Council Meeting AGENDA DOC14/31888

Members Crs K Mack (Chairperson), D Betteridge, D Cameron, G Docksey, A Glachan, P Gould, R Jackson, D Thurley and H van de Ven. Staff General Manager.

Please be advised that the next Council Meeting will be held in the Council Chambers, AlburyCity Administration Building, Kiewa Street, Albury, on Monday 28 April 2014, at 6.00pm.

CM 1 – OPENING PRAYER & ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF ORIGINAL CUSTODIANS OF OUR LAND CM 2 – CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATIONS RECEIVED BY THE CHAIR AND DISCLOSURE OF POLITICAL DONATIONS 2A Conflict of Interest Declarations 2B Disclosure of Political Donations 2C Chairperson to advise that the meeting is being recorded for administrative purposes CM 3 – APOLOGIES CM 4 – ACTION PLANS ...... 3 CM 5 – CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS ...... 4 5A Minutes of the Council Meeting held on Monday 24 March 2014 at 6.00pm (DOC14/23082) ...... 4 CM 6 – REPORTS FROM COUNCIL COMMITTEES...... 14 6A Report from the Planning & Development Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014 at 6.00pm (DOC14/30226) ...... 14 6B Report from the Engineering & Works Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014 at 6.26pm (DOC14/30227) ...... 19 6C Report from the Community & Cultural Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014 at 6.38pm (DOC14/30230) ...... 24 6D Report from the Finance & Administration Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014 at 6.44pm (DOC14/30229) ...... 28 CM 7 – NOTICE OF MOTION ...... 31 CM 8 – REPORTS/MINUTES OF COMMITTEES & WORKING PARTIES ...... 32 8A Minutes of the Sports Albury Advisory Committee held on Wednesday 19 February 2014 at 7.00pm (DOC14/16220) ...... 33 CM 9 – DOCUMENTS FOR SEALING ...... 36 CM 10 – OFFICERS REPORTS FOR CONSIDERATION ...... 38 10A Community & Recreation – Cultural Services Financial Assistance Program 2014-2015 (DOC14/30891) ...... 38 10B Community Fund Request – Greenfield Park and Haydon Park Improvements (DOC14/29182) ...... 45 10C Community Fund Request - Urana Road Oval Master Plan Sports Pavilion Project (DOC14/29245) ...... 48 10D Community Fund Request - Alexandra Park (Murrayfield) Enclosed Spectator Area (DOC14/29236) ...... 52

Agenda - AlburyCity Council Meeting – Monday 28 April 2014 Page 1

Council Meeting AGENDA

10E Community Fund Request – Albury Sports Ground – Umpires Room Upgrade (DOC14/29105) ...... 55 10F Community Funding - Splitters Creek Rural Fire Service – Request for Additional Standpipe (DOC14/26650) ...... 58 10G Draft 2014-2015 Operational Plan, Draft 2014-2018 Four Year Delivery Program and Draft Long Term Financial Plan (DOC14/14635) ...... 61 10H Draft Cultural Services Ethics Policy (DOC14/30721) ...... 79 10I Expression of Interest for the operation and maintenance of the PS Cumberoona (DOC14/30346) ...... 82 10J Review of Organisation Structure (DOC14/31560) ...... 86 CM 11 – OFFICERS REPORTS FOR NOTING...... 95 CM 12 – DELEGATES REPORTS FOR NOTING ...... 97 12A Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (Fare) - 2014 Annual Alcohol Poll – Cr David Thurley Reports (DOC14/24650) ...... 97 12B Review of the Liquor Act 2007 and the Gaming and Liquor Administration Act 2007 Community Stakeholder Consultation Meeting – Cr David Thurley Reports (DOC14/28136) ...... 99 CM 13 – NOTICE OF URGENT BUSINESS ...... 102

Note A light meal will be served at 5.15pm, at „Charlies on Kiewa‟, for Councillors and staff required to attend the meeting.

Frank Zaknich General Manager

24 April 2014

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CM 4 – ACTION PLANS

4A Actions Complete – For Noting Only

There were no Actions Complete – For Noting Only.

4B Actions Awaiting Response from External Parties

There are no Actions Awaiting Response from External Parties.

4C Actions in Progress

Item Item No Action Required Responsible Action Taken Officer Defibrillators in NUB 1 Cr van de Ven requested a Group Leader Report to come the workplace FAC 17.03.14 report to come back to Human back to Council Council in relation to Resources. in relation to this Defibrillators AlburyCity to item. be proactive in promoting defibrillators in the workplace and raise this matter with the New South Wales Government.

4D Long Term Issues (more than three months)

There are no Long Term Issues (more than three months).

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CM 5 – CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS

5A Minutes of the Council Meeting held on Monday 24 March 2014 at 6.00pm (DOC14/23082)

Present Crs K Mack (Chairperson), D Betteridge, D Cameron, G Docksey, A Glachan, P Gould, R Jackson, D Thurley and H van de Ven.

Apologies Nil.

Staff General Manager, Director Community & Recreation, Director Engineering, Director Corporate Services, Director Economic Development & Tourism, Director Planning & Environment, Team Leader Governance, Media & Communications Officer, IT Officer and Governance Officer.

The Agenda for this meeting and Minutes of Committees included therein form part of these Minutes.

THE MEETING OPENED WITH THE PRAYER & ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF ORIGINAL CUSTODIANS OF OUR LAND

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CM 2 CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATIONS RECEIVED BY THE CHAIR AND DISCLOSURE OF POLITICAL DONATIONS

2A Conflict of Interest Declarations

There were no Conflict of Interest Declarations received by the Chairperson.

