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DRAFT MANAGEMENT PLAN 06 –07 We consider the Draft Management Plan to be unacceptable for the following reasons. 1. Response to Independent Inquiry As outlined below, the Plan has effectively ignored recommendations that affect staff and Council personnel instead the focus is on reduced community services and increased rates. 2. Vision and Objectives There is no statement regarding the vision and objectives behind the Plan despite community and council visioning workshops. More thought as to how Council can manage its existing availability of funds needs to be given rather than simply turn to the most obvious means to satisfy the bottom line such as increasing rates and reducing the already minimal services. 3. Performance Indicators There appears to have been very little thought given to the implementation of Performance Indicators and Key Result Areas whereby Council and the ratepayers can see how effective staff are at using their available resources. There would for instance seem to be little if any consideration given to the cost effectiveness of using subcontractors. This consideration would go along way towards effective asset management. Appropriate incentive programs would go a long way towards encouraging staff to utilise assets more efficiently and encourage eager participation in productivity performance. 4. Staff Accountability The lack of “performance benchmarks” confirms the publicly expressed comments from ratepayers that there is very little accountability by the Council or staff. Councillors accept almost without question the views and answers provided by management at Council meetings. Most Councillors appear to share the view that the only alternative to a rates increase is a further cut to services. This is an indication of the complete lack of thought and vision towards planning. 5. Value for Services The Plan is unsatisfactory not just because of what it contains but rather what it does not contain. The General Manager makes reference to delivering value for money services. That makes a lot of sense on the surface but the Plan has nothing to indicate how these value for money services are measured. A comparison with other similar shires would assist or better still a comparison to best practice benchmarks. The lack of interest in obtaining value for money is evident in the Council’s desire for new Council Offices that do not take into account the trends towards slimmer staff structures and outsourcing of functions. The reader of the Plan should be forgiven for concluding that any rate increase will be used to fund an ineffective and unaccountable Council. 6. Planning and Development Applications The Independent Inquiry suggests “a land use planning system should be a mechanism for agreeing on a vision for an area, identifying the objectives and strategies to realise that vision and the resultant actions required of both government and private interests”. The Draft Plan has not developed an agreed vision with the community and has not identified agreed objectives, and not implemented an adequate process for managing Development Applications. At several Council meetings during questions and statements from the gallery requests have been made to notify the public of Development Applications when they are lodged. The current practice of notifying the public via Council agenda papers and publication in the newspapers after the approval gives little time for general public comment. Council’s practice of notifying the neighbours may satisfy their statutory obligations but ignores the ratepayers in general who are seeking to provide input and comment on the impact of development. 7. Budget transparency The budgets contained in the Plan are not easy to read and consequently will have very little attention paid to them by the ratepayers yet they are a vital component of the Plan. The budgets do not appear to reflect the financial concerns expressed by Council in that there is no attempt at structural change. Wages and organisational services take up a little over 60% of the expenditure budget and remain pretty well constant over the five year span that the budget covers. It is most surprising, given the financial difficulties claims expressed by Council, that there is no apparent attempt at examining the organisational structure of Council. The format of the budgets that are to go out in this form to the public should be in line with the Best Practice Guide for Reporting Local Government Budgets to enable easier and consistent interpretation. Finally, we would like to advise that we endorse in its entirety, the submission lodged by Dr Joe Swartz. There should be no increase in rates without a detailed Management Plan and Budget that addresses organisational and structural changes. Yours sincerely, |
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Bungendore
Residents Group