Mayor's Message: Tamworth mayor Russell Webb looks at council's achievements in 2022 and focuses on 2023

It has been a productive year where we have come together as a team with a real focus on making decisions which are for the benefit of our community.

While we are mindful of making choices which will ensure our region is strong and prosperous in the future, we also place a high priority on the needs and wants of our community.

We are listening to what community members are telling us.

A great example of this was when Council decided in June to allocate an additional $7 million dollars for road maintenance renewal and improvement.

This was a response to the feedback we received from residents through our community survey which showed residents' main dissatisfaction was the quality of our roads.

The additional funds allowed four additional contract maintenance crews to be engaged.

It has given us a great start to returning our sealed and unsealed roads to standard our community deserves.

Of course, the prolonged wet weather and repeated flood events since then have taken toll on our roads and we now have more work to do.

It remains a focus for Council.

The positive outcomes which have been delivered through our large program of capital works - many of them funded by the Australian Government and the NSW Government - had been a real highlight this year.

They include the addition of a pump track, half-court basketball and climbing wall in Tamworth's Viaduct Park, construction of a Changing Places Facility and Accessible Transport Hub in Bicentennial Park in the Tamworth CBD, and opening of the new multi-million dollar Manilla Water Treatment Plant.

In 2022 there has been significant progress at the Tamworth Global Gateway Park, a major enterprise park and logistics project at Westdale which will drive jobs growth in our region.

The roundabout at the intersection of Country Road and the Oxley Highway was completed and there has been considerable interest in the blocks available for sale.

We look forward to seeing the intermodal freight hub and other stages of the project realised in 2023.

Next year, we are also looking forward to more steps forward with the University of New England campus for Tamworth, the completion of the Treloar Park Tennis Development and work starting of a multi-purpose centre at Kootingal.

In the year ahead I am hopeful Council will secure funding for some major projects we have been advocating for, in particular, an innovative water purification facility which will allow for future growth of the local protein industry.

This is an important part of Council's ongoing efforts to secure our region's water supply as is our continued support for a new Dungowan Dam.

Councillors and staff have achieved much this year for our community but we know there is more to be done.

We are ready and keen to get moving after the Christmas holiday break.

Have a happy new year!

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