2B Disclosure of Political Donations

The General Manager advised those present, of the legislative requirement for Disclosure of Political Donations:

Advice to the Council Meeting

The Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, Section 147 requires a person submitting planning applications or submissions regarding a planning application, to disclose any reportable political donation and/or gifts to any local Councillor or employee of Council. Reportable political donations include those of, or above, $1,000.

The Disclosure Statement forms are available on Council‟s website or from the Customer Service Centre and must be lodged in accordance with the Act. The forms are also available at the back of the Chamber during meetings.

There were no Disclosure of Political Donations received by the Chairperson.

2C Recording of Meeting

The Chairperson advised those present that the meeting is being recorded for administrative purposes.

CM 3 APOLOGIES

There were no Apologies.

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CM 4 ACTION PLANS

4A Actions Complete – For Noting Only

4B Actions Awaiting Response from External Parties

4C Actions in Progress

4D Long Term Issues (more than three months)

Cr van de Ven Moved, Cr Jackson Seconded 22/2014 That the following Action Plans be received and noted:

A. Actions Complete – For Noting Only, B. Actions Awaiting Response from External Parties, C. Actions in Progress, and D. Long Term Issues (more than three months). CARRIED

CM 5 CONFIRMATION OF THE COUNCIL MINUTES

5A Minutes of the Council Meeting held on Monday 24 February 2014 at 6.00pm (DOC14/14457)

Cr Docksey Moved, Cr Gould Seconded 23/2014 That the Minutes of the Council Meeting held on Monday 24 February 2014, at 6.00pm, be confirmed. CARRIED

CM 6 REPORTS FROM COUNCIL COMMITTEES

6A Report from the Planning & Development Committee Meeting held on Monday 10 March 2014 at 6.00pm(DOC14/19321)

Cr Betteridge Moved, Cr Docksey Seconded 24/2014 That the recommendations included in the report from the Planning & Development Committee Meeting held on Monday 10 March 2014, at 6.00pm, be adopted. CARRIED

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6B Report from the Engineering & Works Committee Meeting held on Monday 10 March 2014 at 6.50pm (DOC14/18998)

Cr Jackson Moved, Cr Thurley Seconded 25/2014 That the recommendations included in the report from the Engineering & Works Committee Meeting held on Monday 10 March 2014, at 6.50pm be adopted. CARRIED

6C Report from the Community & Cultural Committee Meeting held on Monday 17 March 2014 at 6.00pm (DOC14/21081)

Cr Gould Moved, Cr Docksey Seconded 26/2014 That the recommendations included in the report from the Community & Cultural Committee Meeting held on Monday 17 March 2014, at 6.00pm, be adopted. CARRIED

6D Report from the Finance & Administration Committee Meeting held on Monday 17 March 2014 at 6.11pm (DOC14/21096)

Cr van de Ven Moved, Cr Thurley Seconded 27/2014 That the recommendations included in the report from the Finance & Administration Committee Meeting held on Monday 17 March 2014 at 6.11pm, be adopted. CARRIED

CM 7 REPORT FROM THE COMMUNITY FORUM

There was no Report from the Community Forum.

CM 8 REPORTS/MINUTES OF COMMITTEES & WORKING PARTIES

There were no Reports/Minutes of Committees & Working Parties.

CM 9 DOCUMENTS FOR SEALING

There were no Documents for Sealing.

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CM 10 OFFICERS' REPORTS FOR CONSIDERATION

10A Agricultural Produce Industry, ancillary loading area and truck parking at 373 Willowbank Road, East Albury – DA 10.2013.32619.1 (DOC14/18807)

Cr Cameron Moved, Cr Betteridge Seconded 28/2014 That Council:

a. receive and note the contents of this report; and b. grant consent for Development Application 10.2013.32619.1, subject to the conditions contained in the Draft Determination of Development Application (Attachment 5). CARRIED

FOR AGAINST Cr Mack (Chairperson), Nil. Cr Betteridge, Cr Cameron, Cr Docksey, Cr Glachan, Cr Gould, Cr Jackson, Cr Thurley Cr van de Ven

Disclosure of Political Donations There were no disclosures of political donations and/or gifts by an applicant, objector or Councillor at the time of determination of this item.

10B AlburyCity Submission – Local Government Acts Taskforce (DOC14/20121)

Cr Gould Moved, Cr Cameron Seconded 29/2014 That Council endorses AlburyCity‟s submission to the Division of Local Government on the Local Government Acts Taskforce Report “A New Local Government Act for NSW and Review of the City of Sydney Act 1988”. CARRIED

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10C AlburyCity Submission – Revitalising Local Government (DOC14/20122)

Cr Thurley Moved, Cr Docksey Seconded 30/2014 That Council endorses AlburyCity‟s submission to the Division of Local Government on the Independent Local Government Review Panel‟s final report. CARRIED

10D Draft Infrastructure Contributions Plan 2014 (DOC14/16724)

Cr Cameron Moved, Cr Betteridge Seconded 31/2014 That Council:

a. receive and note the contents of the report; b. place the 2014 Draft Infrastructure Contributions Plan on public exhibition for a minimum period of 30 working days, commencing 29 March 2014; c. place the proposed Draft 20014-2015 Infrastructure Contributions for the Section 94 Development Servicing Plan (2005) and the Section 64 Development Servicing Plan – Water and Sewerage (2005) on public exhibition in conjunction with Council‟s Draft Fees and Charges for 2014-2015; and d. undertake community engagement with general community and specific targeted stakeholders. CARRIED

10E Albury Central Sponsorship Request (DOC14/20255)

Cr Thurley Moved, Cr Betteridge Seconded 32/2014 That Council:

a. approve Albury Central administration sponsorship of $15,000 (ex. GST) for 2014- 2015 and $10,000 (ex. GST) for the 2015-2016 financial years, with the annual Applause Festival to be fully funded by revenue generated from the Promotional Special Rate; and b. undertake a review of the city wide Retail Sector Development Strategy in 2014- 2015 and expand the project to incorporate the development of a comprehensive Albury CBD marketing and promotional plan. CARRIED

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10F Albury Northside Chamber of Commerce Sponsorship 2014 - 2018 (DOC14/20259)

Cr Betteridge Moved, Cr Jackson Seconded That Council approve Albury Northside Chamber of Commerce sponsorship of $133,333 (ex. GST) for the period 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015, with funding in the subsequent year to 30 June 2016 to reduce by 2.5% to $130,080 (ex. GST).

