IN a step towards greater transparency, City of Ballarat council passed a reviewed version of the municipality\u2019s procurement policy at its regular meeting on Wednesday, 23 July.<\/p>\n
Interim CEO Janet Dore said the revised policy will offer local contractors slightly more weighting in evaluations, provide standardised procedures, and a common template for future procurement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s many more detailed requirements on evaluation to try to pick up some of the areas where they appear to be subjective and rather give a more firm ability to weight particular characteristics,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not only about expertise or performance, it\u2019s also about quality of service, encouragement of local business and being more transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Procurement within the City of Ballarat was one area that came in for criticism in May\u2019s state Ombudsman\u2019s report.<\/p>\n
The policy was approved with support from councillors but included provision to review it in six months.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Heritage listing for sale yards<\/strong><\/p>\n After re-locating livestock sales in 2018 to Miners Rest, some structures at the old Ballarat sale yards on Latrobe Street are one step closer to being heritage protected.<\/p>\n As part of the city\u2019s urban renewal project, council moved to submit a report to the Minister for Planning seeking approval to add significant buildings on this site to the heritage overlay.<\/p>\n Once approved, the overlay will cover a small section of the 13-hectre lot including the circa 1909 administration building and the bluestone-paved sale yards.<\/p>\n \u201cThis approach to look after heritage elements on this site is a really important step forward,\u201d Cr Samantha McIntosh said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I see for this area is a great understanding of the need to protect our heritage whilst we grow.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Strategy review passed<\/strong><\/p>\n A strategy adopted in 2015 relating to the long-term land use vision for the city got another green light following a five-year follow up.<\/p>\n After an administrative review and audit was undertaken of the Today, Tomorrow Together plan, the findings showed that 58 per cent of actions have been completed, 40 per cent are underway and just two per cent have seen limited action as part of the initial strategy.<\/p>\n The report will now be sent for further community consultation.<\/p>\n \u201cAt a high level the intent of the strategy is still relevant and it\u2019s great to see that a lot of the actions are being actioned,\u201d said Cr Belinda Coates.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will be good to get the community input at the next stage as well, I look forward to getting the community engaged and shaping the future.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You get $5 million!<\/strong><\/p>\n The instrument of delegation, or council\u2019s approval for the CEO to make purchasing decisions on behalf of the organisation, passed a review without revisions.<\/p>\n Normally, this instrument gives the CEO power to spend $250,000, but that figure was bumped up to $5 million at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n The $5 million provision will stand whether the council can meet and convene or not.<\/p>\n The decision to persist with the increased spending limit was despite Ms Dore saying it could go back to the way it was.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is an unusual CEO who would argue against a bigger delegation of that size but I think unless we have a catastrophic event, I think that we could manage,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Several councillors pushed against Ms Dore\u2019s comments to revert the delegation in keeping the $5 million provision in place.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe that there can be no harm in leaving the delegations where they are because it is only in an event of a catastrophic event that is beyond the councillors to vote that it is even triggered,\u201d said Cr Grant Tillett.<\/p>\n Cr Danial Moloney added, \u201cwho knows what 2020 is going to bring us but at least there\u00a0is that provision there that in the first instance it will come to council as it should.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n