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2016-03-07 General Committee Agenda
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AGENDA
General Committee
Meeting
Monday, 7 March 2016
commencing at 10am
Council Chambers, 9 Pelican Street, Tewantin
Committee: Crs Frank Wilkie (Chair), Bob Abbot, Sandy Bolton,
Joe Jurisevic, Frank Pardon, Noel Playford, Tony Wellington
“Engagement with our community to protect and enhance our lifestyle”
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Section 2
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM PAGE
ATTENDANCE & APOLOGIES -
PRESENTATIONS -
ITEMS REFERRED FROM INFRASTRUCTURE & SERVICES COMMITTEE -
Nil.
ITEMS REFERRED FROM PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE -
Nil.
REPORTS DIRECT TO GENERAL COMMITTEE 3
1 ADOPTION OF THE WASTE REDUCTION AND RECYCLING PLAN 2016-2024
FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION 3
2 WASTE MANAGEMENT BUSINESS ACTIVITY PUBLIC BENEFIT ASSESSMENT 6
3 NOOSA HOLIDAY PARKS FEES AND CHARGES UPDATE - FURTHER REPORT 8
4 TERM IN REVIEW 2014-2016 11
CLOSED SESSION -
Page 2 of 20
Section 3
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
REPORTS DIRECT TO GENERAL COMMITTEE
1 ADOPTION OF THE WASTE REDUCTION AND RECYCLING PLAN 2016-2024 FOR
PUBLIC CONSULTATION
DOCUMENT INFORM AT ION
Author Manager Waste and Environmental Health, Wayne Schafer
Community Services
Index ECM/Subject/Waste – Management Strategy and Policy
Attachments 1. Draft Waste Reduction and Recycling Plan 2016 – 2024
(Note – 2 x copies of the attachment are provided in the Councillors’ Room)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In accordance with the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011 (the Act), Noosa Council is
required to have a Waste Reduction and Recycling Plan (The Plan). A draft Plan has been
prepared by the Waste Management Section and is provided to Council for its review and
agreement to proceed to public consultation.
RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Manager Waste and Environmental Health to the General
Committee Meeting dated 7 March 2016, and:
A. Approve the Draft Noosa Council Waste Reduction and Recycling Plan 2016 – 2024 (as
provided at Attachment 1 to the report) for the purpose of public consultation, and
B. Advertise the Plan in local media immediately after Easter as being available for public
comment with the consultation period to close on 3 May 2016.
REPORT
The purpose of this report is to provide the draft Noosa Council Waste Reduction and Recycling
Plan to Council for review prior to it being released for public comment. Under the Act, the public
comment period is to be for a minimum period of 28 days and Council must take into account
public submissions prior to adopting the final Plan. Following adoption, Council must then review
the Plan at least every three years.
The Act stipulates the format for a Waste Reduction and Recycling Plan, including major
sections, headings and sub-headings. This format has been followed in the preparation of the
draft Plan. The draft Plan includes:
Relevant population demographics;
Legislation applicable to the Plan and Noosa’s waste management operations;
A description of Council’s current waste management operations (where we are now);
A strategy for the next eight years (where we want to be and how we get there);
Details of the “Towards Zero Waste” educational program which was launched in late 2015;
The Noosa Community Jury’s findings and recommendations on organic waste recycling;
Council’s waste diversion targets; and
A “Waste Recycling and Reduction Action Plan” for the next eight years of waste
management at Noosa Council. This forms the crux of the document and details the
actions Council will take to divert waste from landfill into the future. The action plan is to be
found from pages 23 – 27 inclusive in the draft document.
Page 3 of 20
Section 4
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
Currently Council recycles 35% of its domestic waste stream. The Act stipulates that this amount
is to increase to 55% by 2024.
The main strategy which Council will implement to reduce the amount of waste to landfill over the
next three years is the introduction of a mandated Garden Organics Waste Collection Service to
the urban areas of the Shire. It is estimated that this will increase the percentage of domestic
waste which is recycled to 42% by 2018, at which point Council will need to review its Plan in
accordance with the Act.