AMENDMENT Cr Cameron Moved, That Council: a. approve Albury Northside Chamber of Commerce sponsorship of $133,333 (ex. GST) for the period 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015, with funding in the subsequent year to 30 June 2016 to reduce by 2.5% to $130,080 (ex. GST); and b. also resolves that the exact same amount of funding be given to the North East Trades and Labour Council. The AMENDMENT lapsed for want of a Seconder.

FURTHER AMENDMENT Cr Clachan Moved, Cr Docksey Seconded

That Council approve Albury Northside Chamber of Commerce sponsorship of $140,000 (ex. GST) for the period 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2016.

The AMENDMENT was PUT and LOST

33/2014 Cr Betteridge Moved, Cr Jackson Seconded That Council approve Albury Northside Chamber of Commerce sponsorship of $133,333 (ex. GST) for the period 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015, with funding in the subsequent year to 30 June 2016 to reduce by 2.5% to $130,080 (ex. GST).

The ORIGINAL MOTION was PUT and CARRIED

10G Draft Wonga Wetlands Tourism Product Development Masterplan (DOC14/20354)

Cr Gould Moved, Cr Cameron Seconded 34/2014 That Council:

a. receive and note the Draft 2014 Wonga Wetlands Tourism Product Development Masterplan; and b. place the Draft 2014 Wonga Wetlands Tourism Product Development Masterplan on public exhibition for a minimum period of 60 days. CARRIED

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10H 2014 National General Assembly of Local Government (DOC14/13893)

Cr van de Ven Moved, Cr Docksey Seconded 35/2014 a. That the Mayor and General Manager attend the 2014 National General Assembly of Local Government and the Regional Cooperation and Development Forum in Canberra from Sunday 15 to Wednesday 18 June 2014; b. that Councillors nominate to attend the 2014 National General Assembly of Local Government and the Regional Cooperation and Development Forum in Canberra from Sunday 15 to Wednesday 18 June 2014; and c. that the following motions be submitted to the Australian Local Government Association for consideration at the National General Assembly of Local Government:

Motion 1

That the National General Assembly support the proposition that the National Stronger Regions Fund provides social and economic infrastructure support to all regional communities.

Motion 2

That the National General Assembly support the proposition that surplus revenue collected under the Clean Energy Act be retained by local government for related activities such as improving operating and energy efficiency of assets, waste education programs or waste diversion programs following repeal of the Clean Energy legislation. CARRIED Action Item Cr van de Ven advised that he would like to attend the National General Assembly but would check his availability and inform the Mayor of his intention.

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10I NSW Public Library Funding Campaign (DOC14/18104)

Cr Gould Moved, Cr Jackson Seconded 36/2014 That Council provide support to the campaign mounted by the NSW Public Library Associations for increased State funding to local government for public libraries by:

a. writing to the Hon. George Souris, Minister for the Arts, calling upon the Government to implement the Reforming Public Library Funding submission of the Library Council of NSW in 2013 for the reform of the funding system for NSW public libraries, with a copy of this letter to be provided to the NSW State Member for Albury, Greg Aplin; and b. approving the distribution of NSW Public Library Associations campaign information in Council libraries. CARRIED

10J Contribution to Legal Assistance from Canterbury City Council (DOC14/19321)

Cr Thurley Moved, Cr Cameron Seconded 37/2014 That Council approve the payment of $541.62 to Local Government NSW, as AlburyCity‟s voluntary contribution towards the legal assistance for Canterbury City Council. CARRIED

CM 11 OFFICERS REPORTS FOR NOTING

There were no Officers Reports for Noting.

CM 12 DELEGATES REPORTS FOR NOTING

12A Councillor Seminar Attendance Report – Soil For Life Seminar (An Outcomes Australia Project) (DOC14/20429)

Cr Thurley Moved, Cr Betteridge Seconded 38/2014 That Council receive and note the report on Cr Thurley‟s attendance at the Soil for Life Seminar. CARRIED

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CM 13 CONFIDENTIAL ITEMS

13A Albury Entertainment Centre Catering Services (DOC14/20337)

Cr Betteridge Moved, Cr Docksey Seconded 39/2014 That Council receive and note the report. CARRIED

CM 14 NOTICE OF URGENT BUSINESS

Cr Mack, The Mayor advised Council of two items of Urgent Business, being petitions. Cr Mack further advised of Clause 24 of the Code Meeting Practice for Councillors, Staff & Delegates, which relates to petitions.

Cr Mack read from Clause 24:

a) A Councillor may present a petition to the Council; b) the Chairperson must not permit discussion on the petition; and c) the petition will be referred to the General Manager for an appropriate action or referral to a future meeting of the Council.

NUB 1 Cr Thurley presented a petition from some residents of Albury who wish to ask the AlburyCity Council to take action to stop the weekly protests outside the clinic in Englehardt Street, Albury.

Note for Action by the General Manager.

