It was a passionate and, at times, personal first Lismore City Council meeting at the renovated Municipal Building in the CBD yesterday.

The passion revolved around speed limit restrictions, showing support for the local timber industry and discussions around formulating a strategy to market Lismore to investors and developers outside of the area. The personal involved a disagreement between Councillors (CR) Dalton-Earls and Rob that led to personal attacks, started by Cr Dalton-Earls, a number of points of order and the mayor threatening to expel Cr Rob from the chamber.

Cr Guise tried to put forward an urgency motion to return council meetings to the Goonellabah chambers, but it failed easily.

SPEED LIMIT RESTRICTIONS ON BRUXNER HIGHWAY

When speaking about his motion, which asked Transport for NSW and other relevant agencies to provide evidence-based and targeted mitigation measures, like fencing, rumble strips, motion detectors etc, before reducing the speed limit restrictions (100km/h to 80km/h) between Lismore and Casino, Cr Gordon said this was a "dead set cop out by the state government".

He also revealed that the speed limit returns to 100km/h when you cross into the Richmond Valley Council as you approach Casino. "You get into Casino, you go straight back to 100 k's an hour. Like, how effective is that? It's just ridiculous to be perfectly honest," he said.

Cr Dalton-Earls quoted a statement from Transport for NSW, which said, "The speed limit changed, better reflects recent development, and improved safety for resident and road users."

"So I see that as a koala benefit to them as secondary, not to say that they're not important, but I believe, based on the information from Transport for New South Wales, this is about road safety, and also for residents, as we heard from the speaker today, it's reduced sound to the residential populations there, and it's also created safer access in and out."

Cr Knight-Smith and Cr Guise expressed their opposition to the motion; however, it passed 6/5. So, we will see what information is released by Transport for NSW.

MOVING THE TRANSIT CENTRE

Cr Hall chairs the Local Traffic Forum. When it came time to discuss and adopt the report from the committee, she clarified that the new forum is not a decision-making body. So, it can only make recommendations that council can then investigate.

"The committee recognises that moving the transit centre just moves the problem. That it's more an issue of security and safety and policing and things like that. It has been referred to our staff. Again, that lovely internal working group, for considerations and back to Janelle (Saffin) to try and advocate for some funding for some security. But as it stands, the Local Transport Forum did not make a decision with regards to the transit centre, moving the transit centre."

The Council Internal Working Group has been delayed, but council staff said that it will come together in the next couple of weeks. Then they will start to investigate options to combat anti-social behaviour, which could involve security measures or moving the Transit Centre.

That work will then be brought back to council for further consideration. At this stage, as Cr Hall stated, no decision has been made.

HEALTH OF THE RICHMOND RIVER

One of the few times that all councillors agreed was over a motion put forward by Cr Waters about the health of the Richmond River. Many councillors mentioned growing up and swimming, fishing or jumping into the Wilsons River because it was clean and clear, rather than the long brown snake we have now.

However, the agreement stopped there because the approaches to improving the river's health differed. This was mainly due to the release of the CSIRO flood modelling report due on June 30 this year.

Cr Waters wanted to establish a Richmond River Commission, with a commissioner given funding and powers to improve the health of the river system. This was similar to recent motions adopted by Byron Shire Council and Rous County Council.

Cr Jensen asked for a foreshadowed motion to wait until after the CSIRO report was released, while Mayor Krieg added an amendment to Cr Waters' motion restricting the active councils from 7 to 4, which were Lismore, Ballina, Kyogle and Richmond Valley.

"We've learnt to turn our back on the river instead of embracing it. And I would love to live in a city that embraces their waterway, that has the opportunity to swim, to have recreational activities, to do all sorts of things down by the riverbank. That is a dream."

Mayor Krieg added that the person hired would need to be independent. "We need someone that is independent, someone that has the sole intention of cleaning the river, based on science, based on fact, based on economics, not based on ideology."

Cr Gordon said he has seen the river decline since he was a kid, but felt it was better to wait for the CSIRO report, also saying, "I have my reservations about this and where it might go, but I have in my heart, had the hope for a greater outcome. I will, however, wait for the foreshadow motion because I just think it is horse and cart."

Cr Hall agreed with the cart before the horse analogy, while Cr Guise said it could take another 10 years to appoint a commissioner if we waited until flood mitigation was delivered from the CSIRO report. "This is an opportunity we should embrace," he said.

In her right-of-reply, Cr Waters tried to persuade councillors that the CSIRO report and the Richmond River Health Commissioner can work in tandem; however, the votes did not fall her way, and her motion was defeated 6/5.

Cr Jensen's foreshadowed motion to wait until they could read the CSIRO report and see what river health advantages it revealed before looking at a commissioner to clean up the rest of the Richmond River catchment was successful 9/2, with Crs Waters and Guise against.

NO KOALA NATIONAL PARKS IN LISMORE LGA

Cr Gordon put forward a motion for council to show support for the local timber industry workers, contractors, haulage operators, sawmills, manufacturers and small businesses in our LGA.

"This motion pushes back against political forest and national park transfer. The concern of the motion relates to the proposals to expanded protected areas managed by the New South Wales Parks and Wildlife Services. If forests become national parks and conservative reserves, commercial logging usually stops, timber supply to our local mills can drop, forest jobs may disappear. If the supply to our local mills drop, then where are we going to get our timber from? I know where we're going to get it, from people who are far less concerned about the wildlife and the forest themselves."

This point was challenged by Cr Guise, who said that our timber to build houses comes from pine plantations and not hardwood trees.

Mayor Krieg used the Great Koala National Park in Coffs Harbour as an example. "How’s that working out for Coffs Harbour? Depending on who you talk to, not very well. The so-called jobs, the so-called economic boost, the so-called tourism influx of people wandering around the park looking up trying to find a koala in a tree, in the hope of seeing one of our wonderful native species is simply non-existent."

"What has it done? It is literally shutting down whole towns."

Mayor Krieg said that 1 timber industry job loss directly impacts 32 people. Cr Knight-Smith said she has friends in the timber industry, "They will find other jobs", she said. Cr Knight-Smith also spoke about the millions of dollars lost each year that is propped up by the state government. Cr Rob argued that other industries, such as car and mining are also propped up to keep people in jobs.

The result was a 6/5 vote that will see Lismore Council call on the NSW Government to:

a. immediately rule out further land tenure changes within the Lismore LGA that threaten local timber jobs

b. guarantee meaningful consultation with affected communities and Council prior to any future proposals

c. publicly release full economic and employment impact assessments d. writes urgently to the NSW Premier, Minister for the Environment, Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, and local State Members seeking formal clarification of Government intentions regarding land tenure changes within the Lismore LGA 

URALBA STREET PEDESTRIAN CROSSING

There was a unanimous vote from councillors regarding Mayor Krieg's motion for Council to work with Transport for NSW to explore options to provide safe passage across Uralba Street, between Dawson and Brewster Streets, to "Keep our kids safe" as many children are using the new Lismore Skate Park.

Cr Hall added that children are also crossing the road for football and hockey training. "Kids are ducking and weaving through cars," she said. Cr Rob wanted to see another crossing going to Lismore Square as well.

There was some discussion about whether a pedestrian crossing is the best option or if an overpass should be considered.

The next Lismore City Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 14 at 10am in the Municipal Building on Molesworth Street.