Orange council calls for public comment on renaming the NDR after late deputy mayor Glenn Taylor

Former deputy mayor Glenn Taylor, who died earlier this year, photographed at the Northern Distributor Road. Supplied.

By David Fitzsimons

Orange residents will have their say on whether the Northern Distributor Road is renamed Glenn Taylor Way in honour of a former city councillor who died this year.

Orange City Council decided on Tuesday night to put the suggestion on public exhibition for 28 days to seek feedback from the community.

It will enable the public to support or oppose the suggestion or put up other names for changing the title of the city’s northern bypass.

Taylor died at his home, aged 60, in late January.

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Elected to the council in 1995, Taylor served until last year. He did not contest the most recent election last December because of illness.

In a council press release at the time of Mr Taylor’s death mayor Jason Hamling said the late councillor had been active in the NDR’s creation.

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“Glenn was heavily involved in lobbying for the North Orange bypass that secured the first $6.5 million NSW grant that kicked off the project,” he said.

Once the exhibition period ends the council will consider any submissions as part of deciding what the road will be called.

In other council decisions on Tuesday night, the council voted to allow themselves to be paid superannuation.

It will amount to a cost of $38,669 in the 2022/2023 financial year.

Transition to work / Employment / Training.

Several councillors said superannuation was a legal entitlement of all workers and their role as councillors was effectively a job.

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Some said the state government should have made a statewide decision and not left it to individual councils.

However, councillors Frances Kinghorne and Steve Peterson spoke against it and Tony Mileto left the room while the matter was discussed.

Council also agreed to request an effective increase in rates in the next financial year from 0.7 per cent as proposed by a state government regulatory committee to 2.5 per cent to meet rising costs.

And council will seek talks with sporting bodies including the NRL to encourage them to use the city’s new $25 million sporting precinct once it is built.

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