Mayor reveals his top 10 picks

It is 100 days since the new Moreton Bay Regional Council was sworn in and Mayor Peter Flannery has picked out the top 10 achievements.

It began on April 29 with six new councillors, a new Deputy Mayor and Cr Flannery new to the Mayoral role.

“My mission as your Mayor is to make Moreton Bay Regional Council a more modern, outcomes-focussed Council,” says Mayor Peter Flannery.

“If our first 100 days are anything to go by, I believe we’re well on track to doing that. As always, my door remains open to anyone with great ideas.”

Mayor’s top 10:

1: Rejecting a 2 per cent pay rise for himself and councillors. “I believe this is the right decision in the context of our economy and the challenges still to come,” say the Mayor.

2: Activating the Moreton Recovery Group and engaging local community groups, businesses and industry to respond to the health and economic impacts to come. Recommendations will be presented to Council in two weeks.

3: Delivering coronavirus stimulus packages and rolling out nearly $33 million of measures in the form of: Rates rebates for Job Seeker recipients; A local procurement policy; New maintenance contracts to keep tradies employed; Fast-tracking capital works; Financial support and infrastructure funding to hundreds of community clubs and organisations; Refunded food licences to local hospitality businesses, who have been some of the hardest hit by coronavirus restrictions.

4: Developing a new Economic Development Strategy. The report, which went to Council on Wednesday, outlines how Moreton Bay can be Bigger, Bolder and Brighter to grow investment and job opportunities. A Chief Economic Development Officer has been recruited to drive initiatives. He will start with Council this month.

5: Appointment of six independent directors to the MILLovate Board and working on the appointment of a CEO. Work is also underway master planning the 460-hectare site. “We know now more than ever it is time to attract new business to Petrie,” says the Mayor. “Big things are on the horizon.”

6: Reworking Council’s planning Scheme; starting work on a new Neighbourhood Planning Program and the Planning Scheme Reset Program. “Last week I visited Griffin and after seeing the parking issues in streets there I announced our car park ratios would need to be reviewed,” says the Mayor.

7: Enacting a Regional Growth Management Strategy to protect communities from unplanned development. Council has endorsed the plan, a project team has been appointed and 12 future growth areas identified where the sequencing of development will need to be managed.

8: Growing tourism in the wake of coronavirus. Council will be going out to tender for a plan to unlock a new investment through a Regional Tourism Strategy.

9: A new $1.8 million environmental land buyback program to prevent strategic land parcels being developed. Renewed the contract with the koala team which has helped increased the koala population in Petrie by more than 22 per cent a year in the past three years.

Lobbying the State Government to increase their koala mapping areas. “I’m hopeful the Environment Minister will have a good announcement for us soon,” says Mayor Peter Flannery.

10: Reforming council to make it “more transparent and accountable to you - our residents and ratepayers” says the Mayor. 42 priority actions have been identified including increasing staff with 130 new positions.