GOLDEN Plains Shire councillors voted at their August meeting on Tuesday night to send a draft financial plan covering the decade between this year and 2035 out for community feedback.<\/p>\n
An officer\u2019s report to the meeting said the draft plan highlighted the difficult financial situation being faced by rural councils like Golden Plains.<\/p>\n
It said that maintaining current service levels into the long term \u201cis not financially sustainable.”<\/p>\n
\u201cAccordingly, the draft financial plan is modelled on a set of assumptions and inputs that are more financially and resource constrained than the current situation,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
The report said the council would have to \u201cundertake significant strategic work and make highly consequential decisions\u201d over the next two or three years in areas such as service and efficiency reviews, rationalisation of assets, borrowings and consideration of future rate cap variations.<\/p>\n
Cr Emma Robbins moved a recommendation to open the draft for consultation from Wednesday this week to 24 September.<\/p>\n
She said the rising cost of providing programs and the limited scope for councils to raise revenue formed the heart of the plan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe cannot continue as we are,\u201d Cr Robbins said, adding that hard choices were in store for councillors.<\/p>\n
Cr Sarah Hayden seconded the motion, but Cr Gavin Gamble spoke against, sending the plan out for feedback.<\/p>\n
Cr Gamble had asked if putting it out for consultation could be deferred, and said the draft as it stood prioritised asset management to the detriment of everything else.<\/p>\n
He said under the proposed draft, many community services were under threat of cutbacks, and voted against the recommendation.<\/p>\n
All other councillors voted in favour.<\/p>\n
Consultation on draft assets plan begins<\/strong><\/p>\n A draft assets plan for 2025 to 2035, which accompanies the draft financial plan, is also now open for community comment until 24 September.<\/p>\n The draft plan covers management of assets such as sealed roads and car parks, gravel roads, footpaths and trails, buildings and open spaces.<\/p>\n Moving a recommendation to put the draft plan on public display, Cr Robbins said a key feature of the document was a move away from reactive maintenance of assets to more of a system of planned maintenance.<\/p>\n Cr Des Phelan, who seconded, said the Shire had \u201ca long way to go\u201d in terms of management of assets.<\/p>\n \u201cDepreciation is a thing that will really work us over,\u201d he said. \u201cReplacing machinery and things like that is going to get right out of hand.\u201d<\/p>\n No councillor voted against the motion.<\/p>\n More councillors allowed to speak<\/strong><\/p>\n More councillors will be allowed to speak publicly, under an updated media and communications policy adopted at the meeting.<\/p>\n The existing policy has recently been reviewed in response to what a report to the meeting described as an evolving media landscape and the rise of social media and online platforms.<\/p>\n The latest update inserts a new clause introducing flexibility in who can speak \u2013 for example individual councillors or the council group as a whole \u2013 instead of the mayor only.<\/p>\n \u201cSubject to a clear and structured communications plan, this is intended to allow the broader work and collective voice of the full council to be highlighted,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n \u201cSpecifically, it is proposed that the CEO may authorise the publishing of prepared comments, updates, social media posts, columns and the like attributable to individual councillors, other than the mayor, or the councillor group as a whole when appropriate, subject to the circumstances and the message seeking to be communicated.\u201d<\/p>\n Cr Phelan moved the updated policy\u2019s adoption, and Cr Gamble seconded.<\/p>\n Cr Gamble said councillors must \u201cplay by some very strict rules\u201d in speaking publicly, and had seen during his time as mayor how problems could occur when disparaging comments were made.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always going to be a bit of a balance,\u201d he said, adding that it would be to the Shire\u2019s benefit to have more faces and voices in the media other than the mayor alone.<\/p>\n The updated policy was carried unanimously.<\/p>\n Council plan update hailed<\/strong><\/p>\n Cr Helena Kirby lauded an update on actions taken under the Shire\u2019s council plan for the period from 1 April to 30 June as a \u201cgreat report.”<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s so many things that there\u2019s way too many to mention,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt goes to show how healthy our council is. We\u2019ve got some great things to come over the next four years.\u201d<\/p>\n Cr Kirby was speaking as the mover of a recommendation that the update report be adopted.<\/p>\n \u201cBy the end of the 2024-2025 reporting period, 75 out of 82 actions have successfully reached a 100 per cent on-track status, demonstrating the successful delivery of identified action focus areas for 2024-25,\u201d the report said.<\/p>\n \u201cWith an amazing 91 per cent of the council plan actions having been delivered, seven actions are categorised as partially complete, indicating that there have been delays in achieving the actions identified across year four.\u201d<\/p>\n The report said council officers remained committed to advancing the seven partially-completed actions as the Shire moves into its 2025-2029 council plan.<\/p>\n Priority booklet to be updated<\/strong><\/p>\n Councillors voted to include a range of projects and initiatives in the Shire\u2019s \u2018priority booklet\u2019.<\/p>\n The booklet outlines key projects and initiatives identified as important to the Shire\u2019s growth and wellbeing, and was first published in 2018.<\/p>\n Its last update was last year.<\/p>\n Inclusions in the update will be the need for a 24-hour police station in Bannockburn, a new ambulance station in Smythesdale, safe pedestrian crossings in Bannockburn, Teesdale and Smythesdale, a Midland Highway duplication, and an upgrade of the Hamilton Highway.<\/p>\n Meredith Recreation Reserve tennis and cricket upgrades, a need for improved youth services, a Lethbridge Airport expansion, and additional telecommunications installations in blackspots are also on the list.<\/p>\n Cr Dom Cook raised the possibility of including tourism as an item for inclusion in the booklet, suggesting the municipality\u2019s large number of events and tourist assets warranted the subject being at least mentioned.<\/p>\n Brand new CEO Adam McSwain said tourism could certainly be included if councillors wanted it, and Cr Kirby supported Cr Cook\u2019s suggestion.<\/p>\n Cr Kirby said the Shire had a tourism body in the past, and now had music festivals, farmers markets and much more that could be highlighted.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a place for it and I think Cr Cook has seen what is missing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Cr Cook\u2019s addition was taken as the motion to adopt the booklet, with Cr Hayden seconding.<\/p>\n It was carried but Cr Robbins voted against, arguing that the subject of tourism was not specific enough to be made a priority in the booklet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" GOLDEN Plains Shire councillors voted at their August meeting on Tuesday night to send a draft financial plan covering the decade between this year and 2035 out for community feedback. An officer\u2019s report to the meeting said the draft plan highlighted the difficult financial situation being faced by rural councils like Golden Plains. It said […]<\/p>\n