NUB 2 Cr Cameron advised that he had a petition from the residents of Table Top Road, regarding their water supply problems.

Note for Action by the General Manager.

The Meeting closed at 6.53pm.

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CM 6 – REPORTS FROM COUNCIL COMMITTEES

6A Report from the Planning & Development Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014 at 6.00pm (DOC14/30226)

DATE 15 April 2014

CONFIDENTIAL YES NO  If yes please tick one of the following reasons Personnel Matters Commercial Legal Security Personal Hardship

ITEM FOR DECISION ITEM FOR NOTING  Meeting Date Meeting Date Monday 28 April 2014

FURTHER ENQUIRIES TO Judy Charlton PHONE 6023 8150 Corporate Services

Introduction

On Monday 14 April 2014 the Planning & Development Committee met and a report from this meeting is attached.

Recommendation

That the recommendations included in the report from the Planning & Development Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014, be adopted.

 Attachment (on following page) 1. Report from the Planning & Development Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014.

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Planning & Development Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014 at 6.00pm

Present Crs D Betteridge (Chairperson), G Docksey, A Glachan, P Gould, R Jackson, K Mack (Ex Officio), D Thurley and H van de Ven.

Apologies Nil.

Staff General Manager, Director Community & Recreation, Director Corporate Services, Director Planning & Environment, Acting Director Economic Development & Tourism, Acting Director Engineering, Team Leader Risk & Safety, Team Leader Sustainability & Environment, Team Leader Leisure Facilities, Team Leader Governance, IT Officer and Governance Officer.

PDC 1 CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATIONS RECEIVED BY THE CHAIR AND DISCLOSURE OF POLITICAL DONATIONS

1A Conflict of Interest Declarations

There were no Conflict of Interest Declarations received by the Chairperson.

1B Disclosure of Political Donations

The General Manager advised those present, of the legislative requirement for Disclosure of Political Donations:

Advice to the Planning & Development Committee

The Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, Section 147 requires a person submitting planning applications or submissions regarding a planning application, to disclose any reportable political donation and/or gifts to any local Councillor or employee of Council. Reportable political donations include those of, or above, $1,000.

The Disclosure Statement forms are available on Council‟s website or from the Customer Service Centre and must be lodged in accordance with the Act. The forms are also available at the back of the Chamber during meetings.

There were no Disclosure of Political Donations received by the Chairperson.

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1C Recording of Meeting

The Chairperson advised those present that the meeting is being recorded for administrative purposes.

PDC 2 APOLOGIES

2A Apologies of Committee Members

There were no Apologies of Committee Members.

PDC 3 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

3A Minutes of the Planning & Development Committee Meeting held on Monday 10 March 2014 at 6.00pm (DOC14/18996)

Cr Docksey Moved, Cr Thurley Seconded That the Committee recommends to Council that the Minutes of the Planning & Development Committee Meeting held on Monday 10 March 2014, at 6.00, be adopted. CARRIED

PDC 4 MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES

There were no Matters Arising from Previous Minutes.

PDC 5 REPORTS/MINUTES OF COMMITTEES AND WORKING PARTIES

5A Minutes of the Companion Animal Management Panel Meeting held on Wednesday 19 February 2014 at 5.30pm (DOC14/24941)

Cr Mack Moved, Cr Docksey Seconded That the Committee recommends to Council that the Minutes the Companion Animal Management Panel Meeting held on Wednesday 19 February 2014 be received, noted and accepted. CARRIED

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PDC 6 OFFICERS REPORTS FOR CONSIDERATION

6A 2012-2013 Energy Monitor Report And 2014–2018 Energy Savings Action Plan (DOC14/25717)

Cr van de Ven Moved, Cr Mack Seconded That the Committee recommends to Council that Council:

a. note the key findings and conclusions of the 2012-2013 Energy Monitor Report; b. endorse the Energy Savings Action Plan and consider the implementation schedule in conjunction with the four year budget and New Initiative proposals; and c. bring forward as a matter of urgency all of the proposed solar power installations to the next financial year.

AMENDMENT Cr Glachan Moved, Cr Gould Seconded a. note the key findings and conclusions of the 2012-2013 Energy Monitor Report; b. endorse the Energy Savings Action Plan and consider the implementation schedule in conjunction with the four year budget and New Initiative proposals; and c. bring forward as a matter of urgency a report highlighting the possibility of bringing forward the proposed solar power installations to the 2015-2016 financial year. The AMENDMENT was PUT and LOST

Cr van de Ven Moved, Cr Mack Seconded That the Committee recommends to Council that Council:

a. note the key findings and conclusions of the 2012-2013 Energy Monitor Report; b. endorse the Energy Savings Action Plan and consider the implementation schedule in conjunction with the four year budget and New Initiative proposals; and c. bring forward as a matter of urgency all of the proposed solar power installations to the next financial year. The ORIGINAL MOTION was PUT and CARRIED

Action Item Director Corporate Services, Judy Charlton to provide information to Councillors in relation to the unrestricted cash position.

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PDC 7 OFFICERS REPORTS FOR NOTING

7A Local Development Performance Monitoring Report 2012-2013 (DOC14/20553)

Cr Mack Moved, Cr Gould Seconded That the Committee recommends to Council that Council receive and note the report. CARRIED

PDC 8 DELEGATES REPORTS FOR NOTING

There were no Delegates Reports for Noting.

PDC 9 NOTICE OF URGENT BUSINESS

There was no Notice of Urgent Business.

Meeting closed at 6.25pm.

