Susanna Freymark
Here is a summary of the Kyogle Council on Monday, May 11.
Councillors present at the meeting were John Burley, Olivia Taylor, Robin Harley, Janet Wilson, Tom Cooper, Brett McNamara, Rob Cullen and Kieran Sommerville. Mayor Danielle Mulholland was absent.
What about that Blue Tree?
Ms Taylor wants the council to find a dead blue tree for the Blue Tree Project. Read our story on that here.
Questions
Councillors can ask Questions with Notice where a question is submitted before the meeting to give council staff an opportunity to answer it.
Here are the questions asked at the May meeting.
Mr Cullen asked: Why are we taking gravel from a quarry situated further away which may be causing damage to Simes Road?
Council response: The next stage of extraction from Lloyds Quarry requires an extension to the pit which is not justifiable to commence with the small quantity required for that particular landslip. The last of the product on hand has been used. In addition, Lloyds Pit does not produce all the product types required for the project.
Mr Cooper asked: Have works on Hootons Road been delayed? What is the estimated timeframe for works?
Council response: Grading of Hootons Road was delayed slightly due to the poor condition of Richmond Range Road and Old Lawrence Road; with their repairs extending beyond original plans. Work on Hootons Road commenced in April and is expected to be finished during May.
Mr Cooper said the school bus can’t go down Hootons Road.
Acting director of Infrastructure Darren Nix said he would reach out to the bus driver and arrange a site visit.
Mr Cooper asked who supplied the bitumen, Mr Nix said he would get back on answering that.
Mr McNamara asked about slashing on Kyogle Road near Cawongla.
Council response: Further slashing will be undertaken on Kyogle Road in the second half of April, following the completion of the sealed sections of Williams Road.
Mr Cooper asked: Can the council comment on the quality of bitumen being imported to Australia? Is there a change to the specification? Will this represent a lower quality of bitumen seal? Should reseal works be delayed.
Council response: It would not be recommended to delay any works.
This specification change will not change the costs during construction. In addition to this, most of Council’s current works are externally funded and have milestones that may not be able to be met given there is no date to the specifications reverting to current standards.
It will be a matter of adapting to the new product. The numbers suggest a 30% decrease in the life of some bitumen products. Should we see the projected drop in product life expectancy this would have an impact on reseal frequency and costs.
Council staff will monitor and assess through our inspection process as part of our maintenance program and reseal planning.
Fire report – Be prepared
Mr McNamara said copies of the draft NSW Rural Fire Service Northern Rivers Bushfire Management Committee Report were available to read at the library or online here.
Submissions for feedback closed on May 22.
Ms Wilson said Tabulam should be a focus area.
Fairy Mount isn’t mentioned, she said.
Acting Planning and Community Development director Amanda Clark said the council had been in discussion about a planned burn with the RFS.
“The gun club has a concern about Fairy Mount as well, “ Mr Burley said.
Read the discussion about the Where’s the Come for a Day, Stay for a Lifetime banner?
Read about the Quarterly Budget info here. and Works Program Report – April 2026 here.
What’s happening at Grove House?
The meeting went into confidential to discuss the lease for Grove House. After the discussion it was announced that general manager Marcus Schintler was authorised to negotiate with Northern Rivers Community Gateway to lease Grove House.
Public pool fencing
This has been discussed previously at a council meeting. Read that story here.
At the meeting a report about the costs of fencing toddler pool and splash park would be about $15,000–$20,000. This is to make the 1.2m fence electrically compliant.
The council report said many public pools do not have child barriers to splash parks including Casino, Ballina, and Lismore Heritage Park.
Feedback following the removal of the fence has been largely positive, the council said.