September 2026

RP-3

RP-3 2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT NSW ANNUAL CONFERENCE - ELECTION OF DELEGATES AND MOTIONS

Author: Nicole Johnson

Executive: Scott Gray

Summary:

The Local Government NSW (LGNSW) Annual Conference will be held from 22 to 24 November 2026 at the WIN Sports & Entertainment Centres, Wollongong.

The purpose of this report is to elect Council’s delegates to attend the Conference and to consider and endorse motions for submission to the Conference.

Recommendation

That Council

a endorse the Mayor and three (3) Councillors to attend the Local Government NSW Annual Conference to be held from Sunday 22 to Tuesday 24 November 2026

b elect three (3) Councillor delegates referred to in (a) above to attend the Conference

c note that the Mayor and the three (3) Councillors appointed to attend the Conference will be Council’s voting delegates for any Local Government NSW elections for the following twelve months

d endorse submitting the following motions as outlined in the body of this report for consideration at the Conference:

i Motion 1 - Community Benefit Sharing for Data Centres and Transmission Infrastructure

ii Motion 2 - Guidance on Fully-Funded Advocacy Conferences for Councillors

Report

The Local Government NSW (LGNSW) Annual Conference will be held at the WIN Sports & Entertainment Centres, Wollongong, from 22 to 24 November 2026, with the support of Wollongong City Council as Destination Partner.

The Annual Conference is LGNSW’s key policy-making forum and provides an opportunity for councillors and local government representatives from across New South Wales to consider and debate strategic issues affecting the sector. Resolutions of the Conference establish LGNSW’s policy positions and inform its advocacy priorities for the year ahead.

The Conference program also includes keynote presentations, professional development workshops, panel discussions, networking opportunities and a trade exhibition, providing delegates with opportunities to share knowledge and consider emerging issues and initiatives relevant to local government.

In accordance with Council’s membership of LGNSW, Council is entitled to four (4) voting delegates at the Annual Conference. It is therefore recommended that the Mayor and three (3) Councillors attend the 2026 LGNSW Annual Conference as Council’s voting delegates.

Motions

Each year, Local Government NSW (LGNSW) members are invited to submit motions for consideration at the LGNSW Annual Conference. Motions focus on strategic local government matters of state-wide significance, as well as new and emerging policy issues.

Motions are debated and determined by Conference delegates, with successful resolutions establishing LGNSW policy positions and helping to guide its advocacy priorities for the year ahead.

All LGNSW member councils are invited to submit motions for consideration. The Conference Motions Submission Guide is provided for further information.

The following Motions have been submitted by Councillor Richard Foley.

Motion 1

Title

Community Benefit Sharing for Data Centres and Transmission Infrastructure

Motion

That Local Government NSW advocate to the NSW Government for a consistent, mandatory State-wide community benefit-sharing framework for large-scale data centres and electricity transmission infrastructure, incorporating sector-appropriate benchmark contribution methodologies, including consideration of ongoing contributions linked to approved maximum power consumption for data centres.Motion 1

Background

Large-scale data centres and electricity transmission infrastructure are increasingly being developed across New South Wales, including in regional communities. These projects can involve substantial capital investment, operate for several decades and create significant change within host communities. While the NSW Government’s Data Centre Planning Guideline recognises the importance of community benefits and local outcomes from major data centre developments, it does not establish a consistent contribution methodology or benchmark rates. Similarly, while the NSW Government is progressing reforms relating to community benefit sharing for renewable energy development, there remains a need for clear and consistent arrangements applying to large-scale data centres and transmission infrastructure.

In the absence of sector-wide benchmark methodologies, councils are left to negotiate community benefit arrangements individually with major proponents, creating inconsistent outcomes and placing smaller and regional councils at a negotiating disadvantage.

A State-wide framework should establish appropriate methodologies for different infrastructure types, while retaining sufficient flexibility to reflect local circumstances and ensuring host communities receive enduring benefits from major developments occurring within their local government areas

Motion 2

Title

Guidance on Fully-Funded Advocacy Conferences for Councillors

Motion

That Local Government NSW advocate to the Office of Local Government for clear guidance on the application of the Model Code of Conduct gifts and benefits provisions to fully-funded conferences and similar events offered to councillors by external advocacy organisations.

Background

Councillors across New South Wales may receive invitations to attend conferences, forums and other events where some or all costs are funded by an external organisation. In some cases, the organisation may also have an established advocacy or policy agenda relevant to local government.

The Model Code of Conduct contains requirements governing the acceptance and disclosure of gifts and benefits, including benefits that may create a sense of obligation or give rise to a perception that a council official could be influenced in the performance of their public duties. However, there is limited specific guidance available to councils on how these provisions should be applied to fully-funded conferences and advocacy events.

This can result in differing approaches between councils and uncertainty for councillors and council staff when assessing invitations involving funded registration, travel, accommodation or hospitality.

Clear State-wide guidance would support consistent decision-making, transparency and public confidence while allowing legitimate professional development, information sharing and advocacy activities to continue. The proposed guidance should apply irrespective of the organisation involved or the particular policy or advocacy position being promoted.