Previous Council Consideration
Ordinary Meeting, 27 August 2015, Item 1, Page 8
That Council note the report by the Manager Waste and Environmental Health to the General
Committee dated 24 August 2015 and Attachment 1, “Noosa Community Jury’s Verdict –
Findings and Recommendations on the Best Way to Minimise Organic Waste to Landfill”, and:
A. Thank the Community Jury members for participating in the Community Jury Process, for
their dedication and time attending meetings, researching material and finalising their
Report and Recommendations to Council;
B. Agree in principle to the introduction of a mandated Garden Organics Waste Collection
Service to urban areas of Noosa Shire and refer the proposal to a Council workshop to
determine details of who would receive the service, how the service would be implemented
and timing for its introduction;
C. Agree in principle to the introduction of a future Food and Garden Organic waste collection
service to sections of the Noosa Community and refer the proposal to a Council Workshop
to consider who would receive the service, how it would be implemented and timing for its
introduction;
D. Agree in principle to a ban on single use non-biodegradable plastic bags in Noosa and
refer the proposal to a Council Workshop to determine how this might be implemented; and
E. Agree with the Jury recommendations regarding the need for a comprehensive community
education and information campaign to accompany the introduction of any significant
changes to the waste collection services currently provided by Council.
Finance & Risk
The Waste Reduction and Recycling Plan is a legal requirement that directs the Council’s actions
for the future management of waste. The Act sets targets for meeting compliance with the State
Government waste strategy but no penalties are currently proposed for failure to meet the target
waste diversion rates by 2024.
The current operations for waste reduction at the Noosa Landfill generally exceed the State
Government targets with the exception for diversion from the domestic waste stream.
In those cases where Noosa already exceeds the diversion targets (e.g. Construction and
Demolition Waste which currently has a 99% diversion rate) it will be business as usual and
implementation of the Plan will not require any additional cost.
There will be a cost to increase the recycling rate for domestic waste particularly with the
introduction of a mandated garden waste service, with this service being estimated to cost
residents approximately $50 per annum. The true costs of introducing a green waste service not
being known until tenders for the new waste contract are received and evaluated in late 2016.
Page 4 of 20
Section 5
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
Consultation
External Consultation - Community & Stakeholder
Council has previously engaged with the community on how best to minimise waste to landfill via
the Community Jury process, however this consultation does not fulfil the statutory requirements
for a draft Plan to be available for public comment for a minimum period of 28 days.
It is proposed to commence the statutory consultation process on the draft Plan immediately after
Easter with a closing date of 3 May 2016. This timeframe will allow Council Officers to assess
any comments and submissions received before presenting a final Plan to Council for adoption
prior to the end of the financial year.
Internal Consultation
Councillors and Council Officers attended a workshop on 28 September 2015 to discuss the
Community Jury recommendations as per the Council resolution of 27 August 2015.
Councillors were briefed on the contents of the Plan at a workshop held on 1 March 2016
Departments/Sections Consulted:
X Chief Executive Officer X Community Services Corporate Services
Executive Officer to the Mayor & CEO Community Facilities Financial Services
Executive Support Community Development ICT
Libraries & Galleries Procurement & Fleet
Local Laws Property & Facilities
x Waste & Environmental Health Revenue Services
Executive Office Planning & Infrastructure
Community Engagement Building & Plumbing Services
Customer Service Civil Operations
Economic Development Infrastructure Planning & Design
Governance Planning & Environment
Human Resources Strategic Land Use Planning
Sustainability
Page 5 of 20
Section 6
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
2 WASTE MANAGEMENT BUSINESS ACTIVITY PUBLIC BENEFIT ASSESSMENT
DOCUMENT INFORM AT ION
Author Director Corporate Services, Michael Shave
Corporate Services Department
Index ECM/ Subject/ Financial Management / Accounting/ National Competition
Policy
Attachments 1. Public Benefit Assessment Final Report
(Note – 2 x copies of the attachment are provided in the Councillors’ Room)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Not applicable.
RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Director Corporate Services to the General Committee
Meeting dated 7 March 2016 and adopt the continuation of the full cost pricing business model
for the waste management business activity as recommended in the Public Benefit Assessment
Final Report provided at Attachment 1, commencing in the 2017/18 financial year.
REPORT
The draft Public Benefit Assessment (PBA) report was provided to the Planning and Organisation
Committee on 2 February 2016 for noting. The draft report recommended the continuation of the
full cost pricing model to the waste management business activity.
Following the report to Committee the report was publicly released for a 2 week period for
feedback. No responses were received in regard to the draft report or the recommendation. The
report has been finalised with no further changes apart from the inclusion of brief commentary
identifying the final component of the consultation process (i.e. the release of the draft report for
comment). A copy of the final report has been provided in the Councillors’ Room for information.
Previous Council Consideration
Ordinary Meeting, 11 February 2016, Item 7, Page 7
That Council note the report by the Director Corporate Services to the Planning & Organisation
Committee Meeting dated 2 February 2016 and
A. Approve the draft Public Benefit Assessment report for the purpose of public consultation;
and
B. Note that a report will be presented to a future Council meeting on the preferred business
model.
Finance & Risk
Nil.
