2016-03-07 General Committee Agenda

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.
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