2021-05-11 Services & Organisation Committee Meeting Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   11 MAY 2021




                                                   Page 24 of 96

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                               11 MAY 2021

     »   Establishing the Noosa Design Principles to help guide maintenance of our “look and feel” that makes
         Noosa special.

     »   Retaining the Noosa Biosphere Reserve status by having UNESCO renew our Biosphere Reserve
         registration for another 10 years from 2018.

     »   Establishing a Zero Emissions target for our organisation by 2026 and installing over 1,200 solar
         panels in recent years.

     »   Establishing our Noosa Transport Strategy which has seen the introduction of free buses at Christmas
         and Easter as part of an integrated plan to reduce vehicle usage in the face of rising traffic congestion
         associated with increasing visitor numbers.

 e   And | will finish were | started with reflections on governance. Having good governance is so critical to
     success. | am particularly proud of the last 12 months where, after a strongly contested election, we have
     been able to forge good working relationships within the Councillor group and also between the
     Councillors and senior staff. The community has been able to observe this through live streaming, the
     various community roundtables and I’m looking forward to having once again community based Council
     meetings twice a year in the post Covid environment. There have been obviously challenges over the last
     years (| refuse to watch anymore reality TV) but | urge the Council to continue to focus on good
     governance is the bedrock of an effective Council.

  Phew! No wonder | am looking forward to retirement!

 Thanks
  I’m sure there will be time closer to my finish date to reflect some more and provide thanks for the support
 of the organisation for me in my role as CEO. However, | wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge at
 this time some particular for their support. In no particular order:-

 e   | have had the great privilege to work for 3 mayors since being CEO. Mayor Noel Playford, Mayor Tony
     Wellington and Mayor Clare Stewart have all been incredibly supportive. The relationship between a
     Mayor and the CEO is critical to the success of a Council and | have been fortunate to work with some
     great mayors who have supported me in that regard. All have been quite different but | have been
     privileged to be able to forge good working relationships which have been much appreciated.

 e   Since de-amalgamation, | have served 12 different Councillors over 3 terms. Each Council has had its own
     character but all had one thing in common —a desire to do the best for Noosa and a strong love for the
     Noosa community. | have certainly appreciated the support from the councillors and hope that | have
     provided sound advice and assisted them over that period. | certainly recognise that the role of the
     Councillor is significantly more difficult than many in the community would appreciate given the
     complexity and the range of services and issues a Councillor must deal with. | thank each and every
     Councillor for their time and patience in dealing with me as CEO.

 e   We have been fortunate to have a relatively stable Executive Team and Management Team since de-
     amalgamation. That is unusual in local government these days but Noosa is blessed with being able to
     attract and retain very fine staff who have the best interests of the community at heart. The culture of
     this Council should not be taken for granted. Indeed, it is what sets us apart from most other councils
     and its importance should be not underestimated. The recruitment of the new CEO needs to focus on
     the organisational cultural aspect. My Executive Team and Management Team have made my role as
     CEO so much easier and most of the successes | have identified in this letter are as a result of their
     endeavours and dedication.

                                                                                               Page 24 of 96