Mayor Carol Oataway says exciting developments are happening across the community.Hay Shire is experiencing significant positive changes, with several major projects set to transform the community over the coming months and years. From renewable energy developments to new housing estates, expanded childcare facilities, and educational opportunities, residents can look forward to a brighter future with more jobs and better services.The biggest news is the approval of a renewable energy project that will bring new jobs and economic opportunities to the area. This development represents years of careful planning and negotiation by Council."This is absolutely major news for Hay," Carol said. "This approval opens up all sorts of opportunities for our community – employment, economic development, legacy projects. It's the kind of development that can really transform a community's future prospects."The renewable energy project will provide benefits that extend far beyond just creating jobs, helping to future-proof the community against economic uncertainties.The Shire is facing a severe housing shortage, with key workers struggling to find places to live. The situation has become so critical that essential service providers are having difficulty attracting staff to the area.A registered nurse who recently started at the hospital has been unable to find rental accommodation, while a Commonwealth Bank manager has been forced to stay at local accommodation, paying $900 per fortnight just to have somewhere to live while doing his job."We're in desperate need of more housing for workers and families," Carol said. "Just to give you an idea of how serious this is – we've got a registered nurse who started at the hospital four weeks ago and it's virtually impossible to find a rental."The housing shortage creates a circular problem – the Shire wants to attract key workers, but they can't find anywhere to live when they arrive.Council is developing comprehensive plans for a new housing estate to help solve this problem. The project has already been presented to the community for consultation, showing Council's commitment to involving residents in major decisions."We've got a housing precinct in the planning stages that we're hoping to fund using benefits from the renewable energy project," Carol said. "We've already taken this to the community for consultation, and while it's still in very early planning stages, it represents a significant step forward in addressing this critical need."The local childcare centre will soon expand using vacant Council properties, addressing another critical community need. The centre has a large waiting list, preventing people from returning to work or moving to the area with their families.Council has identified practical solutions using existing community assets rather than expensive new construction."Our childcare waiting list is huge, and it's preventing people from getting back into the workforce or relocating here," Carol said."We've got a vacant council house right next door to the childcare centre that we're going to let them use to expand their footprint."The childcare centre has confirmed that space, not staffing, is their main constraint, making this expansion particularly effective."They've assured us it's space they need, not staff – they can get enough staff to cover, but they've simply run out of room," Carol said.Council is also working on a more complex property swap arrangement with police housing to provide even more space for childcare expansion. While this involves navigating state government processes, it demonstrates Council's commitment to finding creative solutions.The Connected Learning Centre is almost ready to open, with staff recruitment nearly complete. This facility will transform educational opportunities for local residents, allowing them to pursue qualifications without leaving their community."The Connected Learning Centre is really exciting – it's going to be a total game changer for our community," Carol said. "We're still in the process of recruiting staff, and that should be finalised within the next week or two."Once operational, the centre will provide access to university courses and professional development opportunities that were previously unavailable locally."This means anybody can enrol at any university and use these facilities right here in Hay," Carol said. "Whether someone wants to become a nurse, do first aid training, or pursue other qualifications, they'll be able to do it without leaving town. It's never too late to pursue these opportunities."Construction of the new aquatic centre is proceeding on time and on budget, with opening planned for mid-December. The $8 million project represents a major achievement for Council, delivered without putting the Shire into significant debt."It's an $8 million project that Council has basically delivered debt-free to the community."We've had to use some of our funds, but not much in the big scheme of things when you look at $8.1 million. Best of all, it's on time and on budget," Carol said.The new aquatic centre will provide recreational facilities for residents and visitors, contributing to the Shire's attractiveness as a place to live and visit.The waste facility will operate reduced hours following extensive community consultation. The change comes after the introduction of the successful three-bin system reduced the number of people needing to visit the tip.Council conducted detailed research before making this decision, surveying residents about their usage patterns and preferences."We didn't make this decision lightly – we did extensive research, surveying who went to the tip on which days, whether they went in the morning or afternoon, and then made our decision based on the busiest days to keep the tip open," Carol said.The reduced hours allow Council to redirect resources to essential recycling and composting activities."People aren't using the tip as much now that we have the three-bin system," Carol said. "The green bins are catering for household rubbish and lawn clippings, so people don't need to make special trips to the tip."There's no point having a tip open if it's not being used, and the manpower is better used doing essential processing so we can recycle our plastics and make compost."The change is being run as a trial for several months, and Council actively seeks community feedback."It's strictly a trial, and we're taking feedback from anyone who'd like to make comments," Carol said."People can email Council, call into the front office, or contact their local councillor."Mayor Oataway explained that modern councils provide far more services than traditionally expected, while facing increasing financial pressures from other levels of government."We're no longer just about roads, rates and rubbish," Carol said."We're now delivering services for youth, services for the aged, services for people with disabilities. We run the library, all the museums, all the tourist attractions. Then there's major maintenance projects, not to mention all our roads, footpaths, sewage, and keeping the water turned on. Plus all the parks and gardens."Despite this expanded role, councils receive limited funding from ratepayers, with the federal government increasingly shifting costs to local government level."We get a very small percentage of our funding from ratepayers to run our town," Carol said. "The rest comes from federal government, but they're shifting more and more costs back to local government."We've worked out that it's about $496 per ratepayer in additional costs being shifted to us. We're not going to charge ratepayers that, but it puts extra pressure on us."This cost-shifting means Council must maximise every opportunity to generate revenue and deliver services efficiently.Hay Shire has received positive recognition on ABC Radio National for its proactive approach to renewable energy projects, with the Shire being held up as an example of best practice."Hay Council got a great mention on ABC Radio National about how proactive we are in the renewable space," Carol said. "They were very complimentary about how we've done it right, saying we should be the benchmark for how these things should be handled."This recognition reflects Council's strategic approach to managing change while maximising community benefits.The mayor emphasised that the renewable energy project will help make the community more resilient during challenging economic periods."It makes our community more resilient and helps drought-proof us a little bit," Carol said. "We've seen how prolonged droughts can decimate communities, so having something extra beyond just agriculture is really important. With all the cost-shifting happening, we have to capitalise on every opportunity available."Council maintains an open-door policy for community input, encouraging residents to engage with all levels of the decision-making process."We're always open to feedback and happy to talk to anyone," Carol said. "Contact details for all councillors are on our website, or people can email Council or call into the front office. Everyone's opinion is important and will be taken into account."This commitment to community consultation has been demonstrated through the housing precinct presentations, waste facility surveys, and ongoing invitation for feedback on all Council initiatives.The mayor's message is clear. Hay Shire is moving forward with confidence, addressing long-standing challenges while building foundations for future prosperity.Have questions about what's happening in Hay Shire? Contact Council by email, phone, or visit the office. Councillor contact details are available on the Council website.Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of Mayor Carol Oataway personally and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of Hay Shire Council.
