On Monday night the councillors will meet for the three committee meetings: planning, development and environment, infrastructure, community and recreation, as well as the economic development, business and corporate.

Up for discussion includes the establishment of a drug rehabilitation facility.

The Social Justice and Crime Prevention Working Party, which is comprised of councillors and council staff, has called for a Residential Drug Rehabilitation facility to be established in Dubbo.

A recommendation will go before council on Monday night that work be done to have the rehab facility operational in the local government area by December 2019.

That will include the development of potential business models, and a meeting with Member for Dubbo Troy Grant to discuss the NSW government’s support for the project.

Straight after being elected as mayor, Ben Shields said the rehab facility was a top priority.

“Our crime rates are too high and too many lives are being wasted by drugs, unemployment and poor parenting and the crimes that happen as a consequence,” he said at the time.

“In our town much crime is concentrated in certain families and communities and I believe we must intervene as a community and be tough on the causes of crime, as we are crime itself.”

The agenda also includes a proposed modification to the extractive quarry on the outskirts of Dubbo.

Mid-2017 the quarry was given approval to mine basalt for civil construction. The approved excavation area was about 24 hectares and to a depth of 12 to 15 metres below the ground.

However, an application to modify the development has been submitted to council. The applicant has asked for changes to be made in regards to the site layout, the road construction requirements and payments to council.

Two submissions were made to council objecting to the applicant’s changes and calling for them to be refused. One applicant said the changes to the quarry could be ‘catastrophic’ to a nearby development.

As well as the first meeting for 2018, it will also be the first time the council meetings will be streamed live for the public to watch at home.

Councillor Dayne Gumley said the live stream would increase transparency for residents as they will be able to see their elected representatives making decisions and the reason they do so.

It would also allow people who lived long distances away from the council chambers to see the meetings as though they were physically present, he said.