Murray Bridge council watch: Council must act on cats, petitioners say

The Murray Bridge council must take “serious action” to address the community’s stray cat problem, more than 800 locals say.

A petition presented to the council this month has argued that it, not the state government, must take responsibility for a problem which has dragged on for the better part of a decade.

The petitioners argued that the council should:

• Subsidise cat desexing
• Better manage the city’s stray cat population, and
• Employ a part-time cat management officer

The new employee should manage cat-related programs, act as a contact for community members, and liaise with statewide animal welfare authorities, among other duties.

Murraylands Animal Welfare Watch spokeswoman and petition organiser Ruby Eckermann told councillors on October 14 that two distinct groups of locals were keen to find a solution.

The first group were animal lovers who wanted strays to be able to live better lives.

Members of the second group were more interested in getting cats off their properties, or protecting local wildlife.

But both groups believed the council needed to do better.

“Council has a poor reputation around cat management,” Ms Eckermann said.

“Comments I heard were ‘council won’t do anything’, ‘they don’t care about cats’ and ‘I can’t understand why they don’t treat cats the same way as they treat dogs’.

“I understand their frustration.”

For years, the council had waited for the state government to take action on the issue, but cats were largely left out of a review of South Australia’s Dog and Cat Management Act this year.

It was about time the Dog and Cat Management Board “got off its backside and did its job”, Mayor Wayne Thorley said bluntly.

In the meantime, Ms Eckermann suggested the council listen to the petitioners, and consider measures like a cat curfew, a limit of two cats per household, or rebates for backyard cat enclosures.

“We urge you to please listen to your residents, (and) to resource cat management properly, with the seriousness it deserves,” she said.

Councillors formally accepted the petition but did not take further action on the night.

Not all of the signatures on the petition were eligible to be presented to the council, which could not verify that they had all come from Murray Bridge residents; but at least 260 made the cut.

Council should step up for farmers, councillor suggests

Meanwhile, the Murray Bridge council should step up during the current drought, much as it had done during the 2022-23 floods, a councillor has suggested.

During the floods, the council provided regular updates and links to help services on its website and via its social media channels, and co-hosted community events.

Cr Airlie Keen urged the council to take the lead again this summer by providing:

• financial relief to affected primary producers
• free community events attended by support services
• information about help available, on its website and/or in a community guide or calendar

She also suggested staff advocate for the establishment of a drought hub in the community, much like the relief centre set up during the floods.

“Not everything is our responsibility, but the provision of information, or facilitation of social networking, could be something we could do,” she said.

Cr Clem Schubert argued that the council – and governments – needed to lobby the big banks, too, urging them to continue to lend to the rural sector.

If the banks wouldn’t support farmers, perhaps the government needed to become a lender of last resort, he suggested.

Staff will come up with a plan based on Cr Keen’s suggestions and present it to councillors by December.

Shopping trolley problem isn’t getting any better

An update to South Australian laws isn’t likely to do anything to rid Murray Bridge’s streets of rogue shopping trolleys, council staff have warned.

In response to a question from Cr Tom Haig, general manager Deb Richardson suggested that several popular ideas had been rejected by the state government, including mandated coin locks, wheel locks outside a certain area, and giving councils the ability to collect abandoned trolleys and charge a fee for their release.

The reason?

The “prohibitive cost” to retailers, she told councillors.

For what it’s worth, Coles made a $1.1 billion profit in 2023-24, while the Woolworths Group made $108 million.

Retailers will be required to collect any abandoned trolleys within three days after the changes to the Local Nuisance and Litter Control Act become law.

But there was nothing the council could do to enforce that deadline, Ms Richardson said.

That was “crap”, Mayor Wayne Thorley said.

Several councillors voiced their disappointment and despair.

Perhaps if public transport were available within Murray Bridge, locals wouldn’t have to walk so far with their shopping, Cr Airlie Keen suggested.

Community groups can now access council loans

The Murray Bridge council has approved a loan facility for local community groups who cannot find funding elsewhere.

Incorporated not-for-profit groups based locally will be able to borrow an amount of between $20,000 and $100,000 from the council if they are unable to raise the money they need through government grants, sponsorship, private loans or fundraising.

Other conditions will also apply.

No members of the public offered feedback for or against the idea when it was published for public consultation in August.

Wharf Hill will be lit, but not yet

Solar lights will be installed at Wharf Hill, on Murray Bridge’s riverfront, to make it safer for walkers at night … but not for another year or more.

At their October meeting, councillors approved a plan to spend $50,000 on overhead lights in the park.

However, they noted a staff recommendation that non-essential spending on new infrastructure be delayed until 2025-26.

The council also considered cheaper solar bollards for Wharf Hill, but decided overhead lights would be safer and less likely to be stolen.

Meanwhile, a plan for Wharf Hill and the nearby history precinct was approved at the same meeting, and councillors resolved to offer the Riverboat, Rail and Steam Group a two-year lease over the Shell depot where its members worked on old relics.

Quote of the month

“Obviously this document has been drawn up by somebody on North Terrace.”

–Cr Clem Schubert, on a draft roadside vegetation plan

Note: Murray Bridge News has removed a photo of Ruby Eckermann at her request.