Shoalhaven backs $8.854 million in extra loan repayments and shifts waste funds to Material Recovery Facility

Shoalhaven City Council adopted budget adjustments at its ordinary meeting on 24 February 2026 and approved $8.854 million in extra loan repayments from unspent borrowings.

Councillors also redirected $966,000 from waste loan proceeds to the Material Recovery Facility project and noted $7.435 million in savings against a $10 million target.

The finance items were dealt with alongside a long meeting at The Studio, Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre in Nowra, where council also received the quarterly performance and budget review reports before voting on the changes.

Council backed continued support for the Sussex Golf Village and the retention of the Sussex Inlet Golf Course and clubhouse. The minutes note the site is zoned RE2 private recreation, and that the Sussex Inlet Settlement Strategy, related planning proposal and DCP were all based on it being a golf course estate.

On tree planting, councillors tightened the reporting and consultation requirements after noting community concerns about damage to carparks, footpaths, roadways, asphalted areas and council infrastructure. Any future proposal must include detailed reporting before grants or council funding is obtained, consultation with affected residents, notification to councillors, and a report on maintenance costs, inspections, program costs, tree species, size and exact locations before implementation.

Council also asked the chief executive officer to consider applying for festoon lighting or similar under the Safer Cities grant opportunity for the Nowra CBD around Stewart Place Bus Terminal. The same resolution asked the CEO to explore whether lighting at the Huskisson Voyager Memorial Park Wall of Remembrance Precinct would meet eligibility under the same program.

In Sussex Inlet, council granted Endeavour Energy an easement over council land at Jacobs Drive to construct and maintain a community battery and accepted $8,000 compensation.

Council extended the Northern and Central Floodplain Risk Management Committees until the relevant floodplain studies and plans are endorsed for adoption.

The meeting also included an item on council cooperation with the Office of Local Government’s Section 430 investigation into CEO recruitment. Council committed to fully assisting the inquiry and encouraged information to be provided to the community as early as allowed.

For ratepayers, the headline changes were lower debt, a redirection of unspent borrowing and tighter controls around future planting programs. The minutes also record next steps on the budget changes before 30 June 2026, Safer Cities grant consideration before the 6 March 2026 closing date if eligible, and the floodplain committee extensions until the studies and plans are adopted.