Murraylands council watch: June 2026

Here’s what the Murray Bridge, Mid Murray and Coorong councils have been up to this month. This story is now free to read. Help Murray Bridge News tell more stories like this by subscribing today.

Mid Murray library services will be reviewed

The future of the community libraries at Mannum and two other Mid Murray towns is in question after a 54 per cent jump in costs.

The Mid Murray council currently pays more than $63,000 per year to make the three school libraries accessible to the wider community.

The Department for Education and the Libraries Board of SA had asked the council to increase its contribution by another $34,000 per year.

Instead, councillors voted to postpone any decision by 12 months and consider the most appropriate long-term service model.

All three libraries will remain open while the review takes place.

In similar circumstances, the Coorong council voted last month to increase its library funding.

Old Princes Highway residents want looser planning rules

Planning rules should be changed to allow more development along the Old Princes Highway on Murray Bridge’s east side, a resident has told the city’s council.

At the Murray Bridge council’s June meeting, Hamish Dawson urged councillors to lobby the state government for a rule change.

The area along the old highway would be better suited for rural living than farming, he suggested, and should be removed from a designated environment and food production area.

“This area warrants a fresh assessment based on current realities rather than historical assumptions,” he said.

He guessed that seven out of eight land holders would be in favour of the change.

But they may have to wait – staff suggested the residents could make a stronger case for change if their ideas were incorporated into a new version of Murray Bridge’s structure plan next year.

Ramblers escape council rates bill

Murray Bridge’s councillors have granted a $4700 rate rebate to the Rambler Football Club despite the fact that it submitted its application a year late.

The club is entitled to 100 per cent off its council rates bill each financial year, so long as someone fills in a form two months beforehand.

Councillors reluctantly agreed to grant a rebate request for both 2025-26 and 2026-27, though Cr Tom Haig warned that “we cannot entertain this sort of thing moving forward”.

Sorry, Wellington East residents – the council can’t fix your road

The Coorong council has rejected an appeal for road repairs from a group of Wellington East residents – but only because it doesn’t own the road.

Council staff found that Sandpiper Road, which leads down to a shack area off Placid Estates Road, was privately owned.

It would be up to the Sandpiper Ski Club to meet the estimated $21,600 cost of the works needed.

Art collection will be dusted off and photographed

More of the Murray Bridge council’s artworks will be made accessible to the public after a push from a councillor.

Karen Eckermann asked, and councillors agreed, that some of the works currently being kept in storage at Murray Bridge Regional Gallery should be photographed, and the images uploaded to the gallery’s website or otherwise promoted to the public.

However, councillors went against a staff recommendation to hire a professional photographer, since a staff member or volunteer could just take the photos instead.

Only some of the artworks in storage will be able to be photographed due to copyright issues.

Engagement wanted on engagement policy

The Murray Bridge council is seeking feedback about the ways in which it seeks feedback.

A revised version of its community engagement policy is currently up for public consultation.

The main change: the policy sets out thresholds for whether a decision should be considered to be of significant, standard or local interest, or purely informational, in line with new state-wide rules.

Mayor Wayne Thorley encouraged locals to have their say, since “community engagement is an important part of local decision-making”.

• Have your say: Visit murraybridge.engagementhub.com.au/draft-community-engagement-policy or email council@murraybridge.sa.gov.au by 5pm on July 2.

Health and safety team awarded

Finally, the Murray Bridge council’s health and safety team has been recognised with an award from the Local Government Association of SA.

The team won a workplace health and safety best practice award for its efforts to mitigate the risks posed by silica, a mineral in engineered stone bench tops which can cause serious health problems.

The award, worth $7500 to the council, was presented at an LGA conference at Adelaide Entertainment Centre last month.

In brief:

• Prosperity Grove has been identified as an “area of challenge” when it comes to managing stormwater, the Murray Bridge council has admitted. Prompted by Cr Andrew Baltensperger, staff are working on plans to fix that issue, and for street lighting and footpaths in the area.
• Loosening the rules about where food trucks can set up around Murray Bridge has resulted in more trucks coming to town, to an average of more than six per month.
• Does the Murraylands and Riverland Local Government Association really need a half-a-million-dollar budget, with almost $1 million in the bank? Cr Airlie Keen asked the question at the Murray Bridge council’s June meeting, since the MMLGA had asked for $46,000 worth of annual funding.
• Murray Bridge’s swimming pool, stormwater system and machinery fleet are all only 30-40% of the way through their expected lives, according to three draft asset management plans currently out for public consultation. If you’re passionate about how the council looks after its stuff, have your say at murraybridge.engagementhub.com.au/draft-asset-management-plans before 5pm on July 1.
• The Mid Murray council has upheld a previous decision not to allow car rallies in the district, rejecting an application for an event in September.

Correction: The Coorong council voted for, not against, increasing its library funding.