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6B Report from the Engineering & Works Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014 at 6.26pm (DOC14/30227)

DATE 15 April 2014

CONFIDENTIAL YES NO  If yes please tick one of the following reasons: Personnel Matters Commercial Legal Security Personal Hardship

ITEM FOR DECISION YES ITEM FOR NOTING YES  Meeting Date Meeting Date Monday 28 April 2014

FURTHER ENQUIRIES TO Judy Charlton PHONE 6023 8150 Corporate Services

Introduction

On Monday 14 April 2014 the Engineering & Works Committee met and a report from this meeting is attached.

Recommendation

That the recommendations included in the report from the Engineering & Works Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014, be adopted.

 Attachment (on following page) 1. Report from the Engineering & Works Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014.

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Engineering & Works Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014 at 6.26pm

Present Crs R Jackson (Chairperson), D Betteridge, G Docksey, A Glachan, P Gould, K Mack (Ex Officio), D Thurley and H van de Ven.

Apologies Nil.

Staff General Manager, Director Community & Recreation, Director Corporate Services, Director Planning & Environment, Acting Director Economic Development & Tourism, Acting Director Engineering, Team Leader Risk & Safety, Team Leader Leisure Facilities, Team Leader Governance, IT Officer and Governance Officer.

EWC 1 CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATIONS RECEIVED BY THE CHAIR

1A Conflict of Interest Declarations

There were no Conflict of Interest Declarations received by the Chairperson.

1B Recording of Meeting

The Chairperson advised those present that the meeting is being recorded for administrative purposes.

EWC 2 APOLOGIES

2A Apologies of Committee Members

There were no Apologies of Committee Members.

EWC 3 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

3A Minutes of the Engineering & Works Committee Meeting held on 10 March 2014 at 6.50pm (DOC14/18998)

Cr Thurley Moved, Cr Docksey Seconded That the Committee recommends to Council that the Minutes of the Engineering & Works Committee Meeting held on Monday 10 March 2014 at 6.50pm be adopted. CARRIED

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EWC 4 MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES

There were no Matters Arising from Previous Minutes.

EWC 5 REPORTS/MINUTES OF COMMITTEES AND WORKING PARTIES

5A Minutes of the Albury Airport Users Advisory Committee Meeting held on 5 March 2014 at 10.04am (DOC14/21751)

Cr Betteridge Moved, Cr Mack Seconded That the Committee recommends to Council that the Minutes of the Albury Airport Users Advisory Committee Meeting held on 5 March 2014 at 10.04am be received, noted and accepted. CARRIED

5B Minutes of the Floodplain Risk Management Committee Meeting held on Thursday 20 March 2014 at 10.04am (DOC14/25413)

Cr Mack Moved, Cr Docksey Seconded That the Committee recommends to Council that the Minutes of the Floodplain Risk Management Committee Meeting held on Thursday 20 March 2014 at 10.04am be received noted and accepted. CARRIED

EWC 6 OFFICERS REPORTS FOR CONSIDERATION

6A East Albury Tennis Club Demolition and Construction of a new Clubhouse - Contract No. 14/00672 (DOC14/26910)

Cr Mack Moved, Cr Gould Seconded That the Committee recommends to Council that Council accepts the tender from Connelly Construction Services for Contract No. 14/00672 being the East Albury Tennis Club Clubhouse Demolition and Construction in the lump sum amount of $385,000 (excl. GST). CARRIED

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6B Draft AlburyCity Bicycle Plan 2014-2019 (DOC14/25618)

Cr Thurley Moved, Cr Betteridge Seconded That the Committee recommends to Council that:

a. the report on the draft AlburyCity Bicycle Plan 2014-2019 be received and noted; and b. the draft AlburyCity Bicycle Plan 2014-2019 be placed on public exhibition for a minimum period of 28 days. CARRIED Action Items Council Staff (Engineering) to provide and estimate back to Councillors on the number of bicycles in Albury and further information in relation to Council staff activity and wellbeing program and the use of bicycles for use by staff where appropriate in the workplace.

6C Proposed Boundary Adjustment - Bells Road Interchange (DOC14/21049)

Cr Mack Moved, Cr Gould Seconded That the Committee recommends to Council that Council:

a. consent to change the local government boundary to include Mr N V Ryan‟s property (Lot 90 DP1163496) and the Bells Road Interchange as shown on plans attached to this report; b. make application to the Department of Premier & Cabinet, Division of Local Government for the proposed local government boundary adjustment as shown on the attached plans; c. authorise the Mayor and the General Manager to sign and affix the Council Seal to documents required to give effect to this boundary adjustment. The Seal is to be affixed in the presence of two signatories authorised pursuant to Regulation 400 of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2005 and the Use of the Council Seal Policy; and d. agree to this local government boundary adjustment on the basis of “no adjustment for rates” principle. CARRIED

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6D Proposed Boundary Adjustment - Gerogery Road (DOC14/21047)

Cr Gould Moved, Cr van de Ven Seconded That the Committee recommends to Council that Council:

a. consent to the adoption of the western road reserve boundary as the amended local government boundary for the section of Gerogery Road between Rosedale Road and the Bowna Creek Bridge acknowledging that this amended local government boundary places the Bowna Creek Bridge wholly in the local government area of Greater Hume Shire Council; b. make application to the Department of Premier & Cabinet, Division of Local Government for the proposed boundary adjustment along Gerogery Road; and c. authorise the Mayor and the General Manager to sign and affix the Council Seal to documents required to give effect to this boundary adjustment. The Seal is to be affixed in the presence of two signatories authorised pursuant to Regulation 400 of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2005 and the Use of the Council Seal Policy. CARRIED

6E AlburyCity Floodplain Risk Management Committee Membership (DOC14/24561)

Cr Mack Moved, Cr Gould Seconded That the Committee recommends to Council that Council invite Ms Aileen Jacob, representing the Bungambrawatha Creek Care Group, to fill the community vacancy on the Floodplain Risk Management Committee. CARRIED

EWC 7 OFFICERS REPORTS FOR NOTING

There were no Officers Reports for Noting.

