What changes should be made to Council’s Rating Strategy? Are the differential percentages equitable? What other differential types should be added?

Council’s current Rating Strategy became operational in April 2011. The rating strategy determines how Council can levy charges on properties within the Shire, and provides for general rates, special charges, rebates and service charges.

A rating strategy does not alter the total amount of money that will be raised annually, as any reduction provided to one group of ratepayers via a lower differential rate means an increases to other ratepayers.

Have your say by visiting OurSay and get involved in an online discussion about what changes you would like to see in the new strategy and how Council levies rates on different property types:

oursay.org/hepburn/rating-strategy

Council will also be holding two community consultation sessions in Creswick and Daylesford.  

Evening Session:

                Creswick RSL Club

                Tuesday 2 February 2016

                6:00 – 7:00 pm

Daytime Session:

                Daylesford Senior Citizens Centre

                Thursday 4 February 2016

                1:30 – 2:30 pm

The purpose of the community consultation sessions is to provide a Q&A forum and to gather additional ideas, inputs and suggestions from ratepayers in developing Council’s Rating Strategy.

Council is conducting a Request for Tender for interested parties for the supply and installation of quality commercial photovoltaic systems for seven separate Council facilities. This is an key component of Council’s ‘Toward Zero Emissions’ program.  Prospective tenderers can access the three documents relating to the tender through the links below. 

The tender closes at 2.00pm, Thursday 21 January 2016. Responses can only be uploaded via www.hepburn.vic.gov.au/tenders from 8 January 2016.   

Request for Tender Document

Detailed Technical Specification

Goods and Services Contract Document

There will be changes to garbage and recycling collections over the Christmas and New Year period. Those properties that would normally have a garbage/recycling collection on Friday 25 December 2015, these bins will be emptied on Saturday 26 December 2015.

For the New Years day public holiday (Friday 1 January 2016), these properties will have their waste/recycling collection on Saturday 2 January 2016.

Celebrating its third year, the 2016 NGV Kids on Tour program shares with children contemporary art and summer exhibitions on display at the National Gallery of Victoria, including Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei, Our Land is Alive: Hermannsburg Potters for Kids and the 2015 Summer Architecture Commission: John Wardle Architects.

From artists Andy Warhol and Ai Weiwei’s shared love of cats to the local landscapes of the Hermannsburg Potters, kids will be inspired to unleash their creativity at these FREE activities available for children in Hepburn Shire during NGV Kids on Tour. 

Coinciding with the NGV Kids Summer Festival from Saturday 16 January to Tuesday 26 January, NGV Kids on Tour2016 is an initiative that allows children and families throughout regional Victoria to engage with contemporary art and design through hands-on activities developed with artists and designers.

Children and families can take part in NGV Kids on Tour 2016 at Creswick Hub, The Warehouse – Clunes and Daylesford Town Hall this summer with FREE and fun activities including:

Bottle Brush and Possum – Tuesday 19 January 10.30am-11.30am at Creswick Hub, Albert Street, Creswick

Children can create their own bottle brush and possum sculpture from colourful polypropylene, the same material used for the hundreds of small blooms that adorn the 2015 Summer Architecture Commission at NGV International, designed by John Wardle Architects. This activity, developed in collaboration with Megara manufacturers, explores how the environment informs design through a colourful making activity.

Kat Chadwick’s Draw a Cat with Kat – Tuesday 19 January 1.30pm-2.30pm at Creswick Hub, Albert Street, Creswick

Inspired by Andy Warhol’s early career as an illustrator, Melbourne-based illustrator Kat Chadwick has created a drawing activity for children and families. Through a booklet developed by Kat, children can learn illustration techniques to draw their very own cat.  

Ai Weiwei’s Clever Cats – Wednesday 20 January 10.30am-11.30am at The Warehouse – Clunes, Fraser Street, Clunes           

Ai Weiwei is a great observer of his many cats who appear regularly in his social media. Children can be clever cats and write a witty phrase for Ai Weiwei’s Clever Cats – a multimedia interactive featuring a selection of Weiwei’s photos of his cats at play in the studio. Each text becomes a fun cat caption to share with friends and family.

Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei: An Art Book for Kids – Wednesday 20 January 1.30pm-2.30pm at The Warehouse – Clunes, Fraser Street, Clunes                    

An activity book drawn from the NGV Kids publication Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei: An Art Book for Kids will be available to galleries and venues on the tour. Children are introduced to two of the most significant artists of the 20^th and 21^st centuries, encounter images of their most recognisable artworks, and take part in drawing and making activities.

Hermannsburg Potters: Draw with the Potters – Thursday 21 January 2016 10.30am-11.30am at Daylesford Town Hall, Vincent Street, Daylesford

The Hermannsburg Potters have developed a drawing activity for kids inspired by their unique terracotta pots. Children are invited to complete drawings created by the Potters depicting their renowned hand-made Hermannsburg pots and the Hermannsburg landscape.

Hermannsburg Potters: Footy Pots Thursday 21 January 2016 1.30pm-2.30pm at Daylesford Town Hall, Vincent Street, Daylesford

Depict your favourite footy team on a papier mâché pot. The activity is inspired by the artwork and practice of the Hermannsburg Potters as seen in the exhibition Our Land is Alive: Hermannsburg Potters for Kids.

NGV Kids on Tour 2016 activities are free and will take place during the summer holidays, running in conjunction with the NGV Kids Summer Festival from Saturday 16 January to Tuesday 26 January 2016.

The NGV wishes to acknowledge Tim Fairfax AC and Gina Fairfax for their generous support of Studio Cats: Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei for Kids and the Dewhurst Family for their generous support of Our Land is Alive: Hermannsburg Potters for Kids.

The NGV Kids program is supported by the Truby & Florence Williams Charitable Trust.

Please call 5348 2800 to book your place.

ngv.vic.gov.au | #ngv

Council Offices and Hubs/Libraries will be closed from 3.00pm on Thursday 24 December 2015 and will re-open on Monday 4 January 2016. 

Emergencies contact numbers are:
Animal Control – 0419 587 955 (eg. dog attacks and stock on Council roads)
Other Council Emergency – 0419 583 573

Visitor Information Centres

The opening hours for our Visitor Information Centres during this period will be:

Daylesford open 9-5 every day (except Christmas Day)

Creswick open 10-5 every day (except Christmas Day)

Clunes is open as follows:

Have your say on Council’s Economic Development Strategy. The strategy will help shape economic development in the Shire for the next five years. How can economic development be better supported in Hepburn Shire? Click on the link and complete the online survey, or call 5321 6111 and we can send you a hard copy.

We want to hear from business owners and the community.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HSCEconomicDevelopmentSurvey

Family violence is the most significant contributor to death, disability or illness in Victorian women aged 15 – 44. In the past five years, Hepburn Shire incidents of family violence reported to the police have continued to increase. Last financial year, there were 128 police reported family violence offences in Hepburn Shire with children present at 32% of these police call outs.

Council is establishing a White Ribbon Committee to initiate a campaign to end violence against women. White Ribbon is Australia’s only national, male led Campaign to end violence against women.

Show your support by nominating for the White Ribbon Committee and /or purchasing White Ribbon merchandise from Council’s libraries and customer service offices.

Nomination Forms and a Terms of Reference for the committee will be available shortly.

We’re hosting pool open days on 5 December 2015 at the Daylesford, Trentham and Clunes outdoor pools and we want you to come along.  Bring the family and enjoy lots of games and activities.  Hepburn Shire pools are about Fun, Fitness and Family.

Are you interested in becoming a lifeguard at one of the Hepburn Shire Council outdoor pools in Daylesford, Trentham and Clunes?

Visit www.momentumone.com.au and apply. Relevant qualifications needed.

Council is currently preparing a Recreation & Open Space Strategy. The purpose of the strategy is to help guide Council and the broader community on where to best invest time and resources in relation to recreation and open space programs, services and facilities over the next 10 years. communityvibe is working in partnership with the Shire to develop the Recreation & Open Space Strategy. We are particularly keen to hear from you about what activities you currently participate in and your ideas to improve the recreational and open space opportunities for all. This will help us to shape the final plan.

