Last Wednesday evening Council unanimously voted (in the absence of Clr Jim Mauger) to go to the public with a model for our next application to the Minister for another 5 year Environment levy . The model accepted by Council, if supported by the community and subsequently the Minister, will raise $5,391,799.55, for ongoing restoration and maintenance of our Environment.
To date the WOFE (Wingecarribee Our Future Environment Levy) has been one of the very real success stories of this shire. It has engaged Community members, school children,private landholders and others within the shire in the protection and healing of our local area.
To get to the stage where this levy is seen as an important part of Councils operations has not been an easy task. It has been a long battle. One that many bushcare, landcare and others with the community have assisted me in.
It is exciting to see an awakening within the mind of Council on this matter. Of course we have a very long way to go, but it seems that we are starting to acknowledge honestly the value of our precious environment and the advantage of having a special rate to protect it.
As we continue to work with private landholders and help them to maintain valuable stand of native forest on their properties and to educate school children and assist those amazing volunteers who continue to selflessly do so much work for the benefit of our shire and future generations, we can do so in the knowledge that there is an increasing acceptance of environmental issues within Council.
It is my hope that this will continue to grow and that we will eventually be in a position to strike a special rate in perpetuity. The public consultation process will commence in a month or so. The application needs to go to the Minister sometime in June. Hopefully by July, we will be in to our third term of WOFE. This is an incredibly satisfying reality for me.
Please look out for the public consultation phase and encourage friends and supporters to give their written support to the Environment levy. there will be many more important environmental projects under way soon.
Thanks again to all of you for your practical and financial contribution to our natural environment in the Wingecarribee Shire. It wouldn't be the same without you.
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