EWC 8 DELEGATES REPORTS FOR NOTING

There were no Delegates Reports for Noting.

EWC 9 NOTICE OF URGENT BUSINESS

There was no Notice of Urgent Business.

Meeting closed at 6.37pm.

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6C Report from the Community & Cultural Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014 at 6.38pm (DOC14/30230)

DATE 15 April 2014

CONFIDENTIAL YES NO  If yes please tick one of the following reasons: Personnel Matters Commercial Legal Security Personal Hardship

ITEM FOR DECISION YES ITEM FOR NOTING YES  Meeting Date Meeting Date Monday 28 April 2014

FURTHER ENQUIRIES TO Judy Charlton PHONE 6023 8150 Corporate Services

Introduction

On Monday 14 April 2014 the Community & Cultural Committee met and a report from this meeting is attached.

Recommendation

That the recommendations included in the report from the Community & Cultural Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014, be adopted.

 Attachment (on following page) 1. Report from the Community & Cultural Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014.

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Community & Cultural Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014 at 6.38pm

Present Crs P Gould (Chairperson), D Betteridge, G Docksey, A Glachan, K Mack (Ex Officio), D Thurley and H van de Ven.

Apologies Nil.

Staff General Manager, Director Community & Recreation, Director Corporate Services, Director Planning & Environment, Acting Director Economic Development & Tourism, Acting Director Engineering, Team Leader Risk & Safety, Team Leader Leisure Facilities, Team Leader Governance, IT Officer and Governance Officer.

CCC 1 CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATIONS RECEIVED BY THE CHAIR

1A Conflict of Interest Declarations

There were no Conflict of Interest Declarations received by the Chairperson.

1B Recording of Meeting

The Chairperson advised those present that the meeting is being recorded for administrative purposes.

CCC 2 APOLOGIES

2A Apologies of Committee Members

There were no Apologies of Committee Members.

CCC 3 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

3A Community & Cultural Committee Meeting held on Monday 17 March 2014 at 6.00pm (DOC14/21081)

Cr Docksey Moved, Cr Betteridge Seconded That the Committee recommends to Council that the Minutes of the Community & Cultural Committee Meeting held on Monday 17 March 2014 at 6.00pm be adopted. CARRIED

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CCC 4 MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES

There were no Matters Arising from Previous Minutes.

CCC 5 REPORTS/MINUTES OF COMMITTEES AND WORKING PARTIES

5A Minutes of the Aquatics Facilities Advisory Committee Meeting held on Wednesday 12 March 2014 at 6.00pm (DOC14/21835)

Cr Mack Moved, Cr Docksey Seconded That the Committee recommends to Council that the Minutes of the Aquatics Facilities Advisory Committee Meeting held on Wednesday 12 March 2014 at 6.00pm be received, noted and accepted. CARRIED

CCC 6 OFFICERS REPORTS FOR CONSIDERATION

6A Lauren Jackson Sports Centre – Service & Efficiency Review Stage 1 (DOC14/23043)

Cr van de Ven Moved, Cr Mack Seconded The Committee recommends to Council that Council:

a. thank the user groups for the cooperation in the Review and KPI process and for improvements where they have been made; b. not implement the spectator entry fee; c. staff implement Court hire (from July 2014) to replace the current individual ticket system for Junior Basketball and Junior Netball; and d. staff implement court hire arrangements, for all regular training bookings (representative training). e. Sports Centre Management Staff continue to negotiate with user groups in regards to:

 extending the length of their seasons;  continue senior competition through school holiday periods subject to facility availability  Reducing finals to only two weeks per season;  split divisions for finals if sufficient team numbers justify; and  team fees be introduced for senior netball to replace the current individual ticket system.

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f. Sports Centre coordinated sports continue competition through the school holiday periods subject to facility availability. g. Leisure Facilities staff work closely with the Albury Basketball Association including discussions about future administration and development of the sport. h. Leisure Facilities staff further investigate opportunities identified for Stage 2 of the Review and report back to Manex and Council if required. CARRIED

CCC 7 OFFICERS REPORTS FOR NOTING

There were no Officers Reports for Noting.

CCC 8 DELEGATES REPORTS FOR NOTING

There were no Delegates Reports for Noting.

CCC 10 NOTICE OF URGENT BUSINESS

There was Notice of Urgent Business.

Meeting closed at 6.44pm.

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6D Report from the Finance & Administration Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014 at 6.44pm (DOC14/30229)

DATE 15 April 2014

CONFIDENTIAL YES NO  If yes please tick one of the following reasons: Personnel Matters Commercial Legal Security Personal Hardship

ITEM FOR DECISION YES ITEM FOR NOTING YES  Meeting Date Meeting Date Monday 28 April 2014

FURTHER ENQUIRIES TO Judy Charlton PHONE 6023 8150 Corporate Services

Introduction

On Monday 14 April 2014 the Finance & Administration Committee met and a report from this meeting is attached.

Recommendation

That the recommendations included in the report from the Finance & Administration Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014, be adopted.

 Attachment (on following page) 1. Report from the Finance & Administration Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014.

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Finance & Administration Committee Meeting held on Monday 14 April 2014 at 6.44pm.

Present Crs H van de Ven (Chairperson), D Betteridge, G Docksey, A Glachan, P Gould, K Mack (Ex Officio) and D Thurley.

