2021-05-11 Services & Organisation Committee Meeting Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   11 MAY 2021




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SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                  11 MAY 2021

   Reflection
   It is natural at a milestone moment such as this to reflect on what has been achieved in my time as CEO. In
   almost all instances, the achievements outlined are the product of our staff and | have been fortunate to be
   the CEO of the organisation at this most productive and interesting time.

   Considering retirement has made me reflect on what we have collectively achieved in recent years and in no
   particular order, | would like to reflect on the following:-

   e  Starting the Council from de-amalgamation was a great challenge. | was fortunate to inherit good work
       undertaken by the Transfer Team in readiness for the Council starting at the beginning of 2014 including
      a then innovative approach to ICT systems. There was a lot of work to be done to establish the
       “machinery of government” including governance policies, delegations, staff positions, organisational
      structures etc. We had a blank sheet and took advantage of that to create the best Council we could be.

   e   It was in this period that we focused on establishing good governance practices. This included the
      establishment of our Audit and Risk Committee, Council committees, meeting procedures and writing a
       new set of local laws. None of this sounds particularly exciting but good governance leads to good
      decision-making and it forms the building blocks of a good Council. A lot of our success can be tied back
      to good governance.

   e  Wearein a strong financial position, not something many councils in Queensland can claim. Establishing
      a Financial Sustainability Policy as the basis for decisions during our budget processes has been a big
      success as well as managers undertaking “build from base” budgeting. Years of good financial
       management allowed Council to make an early re-payment of $10m off our debt in 2019. We have also
       restructured our existing debt to take advantage of lower interest rates. At the time of de-amalgamation,
      our inherited debt was $40M but it is now below $22M.

   e  We have also managed to be very innovative. The best examples of this are:-

       >  Peregian Beach Digital Hub - | can still recall negotiating to buy the precinct land from the Pine Rivers
          Bowls club. Who would have thought that only a few years later, we would have a world-class Digital
          Hub filled to capacity and delivering such innovative programs as FireTech? The success of this
          initiative has been beyond expectations and is evidenced by the more than 1,000 individuals and
          businesses who connect to the Hub via the various affiliated digital network groups.

       >  Community juries - Noosa Council ran the first community juries in Queensland local government.
          They were a highly innovative way of engaging with the community to allow them to “deep dive”
          into particular subject matters. One of the jury outcomes led to Council making a decision to
          introduce a green wheelie bin, thus reducing the amount of waste going to landfill.

       »  Makerspace in Council libraries — the Cooroy library introduced the first Makerspace in a public
          library in Queensland. Providing an opportunity for local residents to explore their creative abilities
          and introducing virtual reality and 3-D printing to local school students. The Cooroy Library was also
          selected as one of the top 7 coolest libraries in the world.

   e  We have also been successful in winning a number of high profile awards. Just two examples include:-

       >  The Noosa Heads Boardwalk - a world-class connection between Hastings Street and the Noosa
          National Park. Conceived over a number of years and being delivered ahead of time and below
          budget, this project won both its category and also the overall winner by the Institute of Public Works
          Engineering as the best project in Queensland. It is highly acclaimed by our local community as a
          signature piece of infrastructure that blends in with the local environment.

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