Projects planned

By Tania Martin
YARRA Ranges Council mayor Len Cox has said Black Saturday was the biggest challenge he has faced in his 25-year local government career.
As he takes on another year at the helm, he is praying the predictions for this season don’t come true.
This season has been tainted as even worst than the last.
Cr Cox last Tuesday (1 December) was re-elected to the mayoral seat and Billanook Ward’s Cr Tim Heenan was named his deputy.
Cr Cox said he was thrilled to take on the role for a second term.
This is the fifth time the long-serving councillor has taken on the role in his 25-year career.
Cr Cox said the majority of his term had been dominated by the devastating February fires.
“My term was pretty much fire from beginning to end,” he said.
Cr Cox had just returned from a trip to Antarctica when the fires tore through the Yarra Valley.
“Talk about from the sublime to the ridiculous,” he said.
Cr Cox said the fires have been the biggest issue this year and still occupied the council’s every move.
“It’s been dominating us since February… in the first month we were still fighting the fires and then there was the immediate and serious recovery stuff that went on for months,” he said.
“The recovery was still going on when we had the new season approaching and have all these new policies coming in. It’s a moving feast with something new from the State Government every couple of days.”
Cr Cox has congratulated shire staff for all their hard work during the fires and the recovery phase.
“I think they are just terrific and the work put in since these fires have been amazing,” he said.
Cr Cox is hoping for the fires to bypass the Dandenongs and Yarra Valley this season.
“I would like to see us be able to concentrate on things other than fires or recovery in the next year,” he said.
He hopes the council can concentrate on starting more projects earmarked as part of the shire’s $76 million 10-year capital works budget.
“All the projects planned are designed to benefit all our residents,” Cr Cox said.
Cr Heenan said he was honoured to be named Cr Cox’s right hand man.
“I am really excited about 2010, it’s a new way forward for both of us and we hope to see only positives come out of it,” he said.