Apologies

Staff General Manager, Director Community & Recreation, Director Corporate Services, Director Planning & Environment, Acting Director Economic Development & Tourism, Acting Director Engineering, Team Leader Risk & Safety, Team Leader Leisure Facilities, Team Leader Governance, IT Officer and Governance Officer.

FAC 1 CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATIONS RECEIVED BY THE CHAIR

1A Conflict of Interest Declarations

There were no Conflict of Interest Declarations received by the Chairperson.

1B Recording of Meeting

The Chairperson advised those present that the meeting is being recorded for administrative purposes.

FAC 2 APOLOGIES

2A Apologies of Committee Members

There were no Apologies of Committee Members.

FAC 3 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

3A Finance & Administration Committee Meeting held on Monday 17 March 2014 at 6.11pm (DOC14/21096)

Cr Thurley Moved, Cr Gould Seconded That the Committee recommends to Council that the Minutes of the Finance & Administration Committee Meeting held on Monday 17 March 2014, at 6.11pm, be adopted. CARRIED

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FAC 4 MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES

There were no Matters Arising from Previous Minutes.

FAC 5 REPORTS/MINUTES OF COMMITTEES AND WORKING PARTIES

There were no Reports/Minutes of Committees & Working Parties.

FAC 6 OFFICERS REPORTS FOR CONSIDERATION

6A Revised Draft Use of Council Seal Policy (DOC14/26427)

Cr Mack Moved, Cr Thurley Seconded That the Committee recommends to Council that Council:

c. adopt the revised draft Use of Council Seal Policy; and; d. update the AlburyCity Public Policy Register with the revised Policy. CARRIED

FAC 7 OFFICERS REPORTS FOR NOTING

7A Investment Balances for Month of March 2014 (DOC14/17287)

Cr Thurley Moved, Cr Gould Seconded The Committee recommends to Council that Council receive; note and accept the Investment Balances for the Month of March 2014. CARRIED FAC 8 DELEGATES REPORTS FOR NOTING

There were no Delegates Reports for Noting.

FAC 9 NOTICE OF URGENT BUSINESS

There was no Notice of Urgent Business.

Meeting closed at 6.46pm.

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CM 7 – NOTICE OF MOTION

Cr Darren Cameron to move the following Notice of Motion:

That Council resolves that the General Manager will ensure a report on the options to install CCTV in Dean Street, including options on internet based cameras is brought to the May meeting of Council.

Signed Cr Darren Cameron

23 April 2014

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CM 8 – REPORTS/MINUTES OF COMMITTEES & WORKING PARTIES

Enclosed are the Minutes and Recommendations of the following Committees & Working Parties:

A. Minutes of the Sports Albury Advisory Committee held on Wednesday 19 February 2014 at 7.00pm.

Recommendation

That the Minutes/Recommendations of the following Committees and Working Parties be received and noted:

A. Minutes of the Sports Albury Advisory Committee held on Wednesday 19 February 2014 at 7.00pm.

Note

The Minutes of Advisory Committees and Working Parties may come to Council for noting prior to the adoption of the Minutes by the relevant Committee or Working Party. This is to ensure timely information to the Council. Should an Advisory Committee or Working Party subsequently agree that the Minutes should be changed, this will be noted in the next set of Minutes.

15 April 2014

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8A Minutes of the Sports Albury Advisory Committee held on Wednesday 19 February 2014 at 7.00pm (DOC14/16220)

Present Cr Henk van de Ven (Chairperson), (Community Representative), Ken Wurtz (Community Representative), Merryn Deslandes (Wodonga City Council), Adrian Fury (Local Schools) and Eric Brooks (NSW Sport and Recreation).

Staff David Armstrong, Brad Gill and Annie Elliott.

Apologies Peter Lee, Peter Elias, Joan Landy, Grant Ball, Terry Simmonds and James Jenkins.

SAAC 1 APOLOGIES

Adrian Fury Moved, Ken Wurtz Seconded That the apologies of Peter Lee, Peter Elias, Joan Landy, Grant Ball, Terry Simmonds and James Jenkins be received, noted and accepted. CARRIED

SAAC 2 MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

Ken Wurtz Moved, Cr Henk van de Ven Seconded That the minutes of the Sports Albury Meeting held on Wednesday 20 November 2013 be adopted. CARRIED

SAAC 3 BUSINESS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MINUTES

Member Protection Information Officer (MPIO) Workshop Eric advised NSW Sport and Recreation will work with AlburyCity to schedule the training session, following the last one being cancelled.

SAAC 4 FUNDING FOR INDIVIDUAL ATHLETES

AlburyCity staff presented details on how other Local Government authorities deal with requests for funding assistance from individual athletes participating in representative teams. The committee discussed that it would be beneficial to develop a possible model for consideration at the next Sports Albury meeting in August. The committee could then decide whether to make a recommendation to Council.

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SAAC 5 REGULAR UPDATES

Major Projects

Updates were provided on a range of projects including:

 Glen Park – Drainage, grass, additional space and fencing.  Melrose Park, Alexandra Park, Thurgoona Oval – Sports field lighting.  Urana Road Oval Netball Courts  Thurgoona Community Centre – Fill in of pool and other works.  Mungabareena Reserve Boat Ramp  Wonga Wetlands Trail  Nail Can Hill - Signage.  Lavington Sports Ground – Deck and Bunnings Shed.

Wodonga City Council

Merryn provided an update on the following projects in the Wodonga Local Government Area:

 Stock Bridge – Wodonga Creek.  Willow Park – Irrigation and renovation.  Wodonga Tennis Centre – Plexicushion surface and lighting.  White Box Rise new Scout building.  Willow Park - Skate Park extension.  Latrobe – Infrastructure plans (Premier League use).  Tracks for mountain bikers.  Wodonga Raiders Grant Application for new netball court.  Sports and Leisure Centre Upgrades.  Waves Stage 2.  Baranduda Fields.