Page 6 of 20
Section 7
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
Consultation
External Consultation - Community & Stakeholder
External consultation has occurred as part of the PBA via publishing of an information paper on
Council’s website requesting comments and feedback, in addition to the draft PBA report being
released for public feedback.
Internal Consultation
Manager Waste and Environment al Health
Director Community Services
Chief Executive Officer
Community Engagement
Departments/Sections Consulted:
x Chief Executive Officer x Community Services x Corporate Services
Executive Officer to the Mayor & CEO Community Facilities Financial Services
Executive Support Community Development ICT
Libraries & Galleries Procurement & Fleet
Local Laws Property & Facilities
x Waste & Environmental Health Revenue Services
x Executive Office Planning & Infrastructure
x Community Engagement Building & Plumbing Services
Customer Service Civil Operations
Economic Development Infrastructure Planning & Design
Governance Planning & Environment
Human Resources Strategic Land Use Planning
Sustainability
Page 7 of 20
Section 8
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
3 NOOSA HOLIDAY PARKS FEES AND CHARGES UPDATE - FURTHER REPORT
DOCUMENT INFORM AT ION
Author Property and Facilities Manager, Clint Irwin
Corporate Services Department
Index ECM: Subject 8.03, 8.06, 8.1 Noosa Holiday Parks Admin
Attachments Nil
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Not applicable.
RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Property and Facilities Manager to the General Committee
Meeting dated 7 March 2016 and:
A. Set fees and charges for Noosa Holiday Parks to align with the cessation of the July 2017
Queensland school holidays; and
B. Adopt the Proposed General Cost Recovery Fees and Commercial Charges schedule for
the Noosa Holiday Parks for the period ending 17 July 2017 as detailed in the table
contained within the report.
REPORT
At Council’s Ordinary Meeting on 14 January 2016 Council resolved as follows:
That Council note the report by the Property Officer to the General Committee dated 11 January
2016 and defer consideration of the matter to a future Council meeting to allow more detailed
consideration of the overall charging structure and strategy in the interim.
This further report provides an update in relation to the above item.
Background
Currently fees and charges for Noosa Holiday Parks (the Parks) are set until the end of the
summer peak season being 31 January 2017. Council maintains an advance fees and charges
schedule for the Parks to allow for the forward booking of sites by customers. Twice yearly
Council reviews and amends the fees if necessary to maintain a forward booking period
commensurate with industry standards. Accordingly, the purpose of this report is to propose the
adoption of holiday park fees and charges until the end of the June - July 2017 school holiday
period.
As per the Council resolution of 14 January 2016, a review of the proposed Fees and Charges
Pricing Schedule for the period 31 January 2017 – 18 July 2017 for Noosa River Holiday Park,
Noosa North Shore and Boreen Point Campgrounds has been undertaken.
In the previous report to Council significant fee increases were proposed for some fee types to
align with full cost recovery including a return on land and assets. Further analysis of land values
for the parks including recent new land valuations received from the State Government for the
Boreen Point and Noosa River sites has resulted in a significant reduction in the land value for
Noosa River, resulting in a corresponding decrease in the revenue level required to achieve full
cost recovery.
Page 8 of 20
Section 9
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
As a result of this review there are no proposed increases to the current adopted General Cost
Recovery fees and Commercial Charges schedule (see below table contained in the report).
Proposed Fee Changes
A review has been undertaken of the current fee schedule to simplify and consolidate the fee
structure. The following changes are recommended to the General Cost Recovery Fees and
Commercial Charges schedule, specifically:
Deleting fees and charges for weekly stays as the current weekly rate is simply a
multiplication of 7 times the daily rate.
Amend both the ‘Extra Person- Under 16’ fee and ‘Extra Person – 16 & Over’ fee to a single
flat rate for extra persons over 5 years; and delete references to the current listed Peak and
Shoulder rates as these are identical to the flat rate.
Deleting fees and charges for Shoulder periods for Noosa North Shore Campground &
Boreen Point.
Page 9 of 20
Section 10
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
Previous Council Consideration
Ordinary Meeting, 14 January 2016, Item 4, Page 4
That Council note the report by the Property Officer to the General Committee Meeting dated 11
January 2016 and defer consideration of the matter to a future Council meeting to allow more
detailed consideration of the overall charging structure and strategy in the interim.
Ordinary Meeting, 18 December 2014, Item 9, Page 47
That Council note the report by the Property Officer to the Planning & Organisation Committee
Meeting dated 9 December 2014 and:
A. Set fees and charges for Noosa Holiday Parks to align with the cessation of June/July 2016
Queensland school holidays; and
B. Adopt the Proposed General Cost Recovery Fees and Commercial Charges for Noosa
Holiday Parks for the period ending 10 July 2016 as detailed in Attachment 1 to report.
