Two committees which existed in the previous Central Coast Council term and continued under administration are to be revived.
The Mangrove Mountain Advisory Committee and the Catchment to Coast Advisory Committee will both be established after councillors voted them back to life at the March 11 meeting.
The Catchment to Coast Advisory Committee (CCAC) will operate under the existing CCAC Terms of Reference.
Councillor Corinne Lamont put up the motion saying the committee will advise on the management, preservation and sustainability of coastal and catchment areas, aligning with the Coastal Management Act 2016 and other relevant legislation pertaining to the coastline and catchments of the Central Coast.
“The committee will also fulfill part of the Coastal Management Program (CMP) community engagement requirement under the CMA legislation,” she said.
Among its objectives, the committee will: identify and assess risks to environmental, social and economic values in the catchment-to-coast areas; provide recommendations on best practices, strategies and actions to enhance resilience to coastal hazards; protect biodiversity and support sustainable economic development; and review the Coastal Management Program (CMP) for the Central Coast.
In a motion put up by Councillor Jane Smith, the Mangrove Mountain Advisory Committee will operate for an initial period of two years.
It will have up to five community representatives and advise on matters relating to the Upper Ourimbah Creek Catchment including, but not limited to: short, medium and long term management of the catchment; issues related to pollution risks; and issues related to the health of the drinking water catchment.
At the end of the initial two-year period, Council will consider whether to extend the term of the Advisory Committee.
The CEO noted that an advisory committee was previously formed in 2017 to oversee issues relating to the Mangrove Mountain Golf Course/Landfill and Spencer dumping.
“At the time that committee was formed, there were legal proceedings (afoot) between Council and the owner/operator of the Mangrove Mountain site,” he said.
“Those proceedings were finalised in late 2023.
“The Environment Protection Licence which currently applies to activities on the site is regulated by the NSW EPA.”
The councillors also voted in another five committees but all five are standing committees meaning that no community members can be members, only councillors.
They are: the Community and Culture Committee; Environment and Planning Committee; Infrastructure and Assets Committee; Governance and Finance Committee; and the Economic Development Committee which had already started meeting.
Lamont called for precinct committees that would involve community participation and said she would not sit on any standing committee.
The councillors agreed to ask the CEO to present a report on establishing precinct committees to the April 29 meeting.
Previous committees that were axed during administration include the Coastal Open Space System committee, the Status of Women’s Advisory Committee, the Pedestrian Access Committee, the Social Inclusion Committee and the Tourism Committee.
Other committees from Council’s first term continued to operate under administration and remain active today, including the Aboriginal Advisory Committee, the Protection of the Environment Trust and the Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee.
Oh dear, oh dear, here we are now with 7 recently formalised committee’s and 3 others that appear to have rolled forward, evidently a council that loves a good committee or 10. Perhaps the new Chair of the Governance & Finance committee might see fit to suggest there be some rationalisation? There again, having ultimately voted in favour of them who knows?