2014-02-25 Planning & Organisation Committee Meeting Agenda

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   25 FEBRUARY 2014




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PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                               25 FEBRUARY 2014

              POLICY STATEMENT — Development Assessment — Roles and Responsibilities of Councillors and Council Employees
              3. General Principles
              =   The primary duty of a Councillor, and the Council, is to govern in the wider public interest
                  of the community as a whole, and to pursue matters to the advantage of the council and
                  the Sunshine Coast Region.
              ="  Councillors should not confuse their general representative responsibilities (advocating,
                  lobbying, brokering) with the specific assessment manager role/legal determination
                  responsibilities under the IPA. Similarly, council officers should not confuse their roles of
                  providing good customer service with biased or subjective technical advice.
              *   For Councillors to avoid conduct which indicates a reasonable apprehension of bias they
                  must ensure that they genuinely consider the relevant material, the development
                  application and recommendations by council officers prior to reaching a position.
              =   Due consideration should be given throughout the entire DA Process. Commitment to a
                  particular view too early in the DA process will mislead the applicant and compromise the
                  perception of an unbiased outcome by the council.
              =   If a Councillor is unhappy with the manner in which an officer handles any stage of the
                  DA process, then the relevant Manager should be contacted.       It is inappropriate for a
                  Councillor to take over the problem and to assume the role of the officers in order to
                  manufacture a different outcome. It is essential that the separation of functions between
                  Councillors and the ‘administrative arm’ of council is understood.

              =»  Where deemed necessary, confidentiality in accordance with the provisions of 171 of the
                  Local Government Act 2009 should be maintained for any confidential information,
                  records, briefings and discussions that if release at a particular point in time, could
                  prejudice the interests of council, the public at large, or another party.
              =»  Councillors may view council files (at the Council Administration Offices), and are invited
                  to make all necessary enquiries, but all requests should be through the Director,
                  Manager, Planning Assessment, or other officer as designated by the Chief Executive
                  Officer.

              RELATED POLICIES AND LEGISLATION

              Councillor Code of Conduct
              Employee Code of Conduct
              SCRC Planning Schemes, Policies and Documentation
              Local Government Act 2009
              Sustainable Planning Act 2009
              Public Sector Ethics Act 1994

              Version control:
            | Version | Reason/Trigger__| Change (YIN) | Endorsed/Reviewedby | Date
              Draft      Policy Update        nla                                           24/12/2012
              (V5.0)

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