How can you be involved?

Complete a community survey for your town/district by Thursday 24 December.  Please encourage everyone in your household to fill in a survey. Surveys are available online at:

Creswick/Newlyn – www.surveymonkey.com/r/cresnew

Clunes – www.surveymonkey.com/r/Clunes

Daylesford/Hepburn Springs/Glenlyon – www.surveymonkey.com/r/dayhepglen

Trentham – www.surveymonkey.com/r/tren

Hard copies of the survey are also available at the following locations:

• Daylesford –  Daylesford Town Hall
• Creswick – Creswick Hub / Library
• Trentham – Trentham Library
• Clunes –  The Warehouse – Clunes / Library

For more information, please contact Wendy Holland at communityvibe on 0438 433 555 or wendy@communityvibe.com.au.

Hepburn Shire Council elected Cameron Ward Councillor Neil Newitt as its new Mayor, with Cr Pierre Niclas appointed Deputy Mayor at the 2015 Statutory Meeting of the Council held last night.

Cr Neil Newitt, who served as Deputy Mayor over the past 12 months, began the role of Councillor in 2012. He takes over the role from Cr Kate redwood AM.   Cr Newitt moved permanently to Clunes with his family in 2007, after being weekend visitors for several years. Cr Newitt is a professional photographer with over 30 years experience working with major newspapers such as The Age. He now runs a gallery in Fraser Street, Clunes.  In 2014, Cr Newitt expanded the gallery to include a wine bar.

“I’m honoured to be elected to the position of Mayor.  I’ll be focussed on delivery of the Council Plan and continuing the achievements of this Council.  I pay tribute to the outgoing Mayor, Councillor Kate Redwood,” said Cr Newitt.

Naming of features, localities and roads is a local government responsibility under the Local Government Act 1989. Council is required to seek public comment before making any decision on a naming proposal. Naming proposals are conducted according to the Guidelines for Geographic Names 2010, V2.

Background to the Proposed Naming

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve in March 2015, Council marked the occasion with the construction of a new pedestrian bridge that replaced one of the early structures located over the creek adjacent to the entrance car park. The previous Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve Advisory Committee, the Organisation Committee for the 150th Anniversary Event and the Friends of the Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve submitted a proposal to Council to name the pedestrian bridge, Anniversary Bridge.

Council has deemed that the proposed new name is in line with the State Government’s naming requirements. The proposal also has the informal support of local community members. Council has subsequently endorsed the name for public consultation. See below for a map of the location of the bridge subject to the naming proposal.

Submissions and Objections

Any interested individual or organisation may make a submission in support of, or opposing the naming proposal. Submissions must be in writing (emailed submissions are accepted) and clearly show the name and postal address of the person or organisation making the submission. If no valid submissions are received, it will be assumed that there are no objections to this proposal. Submissions close at 5pm on Wednesday, 9 December 2015.

Submissions and enquiries must be directed to:

Christian Anderson
Hepburn Shire Council
PO Box 21
DAYLESFORD  VIC  3460

Ph: 5348 2306
Email: canderson@hepburn.vic.gov.au
Website: www.hepburn.vic.gov.au

No late submissions will be accepted.

All submissions received by the relevant Officer before the closing date will be taken into account before Council makes a decision. If two or more submissions are received from the same organisation, person or property, they will be treated as one submission unless they contain conflicting viewpoints. If a submission reveals significant new information, the proposal may be deferred to allow further research and/or readvertised to allow further comment.

After choosing a name

Local councils must notify the Registrar of Geographic Names of new or altered features, localities or roads. This is done by notifying the Registrar in writing of Council’s endorsement of the proposal, with a map or plan on which the subject feature/locality/road has been depicted and can be identified.

General information about the principles and policies of the place naming process can be obtained from the Guidelines for Geographic Names 2010, V2., or contact the Registrar of Geographic Names at:

Further information contact:

The Registrar of Geographic Names
Office of Geographic Names
GPO Box 527
Melbourne VIC 3001

Phone: +61 3 8636 2525
Fax: +61 3 8636 2776
Email: geo.names@delwp.vic.gov.au