Financial Implications

The estimated cost per delegate to attend the conference is $3,059.00 per person including registration at the early bird rate, accommodation and the conference dinner as below (all GST exclusive costs):

Estimated Cost per Delegate	Estimated Amount (GST Excl)
Registration	$1,312.50
Conference Dinner Ticket	$245.00
Workshop Session	$100.00
ALGWA	$92.50
Three Nights’ Accommodation (Booked: 21 – 24 November 2026)	$1,059.00
Estimated Car Hire	$250.00
Total Estimated Cost per Delegate	$3,059.00

This conference will be funded from the Councillors’ Development, Conference and Travel budget, which has a total allocation of $8,000 per Councillor for the 2026/27 financial year.

The expenditure and remaining budget for each Councillor is detailed in the table below in committed amounts.

Councillor	Amount spent/committed YTD 2026/27 (GST Excl)	Remaining budget 2026/27 (GST Excl)
Allana Condron	$0	$8,000.00
Georgie Davies	$0	$8,000.00
Richard Foley	$0	$8,000.00
Michael Henderson	$420.00	$7,580.00
Jenny McKinnon	$1,349.09	$6,650.91
Amelia Parkins	$2,495.60	$5,504.40
Karissa Subedi	$1,892.31	$6,107.69
Lindsay Tanner	$0	$8,000.00
Dallas Tout	$0	$8,000.00

Job number: 12080 – Councillor Development/Conferences/Travelling.

Policy and Legislation

Councillor Expenses and Facilities Policy (POL 025)

Link to Strategic Plan

Regional Leadership

Ethical Leadership

Provide strategic direction and leadership for our region to deliver key community priorities.

Risk Management Issues for Council

N/A

Internal / External Consultation

Councillors and Executive team

Report submitted to the Ordinary Meeting of Council on Monday 7 September 2026

RP-4

RP-4 NSW PUBLIC LIBRARIES ASSOCIATION (NSWPLA) SWITCH 2026 CONFERENCE AND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Author: Nicole Johnson

Executive: Scott Gray

Summary:

Endorse Councillor attendance at the NSW Public Libraries Association (NSWPLA) SWITCH 2026 Conference being held at the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre from 10 - 13 November 2026.

Recommendation

That Council:

a endorse Councillor attendance at the NSW Public Libraries Association (NSWPLA) SWITCH 2026 Conference being held in Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre 10 – 13 November 2026

b appoint any Councillor who wishes to attend the NSW Public Libraries Association (NSWPLA) SWITCH 2026 Conference as a Council representative, subject to the availability of funds within the Councillor's adopted conference and travel budget

Report

The NSW Public Libraries Association (NSWPLA) will hold its annual SWITCH 2026 Conference in Bathurst from 10 to 13 November 2026. SWITCH is the Association’s annual conference and provides an important professional development and networking opportunity for Councillors and public library professionals from across NSW.

The conference provides delegates with opportunities to learn about contemporary practices, emerging issues and developments within the public library sector, while sharing knowledge and experiences with representatives from other councils and library services. It also provides an opportunity to establish and strengthen professional networks and partnerships across the NSW public library sector.

The conference program includes a range of presentations, professional development and networking opportunities, together with the announcement of the NSWPLA Scholarships and Awards and the NSWPLA Annual General Meeting. A dedicated Councillor Lunch is also included as part of the conference program.

Attendance at SWITCH provides Council representatives with an opportunity to gain insight into issues and initiatives affecting public libraries across NSW, exchange ideas and examples of good practice, and bring relevant learnings back to Council’s library services.

Further information, including the conference program, is available on the SWITCH 2026 Conference website.

Financial Implications

The estimated cost per Councillor to attend the Conference is approximately $2,500 plus GST (early bird member rate) as outlined below.

Estimated costs	Estimated Amount (GST excl)
Conference Registration (early bird member rate)	$ 895.00
Car Hire	$ 400.00
Accommodation: 10 – 14 November 2026 (Conference rate $200 per night)	$ 800.00
Additional expected costs (transfers, meals and incidentals)	$ 400.00
Total (Estimate)	$ 2,495.00

This conference will be funded from the Councillors’ Development, Conference and Travel budget, which has a total allocation of $8,000 per Councillor for the 2026/27 financial year.

The expenditure and remaining budget for each Councillor is detailed in the table below in committed amounts.

Councillor	Amount spent/committed YTD 2026/27 (GST Excl)	Remaining budget 2026/27 (GST Excl)
Allana Condron	$0	$8,000.00
Georgie Davies	$0	$8,000.00
Richard Foley	$0	$8,000.00
Michael Henderson	$420.00	$7,580.00
Jenny McKinnon	$1,349.09	$6,650.91
Amelia Parkins	$2,495.60	$5,504.40
Karissa Subedi	$1,892.31	$6,107.69
Lindsay Tanner	$0	$8,000.00
Dallas Tout	$0	$8,000.00

Job number: 12080 – Councillor Development/Conferences/Travelling

Policy and Legislation

POL-025 – Payment of Expenses and Provision of Facilities to Councillors.

