BAYSWATER council is set to make a decision on the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council’s (EMRC) Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) project in East Rockingham this month, following a confidential briefing on February 5.
The EMRC consists of six member councils from Perth’s eastern suburbs – the Town of Bassendean, cities of Bayswater, Belmont, Kalamunda and Swan and the Shire of Mundaring.
The RRF will deal with the household waste in rubbish bins left over after residents have reduced, re-used and recycled their waste.
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READ NOWAn urgent business item was declared at the January 30 council meeting, where chief executive Andrew Brien notified the council that the absolute deadline for its final decision was February 19.
Councillors supported a motion for a further briefing from the EMRC with issues of environmental overview and current status, technical issues and technology, financial issues and status to be addressed on February 5.
Mayor Dan Bull will write to other local government councillors within the EMRC and invite them to attend.
A further report will be considered by the council at the February 13 committee meeting, in order to make a decision before February 19.
Cr Bull said it was a good idea to invite other member councils.
“It gives the opportunity for councillors across the region to meet each other and discuss what is probably one of, if not the biggest, regional decision that is on the table for the East Metropolitan region,” he said.
“Given the level of confidentiality that the EMRC has undertaken in relation to this project, I think it is prudent for the City of Bayswater to as best as it can under that cloak of confidence to be keeping the public as updated as possible, obviously respecting some confidentiality at the same time.”
Mr Brien said the previous council considered the RRF and several resolutions were passed in relation to legal agreements and contracts on September 12.
“Majority of that work now has been done but in order to take the next step and actually sign off on those agreements, we need to get council briefed again,” he said.
“The original decision was made by the previous council so we have a number of new councillors who haven’t had that opportunity so we thought it was appropriate to bring that back.”
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