Finance & Risk
Nil
Consultation
External Consultation - Community & Stakeholder
Noosa River Holiday Park – Manager
Boreen Point Campground – Manager
Noosa North Shore Campground – Manager
Director, Massey Online – Digital Marketing Service for Holiday Parks across Queensland and
the Northern NSW Coast.
Internal Consultation
Director Corporate Services
Property Officer
Departments/Sections Consulted:
Chief Executive Officer Community Services X Corporate Services
Executive Officer to the Mayor & CEO Community Facilities Financial Services
Executive Support Community Development ICT
Libraries & Galleries Procurement & Fleet
Local Laws X Property & Facilities
Waste & Environmental Health Revenue Services
Executive Office Planning & Infrastructure
Community Engagement Building & Plumbing Services
Customer Service Civil Operations
Economic Development Infrastructure Planning & Design
Governance Planning & Environment
Human Resources Strategic Land Use Planning
Sustainability
Page 10 of 20
Section 11
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
4 TERM IN REVIEW 2014-2016
DOCUMENT INFORM AT ION
Author Chief Executive Officer, Brett de Chastel
Executive Office
Index ECM/ Subject/ Councillors/ Mayor & Subject/ Corporate Planning
Attachments Nil
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Not applicable
.
RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Chief Executive Officer to the General Committee Meeting
dated 7 March 2016 reviewing the first term of office for the re-established Noosa Council.
REPORT
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to provide Council with some reflections on our first term. This is the
last Council meeting of this term and it would be remiss of me as CEO if I did not reflect on what
we have achieved since 1 January 2014.
Early Days
It seems like such a long time since the Mayor and Councillors were sworn in on 2 January 2014
at Cooroy. The last 2 years and 2 months have been an exhilarating period where we had the
privilege of establishing a local government from scratch. It would be fair to say that both
Councillors and staff felt a heavy weight of responsibility to deliver the expectations of the Noosa
community following an 82% “Yes” vote in the de-amalgamation process.
In our early days, the focus was on operational issues – delivering services from day one, ironing
out issues with our telephone system, reviewing the organisational structure, working through our
first budget, reviewing policies and procedures etc. Many of these initial issues were, by
necessity, internal operational issues that were needed to establish a functioning Council.
However, in the early period, there was also a focus on re-establishing some key services that
the Noosa community expected. This included the early re-introduction of the kerbside waste
collection which was very popular with the community. The Noosa maintenance manual was
also reintroduced which saw a gradual but noticeable improvement in the maintenance of public
spaces, particularly our parks and gardens.
In our first six months, we also commenced a number of reviews including a review of the
governance arrangements for the Noosa Biosphere® Reserve. All of these issues were
undertaken while preparing our first budget from the ground up.
However, above all else, the key focus was on bedding down the de-amalgamation issues in
order that the Council could get on with the normal business of local government as soon as
possible. A “speed over perfection” approach was taken to get through the myriad of
implementation issues as quickly as possible.
Page 11 of 20
Section 12
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
The goal was to complete the de-amalgamation process as soon as practical and that was
largely achieved in 18 months. Those who have been through Council amalgamations are aware
that those processes can take between 5 to 7 years. As far as I can recall, de-amalgamation has
not been discussed internally since about July 2015.
Key Outcomes since 1 January 2014
There are so many issues which could be highlighted in this section. I have endeavoured to
provide a snapshot of some that I believe are more noteworthy. To some extent, beauty is in the
eye of the beholder.
De-amalgamation Costs
We were able to implement the de-amalgamation at a cost of $4.35M. This was lower than
the cost estimated by the State Government during the original assessment (estimate of
$11M). The de-amalgamation costs of $4.35M included approximately $2.6M paid to
Sunshine Coast Regional Council under the Transfer Committee process for costs incurred
by that Council as part of the split. The de-amalgamation costs of $4.35M were reviewed by
the Queensland Audit Office in 2015 and their report to State Parliament confirmed that
amount as the final de-amalgamation cost.
QTC financial assessment
In March 2015, QTC undertook an independent financial sustainability assessment and
upgraded our Council’s financial rating from moderate to sound. This was a significant
achievement in our first term.
Community Jury and community engagement
Considerable effort has been put in to establishing community engagement as a central part
of our day to day operations. Whether it is providing information about upcoming projects (via
the Project News) or encouraging input via the Your Say Noosa website, we have made
considerable progress with community engagement. Perhaps the most tangible example was
the two community juries undertaken in 2015, a first for Queensland local government.
Noosa Design Principles
One of our key competitive advantages is the “Noosa look and feel”. That has not developed
by accident. It has arisen as a result of deliberate and consistent decisions over many years
about the design of public and private spaces. The adoption of the Noosa Design Principles
has reinforced this important issue.
