2022-03-30 Special Meeting Agenda

SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA                                                                                30 MARCH 2022


Table 5: Improvement Areas for the 2022/23 Budget Public Consultation Approach
Issue                  Comment
                        • Feedback rate of 103 responses is low.
                        • Responses may not represent broad cross section of community priorities.
                        • Propose that the budget consultation is supplemented by the recent Community Satisfaction
                          and Liveability Survey outcomes – which combined achieved around 2,500 community
                          responses.
Level of Engagement     • These surveys are proposed to be used at the start of the budget process to identify priorities,
                          and ensure all initiatives and projects align to identified survey outcomes.
                        • Council proposes to also continue with current draft budget consultation processes (online
                          through ‘have your say Noosa’ and the ‘balance the budget tool’ as well as one-on-one
                          sessions with Councillors. The outcomes and level of engagement will be reviewed at the
                          end of the 2022/23 budget, compared to the 2021/22 outcomes and where appropriate
                          changed for the budgets in future years.
                        • A significant proportion of consultation feedback for the 2021/22 budget related to the
                          establishment of the Transitory Accommodation General Rating Category and abolition of
                          the Tourism and Economic Levy.
                        • Where the budget proposes any significant changes or increases to general rating structure,
Significant Changes to
                          levies or separate charges, it is proposed that a separate and distinct consultation step occur
Rating and Levies
                          to ensure the proposed changes are clear to the community and impacted ratepayers are
                          well informed.
                        • For the 2022/23 budget, the predominant change expected to impact rates and charges will
                          be the updated UCV land valuations and impact to the General Rate.
                        • Historically, the level of detail in the published budget documents are statutory in nature,
                          being detailed policies, revenue statements, financial statements, and other reports.
Information Provided
                        • It is recognised these are complex and not simple for all community members to review and
with the Draft Budget
                          understand how it impacts their rates and the level of service provided them by Council.
Consultation
                        • To ensure that proposed actions and decisions are clear, a user-friendly budget pack will be
                          developed that assists readers disseminate all key issues.

Previous Council Consideration
The 2021/22 Noosa Council Draft budget feedback was adopted by Council resolution on 16 June
2021 (Ref. Special Meeting Minutes, 16 June 2021, Item 1, Page 5)
The 2021/22 original budget was adopted by Council resolution on 30 June 2021 (Ref. Special
Meeting Minutes, 30 June 2021, Item 3, Page 3.
The 2021/22 budget review 2 (BR2) was adopted by Council resolution on 21 January 2022 (Ref.
Ordinary Meeting Minutes, 22 January 2022, Item 5, Page 5).
The 2021/22 Operational Plan 2nd Quarter Update was adopted by Council resolution on 17 February
2022 (Ref. Ordinary Meeting Minutes, 17 February 2022, Item 9, Page 12)

Finance
Nil.

Risks & Opportunities
Risks
Financial – A budget that is not both sustainable, affordable, achievable and effective will erode the
value and level of service of Council, and its activities, to current and future generations of residents
and ratepayers.
Reputational – Council has progressed down the path of consultation on future Council budgets.
Community trust could be eroded should Council decide to cease or reduce budget consultation at
any point in the future.
Priorities – Engagement processes with the community may risk sub optimal outcomes and priority
misalignment if consultation does not achieve a sufficient level of engagement to understand the
broad cross-section of community needs.


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