On 27 July 2010 The Bellingen Shire Courier Sun reported on the failure of Bellingen Shire Council to support Uranga residents and the Urunga Storm and Flood Mitigation Committee formed in July 2009 after widespread regional flooding in the first half of that year:
"Cr Mark Troy announced they were going to approach the State Government for funding. He said the Council couldn't afford to fund this work but they would be immediately making that application. For the next few months I regularly rang the Mayor to be told they hadn't had any response from the State," said Mr Boatfield.
"Mike Edsall (former Director of Engineering) rang me at 11am on November 12, (6 months after the flood). Mike apologised for taking so long to respond on behalf of Mark Troy in relation to my constant requests for an update on Councils progress. He then said "the Council needed to apologise for misleading the Committee as there had virtually been no progress to this stage and no funding had been applied for but they were now applying for funding of $45,000 from the Floodplain Assistance Committee, to advertise for quotes to do a feasibility study on option 2. "This was to see if the last study conducted in 1999 with recommendations that scheme No.2 be adopted and the works to be completed by 2001 would still be the best outcome (Option 2 is an open drain across Urunga to a drain under Morgo Street) this would reduce the flood level by 1.5 meters and could mean virtually no houses would be inundated with floodwater. This new study was subject to a State grant. To date this has not been achieved.
"Councillor Bruce Cronin, who was involved in the original Public Meeting and who totally agrees with our continued efforts and our above statements, regrets that he sees little or no light at the end of the tunnel for our cause. All we are getting are words of agreement from every source, but no money & therefore no action," Mr Boatfield said.
"It is now time for Council to come clean on their course of actions and stop hiding behind the inactivity of Government and get for Urunga what the rate payers need and make it a priority for Urunga. If Council is so ineffective in looking after us please tell us who to approach," he concluded.
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