Social Strategy
After an extensive community engagement program including excellent work from the Social
Strategy working group, the Council adopted a Social Strategy in late 2015 which will help
guide decision making around a range of community facilities and services.
Local Economic Plan (LEP)
Following a similar extensive community engagement process including detailed input from
the LEP Focus group, the Council adopted the Noosa Local Economic Plan in December
2015. It has also developed an implementation plan which is underway.
Environment levy acquisition
The Council adopted a new Environment Levy Policy and established an Environment Levy
Working Group to oversee the assessment of land for possible purchase under the Levy.
The Council made its first major acquisition in late 2015 securing a 100ha environmentally
important parcel of land on the Noosa River at Cooroibah.
Community Grants Policy
After several iterations, we have established an effective and fair Community Grants Policy.
The application process has also been streamlined.
Page 12 of 20
Section 13
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
Kerbside Collection
The reintroduction of the Kerbside collection was well received by our community. We have
undertaken two such collections in this term.
Local Laws
Normally a Council would only review its local laws every seven or so years. Given we
inherited the Sunshine Coast Council suite of Local Laws, it was important to completely
review these and adopt a Noosa centric set of Local Laws. This was completed prior to 30
June 2015.
Waste Reduction & Recycling Plan
Following a waste audit, review of options and the community jury, the Council has adopted a
Waste Strategy for the purpose of public consultation.
Detailed Outcomes of this Term
The most logical way to recap the journey over the last few years is to do so against the prism of
the seven priorities that the Council established via its first Corporate Plan. Many of the details
below were reported to the Council in July 2015 but these details have been updated based on
more recent progress.
Corporate Plan Priority 1 - A financially sustainable Council
We will make sure that our Council is financially sustainable in both the short and long term. This
will entail a focus on strong budget control and good long term planning.
Key achievements include:
Developing the 2014/15 and 2015/16 budgets based on a zero based budget methodology
which examined every cost on its merits. The use of the zero based budget methodology
allowed Council to apply a 0% general rate increase in 2014/15 and 1.4% in 2015/16. This
zero based budget approach has been recognised by the Queensland Treasury Corporation
(QTC) as best financial practice.
Council received a credit assessment from the Queensland Treasury Corporation in April
2015 which assessed Noosa Council as “sound” with a positive outlook. “Sound” is a 5 on a
7 point scale. At the time of assessment of the de-amalgamation proposal in 2012, QTC had
assessed a new Noosa Council as having a “moderate” outlook (4 on a 7 point scale). This
2015 QTC assessment was a significant achievement. QTC identified a number of key
reasons why Noosa Council achieved a sound assessment including:
o Forecast of surpluses in all future years
o The Council was on track to achieve its 2014/15 budget
o Low level of borrowings with adequate debt servicing capacity
o High levels of forecast liquidity
o High level of Council controlled revenue and fiscal flexibility
o Capacity to increase net rates and charges if required
o Council forecasts adequate investment in its asset base
o Zero based budgeting process
Page 13 of 20
Section 14
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
The Council has received a clean bill of health from the Queensland Audit Office for both of
its audits to date. The Council has also established an Audit and Risk Committee (with
external expertise). Although it is internally focussed, the Audit and Risk Committee play an
important role in improving governance and has led to the development of the Enterprise Risk
Management Framework.
Council has bettered its forecast financial position for each of its adopted budgets. In other
words, the Council has achieved better than forecast financial results.
Council adopted a Financial Sustainability Policy on 29 June 2015. This sets the scene for
Council to continue to apply good financial discipline and long term financial strategies to
ensure that our early success in meeting prescribed financial ratios is maintained in the
longer term. We are one of the few Councils in Queensland to have adopted a financial
sustainability plan. The Council has also developed a 10 year financial model.
Adoption of a range of financial policies to improve financial management practices including
an Investment of Council Funds Policy and a Restricted Cash Policy.
Corporate Plan Priority 2 – Great Customer Service
It goes without saying that our community expects and deserves great customer service. We aim
to increase the number of online services available to our community. We also aim to respond to
our customers as quickly as possible and to provide personal friendly service.
Key achievements include:
There has been a significant improvement in the management of our front line phone
interface with our customers. At the beginning of 2014, too many customers were waiting too
long on hold to have their phone calls answered. The introduction of “call back” facilities,
better training for frontline customer service staff, the introduction of better information on
answering queries, dedicated staff and good management of the customer service branch
has seen a significant improvement from 2014. In July 2014, average wait times were above
75 seconds but by June 2015, they were below 45 seconds. This improvement is continuing.
Council has adopted a Customer Service Charter setting out the expected standards for our
customers.
