2018-19 A Year in Review

Other Initiatives to enable Council to achieve its goal for this theme
 Council had a review of our financial position  Council commenced the Noosa Spit Shoreline
   undertaken        by    Queensland       Treasury         Erosion Management Plan (SEMP) which is a
   Corporation. We were rated as financially sound           detailed study of the erosion occurring on
   which means we have adequate capacity to                  Noosa spit as a result of river movement, tide
   meet our financial commitments in the short,              and boat wash. The SEMP will be finalised early
   medium and long term.                                     in 2019/20 and provide an evidence-based
 Council also had Queensland Treasury                       solution for solving the erosion problem
   Corporation undertake a review of our financial           currently occurring.
   liquidity and that resulted in Council making an  Council developed its first 10 year Capital
   early repayment of $10,000,000 off our existing           Program allowing for a longer planning horizon
   debt and reducing net interest payments by                for capital projects. Our Infrastructure Planning,
   $270,000 for ratepayers.                                  Design and Delivery team now have future
 Council enhanced its approach to seeking grant             projects they can plan for. In addition, our
   funding from other levels of government. In               teams delivered a significant capital program of
   2018/19, we were successful in attracting                 $26.1M including:
   $1.2M in funding from the Commonwealth                    o     Noosaville Library Refurbishment
   towards the replacement of two bridges in the             o     Mary River Road Bridge at Cooroy
   hinterland and a $2.6M grant from the                     o     Old Noosa Road Bridge at Cooran
   Commonwealth towards the Peregian Beach
   Community Centre. We were also successful in              o     Noosa Heads Boardwalk
   attracting $2.8M funding from the State                   o     $3.8M expended on a reseal program of
   government towards the Hinterland Playground                    roads across the Shire
   project at Cooroy.                                        o     Replacement of the Tewantin Council
 Council has undertaken considerable work in                      Administration Building roof (including
   developing our response to natural disasters                    installation of solar panels)
   including undertaking disaster management                 o     David Low Way safety improvements, car
   exercises to train our staff. Our long serving                  park and bus stops at Castaways Beach
   Local Disaster Co-ordinator stepped down from                   (commenced in 2018/19)
   that role and our Director Infrastructure                 o     Major refurbishment of the Noosa Aquatic
   Services has assumed that role. We have taken                   Centre at Sunrise Beach (commenced in
   part in region wide disaster management                         2018/19)
   training exercises with adjoining Councils.
   There has also been a concerted focus on  As part of the planning scheme process,
   developing our preparedness for a sustained               Council reviewed the current approach to
   recovery effort from a major natural disaster.            signage in the Shire and published, for public
                                                             consultation, a proposal to remove signage
 Council       was     successful     in   securing         regulation from the planning scheme and
   Commonwealth government grant funding to                  included in a local law. That local law also
   replace a number of bridges. In 2018/19, we               included proposed changes to the way in which
   finalised replacement of the Mary River Road              signage is currently managed. There was
   Bridge in Cooroy and the Noosa Road Bridge in             considerable public interest in this issue during
   Cooran. We were also successful in 2018/19 in             the consultation process. Around 300
   obtaining grants to replace the Tablelands Road           submissions were received and are being
   Bridge (Number 2) at Cooran and the                       considered prior to finalising the local law.
   Wahpunga Lane Bridge at Kin Kin. Both of
   these bridges will be replaced in 2019/20. We
   also received funding to replace the aging
   bridge at Orealla Crescent, Sunrise Beach and
   this work will also be undertaken in 2019/20.