2020-06-09 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                      9 JUNE 2020


3     2020/21 BUDGET - PUBLIC CONSULTATION TRIAL


Author            Director Corporate Services, Michael Shave
                  Corporate Services Department

Index             ECM/ 7.26 - 2020 – 2021 Budget

Attachments       1.    Mayoral Minute, Ordinary Meeting, 21 November 2019



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Not applicable.

RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Director Corporate Services to the Services & Organisation
Committee Meeting dated 9 June 2020 and agree to defer the commencement of the public
consultation trial of Council’s budget to the 2021/22 financial year budget process.


REPORT
1   Background

At Council’s Ordinary Meeting on 21 November 2019 a Mayoral Minute was tabled relating to a
proposal to commence a trial public consultation process for the 2020/21 budget. The proposal
outlined the need for increased public sector transparency and that one way to engender both
trust and awareness of the cost of Council’s many services and activities is to allow community
members to scrutinise and make comment upon the budget during the deliberation period.

The proposal also outlined that community input into the budget process will help deliver a
greater understanding about budgetary trade-offs and decisions, performance challenges, new
rates or levies, and financial sustainability requirements, with Council being able to take into
consideration well-informed recommendations from its community who it represents.

It was proposed that as part of the trial, a model that included a 2 part public consultation process
be implemented, whereby:
1.    Community Groups and Incorporated Associations based in Noosa Shire be invited to
      provide an individual member to represent their organisation on a new body to be called
      the Community Representative Budget Reference Group; and
2.    All relevant documents associated with the budget deliberations be made available through
      the Your Say Noosa portal on Council’s website.

Following consideration of the proposal, Council passed the following resolution:
“That Council:
A.    Agree to undertake a trial public consultation process during the development of the 2020-
      21 budget as set out in this Mayoral Minute;
B.    Note that any actual budget decisions can only be made as a resolution of Council as part
      of the budget adoption process under the Local Government Act but that community input
      into this process will be valuable for Councillors and the organisation;



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