Council has adopted a complaints process that allows customers to have complaints dealt
with more efficiently and to allow for internal review of administrative decisions.
Council continues to receive outstanding feedback from the community about customer
service and services provided to the community generally. The two areas that received the
most positive feedback were parks and gardens and frontline customer service.
“I just wanted to give thanks to the staff who answer the phones at the council. I've only
called a couple of times with queries, but both times the women answering were direct and
helpful. Large companies could learn a lot from them.”
“A Customer called as he wanted Council to know how “nice” it is to be connected to a human
being and not an automated message service and for his enquiry to be dealt with within the
call time.”
“A Customer was impressed with Council’s quick response to a blocked drain. Request was
acknowledged at 6.29am and staff were knocking on the customer’s door at 8am”
Page 14 of 20
Section 15
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
Corporate Plan Priority 3 – Community engagement and communication
We know that our community wants to be kept informed and we need to provide as much
information as possible via local media and to develop a better online presence. We will involve
the community in decision making on key issues affecting the future of Noosa.
Key achievements include:
Council has undertaken a Queensland first for local government with a trial of a two
Community Juries. The first Jury focused on the best option for minimising organic waste
sent to landfill. The second Community Jury focused on options for future river management.
The Council has committed to using the Community Jury as one if its community engagement
tools in the future.
Formal Council meetings have been held at Peregian Beach, Noosa Junction and Cooran. A
number of community information night meetings were held at Kin Kin, Pomona, Tewantin
and Sunshine Beach.
The Council successfully engaged the community in the development of a significant number
of policies, strategies and major projects. This included issues such as the Rufous Street
Precinct project, the Social Strategy, Local Economic Plan, Local Laws review etc. The
Noosa community actively participated in these types of consultation.
An e-newsletter format was developed and published on a monthly basis. The Libraries,
Galleries and Community Development teams have continued their excellent e-news
publications which have a wide reach.
Council’s social media presence has significantly improved. Council’s Facebook followers
have increased to 3,400 and this medium has been particularly useful during bushfire, storm
and flooding events. The Noosa Library Service and The J also have developed strong social
media presences which assist in the promotion of their services.
The Your Say Noosa portal on our website is fully operational. This portal provides an
avenue to undertake community consultation on a range of issues and is becoming
increasingly popular.
Corporate Plan Priority 4 – Focus on community assets
The Council’s focus will be on maintaining and renewing existing assets rather than building new
assets. In the short term, there will be a strong focus on undertaking condition assessment and
developing long term asset management plans.
Key achievements include:
The rollout of the Capital Works Program took longer to establish than planned. There were
initial delays in finalising detailed designs and this was probably not unexpected. By the time
of the last report to Council, when taking into account completed capital works and
committals, the Capital Works Program was 66% complete as at 29 February 2016. This
included carryovers from 2015. We have caught up.
Some of the significant Capital Works projects achieved included:
o reseals of Walter Hay Drive, parts of Gibson Road, David Low Way, Eenie Creek Road,
Ben Lexcen Drive and Cooroy Noosa Road plus a range of other roads;
o completion of the Daintree Estate (Tewantin) and Rifle Street (Pomona) flood mitigation
projects;
o rollout of new bus stop design and disability compliant bus shelters;
Page 15 of 20
Section 16
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
o substantial completion of major projects such as the Munna Point bridge refurbishment
and the completion of sealing of Dr Pages Road (both due for completion in April 2016);
and
o a large range of smaller projects such as the Cooran sports field lights, re-siting of Tait
Duke House, sand restoration works at Munna Point, re-tiling the 25 meter pool at the
NAC, refurbishment of playgrounds, additional pathway construction and work on relining
some stormwater drainage just to name some of the other projects.
Council has developed a plant and fleet program to enable it to better plan and manage its
future requirements. This plan includes a three year injection of funding to bring Council’s
fleet and plant up to standard following the transfer of older items of plant following the de-
amalgamation.
Council has adopted a number of policies and actions to assist in better managing community
assets. These include an Asset Management Policy and Community Purpose Land and
Infrastructure Tenure Policy.
Council has adopted its first high level set of Asset Management Plans and is currently
undertaking an asset capability audit to improve our asset management practices.
Corporate Plan Priority 5 – Establishing new policies and strategies
As a Council, we will need to develop a range of policies and strategies that set the path for
future Councils There are a number of strategies and policies to be reviewed and developed that
will set the strategic direction for the future.
Key achievements include:
Council established a new set of Local Laws and Subordinate Local Laws after undertaking
an extensive community consultation campaign. The new Local Laws came into effect on 1
July 2015 with a smooth transition.
