Firstly, I want to make it very clear that none of the former Boorowa, Harden and Young Councils were perfect, nor were they “basket cases”.

Yes it is important to know where you have come from to know where you are going but there is no value in the community dwelling on some of the potential negatives of the past.

As staff of council we continue to resolve what we describe as “carry over” issues but council will not be publicly airing those issues as there is no benefit to the community in doing so.

Council is currently focused on creating the best possible future for the community and this will be reflected when council commences engaging with the community on the forward financial plans.

In addition, a newsletter will be distributed in the coming fortnight which includes some of our key forward plans as well as a more comprehensive update on what has occurred internally since amalgamation.

To avoid the perception that there are not answers to the questions raised in the letter I have referred to I will briefly respond below.

Details of legal costs for all the former councils are all publicly available on council’s website in the audited financial statements so there is no need for a leak.

Specifically the former Young Council statements included $70,000 in legal fees on planning and development in the last financial year and $210,000 in legal years for the year before.

Of the $210,000 the year before the majority relate to a specific development (referred to in the letter). In that case the court ruled in favour of council and awarded costs to council.

Council has an obligation to do what is in the best interest of the community which is to participate in legal processes when necessary to ensure the right outcome and when we are right recoup the community’s money.

I will not provide any further information on that matter other than to say that council has been extremely accommodating with its time in helping the applicant understand the full implications of the court orders.

In relation to the comment in the letter made about deserving to know where council’s money is spent, council’s audited financial statements which outline where council money is spent are available on council’s website.

The audited financial statements were also publicly presented by council’s auditors at the February council meeting and the public were invited to attend.

Council is open and transparent about where money is spent and again will be focusing on making sure the community is engaged in the budget process this year.

The letter to the editor referred to an issue raised relating to green bins which is a specific example of a sub-service council provides.

Council is working through the process of reviewing all of the services provided and how they are funded and will be consulting with the community at different stages on the communities’ expectations.

As an example council will soon be commencing a waste management strategy and business plan which will include consideration of green waste services as part of our overall waste service.

As we move closer to the first Hilltops Council election it is important to clarify that the electoral commission is managing the election process.

Council does not call for nominations for councillors. As information becomes available for distribution from the electoral commission council will distribute that information.

As a start point I encourage the community to refer to: http://www.votensw.info/nsw_local_council_elections_2017 .

We expect more information to be available within the coming month. In relation to the matter raised surrounding Peter Vlatko, again a “carry over” issue from the previous council, this matter has been dealt with through council’s solicitors as a part of due process and again, due to the nature of the proceeding I cannot make further comment.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this letter it is not my intention to respond to every letter to the editor of our local media outlets, however, where there are issues or themes raised which are impacting the community Council will continue to address them to make sure the community is informed.