Link to Strategic Plan

Regional Leadership

Ethical Leadership

Provide strategic direction and leadership for our region to deliver key community priorities.

Risk Management Issues for Council

Failure to appropriately manage councillor attendance at conferences may result in reputational damage, unnecessary expenditure, missed professional development opportunities, reduced advocacy outcomes and diminished governance effectiveness.

Internal / External Consultation

N/A

Report submitted to the Ordinary Meeting of Council on Monday 7 September 2026

RP-5

RP-5 QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE

Author: Scott Gray

Summary:

This report is to respond to questions with notice raised by Councillors in accordance with Council’s Code of Meeting Practice.

Recommendation

That Council receive and note the report.

Report

The following questions with notice were received prior to the meeting, in accordance with the Code of Meeting Practice.

Councillor R Foley

What does street lighting cost Council each year, and how much of the network is still non-LED?

As at 18 August 2026, there are 7,611 public lighting assets, of which 7,564 are LED. The remaining 47 assets, or 0.6%, are non-LED. Therefore, the remaining amount that are not LED is 47 or 0.6%. Essential Energy is in the process of identifying suitable LED fittings to replace the outstanding lights, as they are non-standard fittings and must be suitable for connection to its network.

For the last 12 months the following charges have been incurred by WWCC for public lighting:

· Capital costs = $90,221.02

· Maintenance costs = $367,511.98

· Electricity costs (Iberdrola & Origin Energy) = $378,777.30

· Total = $836,510.30

NOTE: These costs are not fixed per annum as assets are being removed, added and upgraded.

Councillor R Foley

Has Council investigated solar street lighting for replacing ageing lights in rural or grid-remote areas like North Wagga, including cost and payback period?

Australian Standards-compliant solar-powered LED street lighting has been investigated and has been installed in some locations where mains power is not available.

If specific areas are identified costings and paybacks could be provided. Specific locations would need to be identified before cost and payback assessments could be undertaken, as the required lighting levels will determine the type and size of the lighting units, solar arrays and batteries.

Also, once areas are identified Council will be able to assess each location to determine if solar lighting could actually be installed due to the following factors:

· adequate solar access without significant shading or other obstructions

· appropriate clearances from Essential Energy network infrastructure

· sufficient spacing to achieve the required Australian Standards

· whether the installation can be accommodated independently of Essential Energy poles, as Essential Energy does not permit solar panels to be installed on its poles due to structural load, sail area and electrical clearance requirements.

Councillor R Foley

Following Murrumbidgee Council’s solar street lighting subdivision precedent, does Council’s approval process allow this alternative, and who would own and maintain the assets Council or Essential Energy?

Council does not currently have any adopted minimum performance criteria relating to the power supply for street lighting, therefore if a proposal for a new subdivision included solar powered street lighting, Council staff would not support its approval.

Any reduction in solar power could impact illumination levels, resulting in lighting that does not meet the required standards and potentially exposing Council to liability risks. Grid powered street lighting provides a reliable and consistent power source capable of maintaining the required illumination levels regardless of weather conditions.

Should Council wish to consider solar powered street lighting as an alternative in future developments, this would first need to be formally adopted by Council, supported by clear guidelines and minimum performance standards. Consideration would also need to be given to ongoing ownership, monitoring, and maintenance responsibilities, as Essential Energy would no longer own or maintain the lighting assets and this responsibility would sit with Wagga Wagga City Council. In addition, the lifespan of solar components, including batteries and solar panels and the associated replacement costs would need to be assessed as part of the long term asset management implications.

Councillor M Henderson

Advised that he has had various community members reach out to him in relation to the condition of Copland Street and mentioned its deteriorating badly.

Council’s Civil Operations team has received multiple customer requests regarding the condition of Copland Street. Council is aware of potholes along the carriageway, and the street is regularly attended by jet patching crews following rain events as required.

Council is currently investigating the condition of the road to identify areas requiring more substantial patching works. It is anticipated that these works will be undertaken during the first half of 2027.

A new wearing course for the road may be required in FY 27/28 and the criticality of this upgrade will be assessed against the condition of other roads and our budget constraints before we are able to firmly commit.

Councillor A Parkins

Is council planning on or is it appropriate to run some kind of community education campaign around the rising impact of bird flu, in terms of symptoms that the community can look out for and the process of reporting anything they, see?

Council has developed a dedicated webpage to provide the community with information about H5 avian influenza (bird flu), including what to look out for and how suspected cases should be reported.

The page directs residents to current NSW Government advice and reinforces the key message to avoid contact with sick or dead birds, record what is observed and report suspected cases to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

NSW DPIRD is the lead agency responsible for surveillance and response to H5 bird flu in NSW. Council’s role is therefore primarily to support community awareness and direct residents to the appropriate State Government information and reporting channels.

Council will continue to monitor advice from the NSW Government and update its community information as required.

Financial Implications

N/A

Policy and Legislation

Code of Meeting Practice

Link to Strategic Plan

Regional Leadership

Good governance

Provide professional, innovative, accessible and efficient services.

Risk Management Issues for Council

N/A

Internal / External Consultation

N/A