The vast majority of policies required to be reviewed following the de-amalgamation process
have been completed. Many of these were governance type policies which are important
from a governance and compliance perspective. These include:
o Public Interest Disclosure Policy;
o Contact with Lobbyists Policy; and
o Public Officials Complaints Policy.
All of Council’s delegations have been developed and implemented.
A number of background studies and assessments have been undertaken in preparation for
the development of the next Town Planning Scheme. This includes the Noosa Demographic
Profile, Noosa Economic Profile plus a range of flood studies. The new Planning Scheme is
obviously one of the major issues for the next Council term.
Council developed a new Community Grants Policy and established a streamlined process
for assessing community grant applications. Council also adopted a Street Performance
Policy.
The Council has adopted a Social Strategy for Noosa. This Strategy has four long term
development goals:
o A cohesive and resilient community
o An active and healthy community
o An accessible, diverse and affordable community
o A creative and informed community
The Council re-established its Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) and successfully
managed two flooding events. A number of training exercises have also been undertaken.
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Section 17
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
Corporate Plan Priority 6 – Custodianship of Noosa’s environment
Noosa has a long and proud environmental record. Our Council will continue to apply best
practice to its custodianship of Noosa’s natural environment aiming to enhance local biodiversity
for the benefit of future generations.
Key achievements include:
Establishment of the new management arrangements for the Noosa Biosphere® Reserve. A
new NBR Board has been appointed and MOU and funding arrangements put in place. A
community based Incorporated Association has been established. The Board is finalising a
number of large projects which the Council has agreed to part fund.
Council established a significant number of environmental policies. These included the
Noosa Shire Koala Policy and the Tree Management on Public Land Policy. The Council
also adopted an Environment Levy Policy and established an Environment Levy Working
Group to review potential land purchases under the Environment Levy. Council made its first
major Environment Levy purchase in 2015 through the acquisition of an environmentally
significant parcel of land with significant Noosa River frontage.
The Council adopted a number of plans to manage environmental issues. These included
the Noosa Pest Management Plan and Noosa Bushland Reserve Fire Management Plan.
Council commenced its first Green Army project in early 2015 with a focus on weed removal
in bushland reserve areas. Further Green Army projects are planned.
Council began a program to audit bio-retention basins – both Council owned and privately
owned bio-retention basins. This audit will be completed shortly.
Council invested in the installation of power correction equipment to reduce electricity
consumption at five major Council sites. As well as saving costs, the equipment reduces
electricity consumption resulting in carbon reduction.
The ongoing impact of the bat colony at Wallace Park has continued to be monitored with the
number of bats increasing substantially at times during the year. There has been
considerable impact on local residents and a Management Plan has been adopted.
Council has adopted a series of sustainability principles that will help guide the consideration
of other polices and strategies. A Carbon Reduction and Energy Efficiency Plan is under
development.
Council jointly funded a number of research projects on the Noosa River with The Thomas
Foundation. The projects were undertaken by The Nature Conservancy and included an
analysis of historic fishing records and a trial of oyster sites for future oyster regeneration
projects.
The new cell 2.2 at the Eumundi Road Resource Recovery Centre has been commissioned
and began accepting waste on 26 February 2016.
The Council has a clear direction on what the community would like to achieve in terms of the
long term management of the Noosa River via the work of the second Community Jury.
A significant amount of work has been undertaken to establish the Electric Bus Trial. A MOU
has been entered into with Translink following a feasibility study and development of the trial
program. The trial has been delayed due to supplier issues and will commence later this
year. The Council continued its free holiday bus program in 2014/15.
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Section 18
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
Corporate Plan Priority 7 – Diversification of our economy
While recognising our world class tourism industry, the Council will also focus on diversifying the
economy with an emphasis on “smart economy” businesses and rural futures.
Key achievements include:
Council adopted the Noosa Local Economic Plan following a significant community and
business consultation process. The review process included the development of a Noosa
Economic Profile. Implementation of the Noosa Local Economic Plan is already underway.
Council entered a two year funding agreement with Tourism Noosa to guide the management
of the Tourism Levy and to outline relevant roles and responsibilities. Council has
established a close working relationship with Tourism Noosa.
Council has developed and opened the Cooroy RV stop and has commenced planning for a
revamp of the Noosa North Shore Campgrounds.
Council purchased the former Peregian Beach Bowls Club site in November 2014. The site
has subsequently been cleared and a master plan adopted for development of the site
following extensive community consultation. One of the purposes proposed for this site is to
support the development of digital enterprises and start-up businesses in the local area.
Support has been provided to encourage the ongoing development of the ICT sector in
Noosa. Council has partnered in innovation networking events and sponsored the GovHack
event.
