In September last year Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council was considering whether to put 14 more tree lights in the main street, after the success of the trial of two tree lights near Wallendoon Street.
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Councillor Gil Kelly said council would soon be saving a lot of money on its energy supply contract, and suggested those savings could be used for tree lights.
The savings were to come from a new deal being struck by a group of six Riverina councils banding together to get a better price.
However Cr David Graham suggested it would be better to wait and see whether the council's power bill would be coming down before making a decision.
The new deal has apparently now been struck. At its recent meeting, the council voted to accept new prices negotiated by the Riverina Eastern Region Organisation of Councils (REROC).
However the contracts were marked as confidential, meaning ratepayers have no way of knowing whether the council has achieved savings, or not. What is known is that last year the council's power costs were $659,526, by far the largest costs of the other five REROC councils.
The question remains whether the council will pay less for power this year?
In the meantime Cootamundra will have to wait until it gets an avenue of 16 trees with lights in them.
TOWN ENTRY SIGNS
The last council meeting voted to defer a decision about putting up six new stone and rendered (concrete) town entry signs, two at Cootamundra and four at Gundagai.
The council called tenders for the signs in December, but only got one response (from Gundagai Constructions) which apparently didn't comply with requirements.
Money for the signs was provided by the NSW government as part of the amalgamation process.
The council sent out pictures to give an idea of what it would like. The cost is less than the new tendering threshold of $250,000.
General manager Phil McMurray offered to bring proposals to a workshop for councillors to look more closely at what was proposed. This was to have been held on Tuesday February 11.
No mention was made of the existing town entry signs to Cootamundra, which are stone and rendered.
In answer to a question from the deputy mayor, Cr Palmer, Mr McMurray confirmed there was a sunset clause, whereby the funding would cease to be available after a certain time.
COUNCIL HOUSE
A council-owned house in Harold Conkey Avenue will be made available for rental by the council's manager of waste, parks and recreation services, Wayne Bennett, it was decided in January.
Mr Bennett's home at Tumbarumba was destroyed by fire on New Year's Eve.
The house, occupied by general manager Alan Dwyer until his dismissal last year, has been vacant since May despite an offer to the Cootamundra Medical Centre for it be available to accommodate doctors or medical staff.
Mayor Abb McAlister said council should be getting an income from it, and favoured renting it immediately to Mr Bennett.