Council has approved 98% of development applications with the number of applications
showing a steady increase in recent times.
A considerable amount of time has been spent on building strong working relationships with
key business groups. This includes:
o Councillors working closely with the Country Noosa Group;
o Support for the Noosa Junction Association (and ongoing funding via the levy); and
o Liaison with CCIQ Cooroy, CCIQ Noosa and the Hastings Street Association.
Other
The issues above are simply those major issues that aligned directly with the seven Corporate
Plan priorities. Of course, there are all of the other day to day service delivery issues that are
provided by the Council. From patching potholes to managing dogs, from issuing library books to
running a world class Aquatic Centre, from supporting bush care groups to assessing
development applications, from picking up garbage bins to mowing parks, from cleaning public
toilets to providing respite care, from providing heritage services to checking food service
premises, from cleaning drains to running The J, from beach cleaning to answering customer
inquiries about rates, from managing cemeteries to supporting sporting groups – the list goes on.
These types of services are the heartbeat of day to day local government activities and should
not be overlooked in reflecting upon our first term.
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Section 19
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
Future Challenges
We still have some unfinished business that the second term Council will need to focus on. As
examples, the following are identified:
Finalising Asset Management Plans at a detailed level
A detailed Audit Capability Assessment is underway. Ultimately, we will need to finalise
detailed Asset Management Plans for each of our asset classes and link those plans to our
long term financial planning.
Implementation of strategies
A lot of work was done during this first term in developing a range of plans and strategies
(e.g. Social Strategy, Local Economic Plan, Noosa River, Electric Buses etc). The
implementation of those plans will need to be well executed.
New Town Planning Scheme
This term saw the completion of many of the background studies and reports that will inform
the development of the new Planning Scheme. The process for the development of the new
scheme has been adopted and will be rolled out in the next term.
Transport Strategy
The completion of the Traffic Study provided good data on some of the issues and the
community engagement on the Transport Strategy is underway. The Transport Strategy is a
key strategy for completion in the next term.
Digital Strategy
While we have focused on improving our ICT systems to enable better efficiencies, we are
only now starting to consider how we can improve our customers experience through an
appropriate digital strategy.
Matching our programs to our capacity
As can be seen from this report, we took on a huge range of issues in our first term. Large
capital programs, bedding down the de-amalgamation to establish a functional Council,
introducing a range of new initiatives such as community juries, undertaking a number of zero
based budgets, Corporate Plan development, development of major strategies etc – the list
goes on. Our enthusiasm to do so much probably exceeded our capacity to deliver. Many
staff worked incredibly hard to make sure that programs were delivered. To some extent, we
aimed to deliver a typical four year list of projects in 2 ¼ years while at the same time,
implementing a de-amalgamation.
Thanks
It would be remiss of me if I didn’t take this opportunity to pass on some thanks. In no particular
order, I would like to thank the following for their role in re-establishing our Council and the
Council’s first term:
Transfer Manager, Peter Franks and the Transfer Team
The Transfer Team did a great job in positioning the new Council for opening day. We were
able to seamlessly open for business after 1 January 2014 as a result. The amount of work
involved in this process should not be under-estimated.
Noosa Council staff
I would like to place on the record the incredible effort of our Council staff over the last 26
months. They have worked hard to deliver excellent service to the Noosa community. This
has been recognised with a range of awards for our staff including Finance Manager of the
Year, Procurement Manager of the Year and the LGMA Above and Beyond Award.
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Section 20
GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA 7 MARCH 2016
Councillors
Our Councillors have maintained a strong sense of unity and team work that was crucial to
have during our establishment phase.
Mayor and Deputy Mayor
The impact of such wise counsel and leadership during this period should not be understated.
With some 53 years of local government experience including almost 26 years of Mayoral
leadership between them, Mayor Playford and Councillor Abbot have played a tremendous
role throughout this period.
Previous Council Consideration
Council has received regular reports on progress in implementing their Corporate and
Operational Plan including the CEO’s report to Council in July 2015 on the Corporate Plan
strategies.
Finance & Risk
Nil
Consultation
External Consultation - Community & Stakeholder
Nil
Internal Consultation
Leadership Team
Departments/Sections Consulted:
x Chief Executive Officer x Community Services x Corporate Services
x Executive Officer to the Mayor & CEO Community Facilities Financial Services
Executive Support Community Development ICT
Libraries & Galleries Procurement & Fleet
Local Laws Property & Facilities
Waste & Environmental Health Revenue Services
x Executive Office x Planning & Infrastructure
Community Engagement Building & Plumbing Services
Customer Service Civil Operations
Economic Development Infrastructure Planning & Design
Governance Planning & Environment
Human Resources Strategic Land Use Planning
Sustainability
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