Events

A calendar containing upcoming sporting events in the region was distributed to all committee members.

NSW Sport and Recreation

Eric discussed the following:

 The next round of Facility Grants will be released early March.  Last round of Grants will be announced soon.

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SAAC 6 ALBURYCITY SPORT AND RECREATION GRANTS

The Second Round of the AlburyCity Sport and Recreation Grants will be released in a couple of weeks.

AlburyCity staff informed the Committee the current projects have been progressing. AlburyCity Staff to provide an update of all projects at all future meetings.

SAAC 7 GENERAL BUSINESS

The Sports Albury Advisory Committee continued the meeting thinking GB 1 other members were going to show up. The meeting therefore did not have a quorum. Minutes to be approved at next meeting.

SAAC 8 NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be held Wednesday 21 May 2014.

Meeting closed at 8:07pm.

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CM 9 – DOCUMENTS FOR SEALING

Recommendation

That Council authorises its Seal to be affixed to the documents outlined below, in the presence of two signatories authorised to affix the Seal pursuant to Regulation 400 of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2005 and the Use of the Council Seal Policy:

A. Surrender of Lease, AlburyCity to Albury-Wodonga Equestrian Association Incorporated.

22 April 2014

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OFFICERS REPORTS FOR CONSIDERATION

1. Disclosure of Political Donations

Section 375A of the Local Government Act 1993, requires the General Manager to keep a register containing each planning decision made at a Council or Committee meeting, and the names of any Councillors who supported the decision and those who opposed the decision.

To maintain the register, a division is required to be called whenever a planning decision is put at a Council or Committee meeting, including meetings closed to the public.

Anyone lodging a Development Application or anyone making a submission or commenting on a Development Application will need to publicly disclose donations greater than $1000 made to a local councillor, political party or employee of Council.

The disclosure requirements apply at the time the application is lodged with a Council or the NSW government, and also apply to individuals or entities lodging submissions in objection or support of the proposal. All disclosures will be publicly available.

2. Requirements of the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979

In dealing with Development Applications, Councillors need to take into account specific matters contained in the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979.

Accordingly, the provisions of Section 79C(1) of that Act are set out hereunder, which can be used by Councillors as a reference guide of issues to be considered.

79C Evaluation (1) Matters for consideration – general In determining a development application, a consent authority is to take into consideration such of the following matters as are of relevance to the development the subject of the development application: (a) the provisions of: (i) any environmental planning instrument, and (ii) any proposed instrument that is or has been the subject of public consultation under this Act and that has been notified to the consent authority (unless the Director-General has notified the consent authority that the making of the proposed instrument has been deferred indefinitely or has not been approved), and (iii) any development control plan, and (iiia) any planning agreement that has been entered into under section 93F, or any draft planning agreement that a developer has offered to enter into under section 93F, and (iv) the regulations (to the extent that they prescribe matters for the purposes of this paragraph), and (v) any coastal zone management plan… (b) the likely impacts of that development, including environmental impacts on both the natural and built environments, and social and economic impacts in the locality, (c) the suitability of the site for the development, (d) any submissions made in accordance with this Act or the regulations, (e) the public interest.

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CM 10 – OFFICERS REPORTS FOR CONSIDERATION

10A Community & Recreation – Cultural Services Financial Assistance Program 2014- 2015 (DOC14/30891)

DATE 20 April 2014

CONFIDENTIAL YES NO  If yes please tick one of the following reasons Personnel Matters Commercial Legal Security Personal Hardship

ITEM FOR DECISION  ITEM FOR NOTING Meeting Date Monday 28 April 2014 Meeting Date

FURTHER ENQUIRIES TO Jacqui Hemsley PHONE 6023 8154 Community & Recreation

Purpose

To provide an overview of funding requests to Council‟s Cultural Services Financial Assistance program and provide recommendations for Council‟s consideration for incorporation into the 2014/15 budget.

Background

The Cultural Services Financial Assistance Program allows AlburyCity to play a role in maintaining and growing a strong, creative and sustainable cultural sector within our community. As AlburyCity continues to invest in our cultural infrastructure it can be seen as important that the reputation of the region as one of the strongest regional cultural sectors is maintained to ensure our future cultural tourism initiatives have resonance on a national scale.

AlburyCity‟s provision of funding to these organisations plays an important role in allowing these institutions to secure additional state and federal funding for their programs. This can be seen as a return for our investment.

In 2013-2014 Council supported through a donation of cash and rate subsidy $100,388 (GST exclusive), six cultural institutions located within Albury to deliver cultural programming, performances, workshops and entertainment for the citizens of the region.

These institutions had been recipients of AlburyCity donations for at least the past five financial years. They include the Albury Wodonga Eisteddfod, Murray Arts, The Flying Fruit Fly Circus (FFFC), Murray Conservatorium, Albury City Band and HotHouse Theatre.

Since 2006, AlburyCity has initiated a Service Agreement arrangement with these cultural institutions that outlined a series of generic conditions in relation to their donations, as well as specific actions particular to each institution.

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For 2014-2015, the strategic direction outlined in the Albury Cultural Plan is to undertake extensive audience development and community consultation programs and incorporate cultural tourism and economic sustainability as a key focus industry wide across the next four years. Identified deliverables by the cultural institutions that receive donations from Council also reflect our strategic direction and are included within Service Agreements.

Issues

This coming financial year three of the organisations supported by Council have asked for an increase in support, they are the Murray Conservatorium ($15,000), FFFC ($10,000) and the Eisteddfod ($5,000). In addition the Albury Wodonga Theatre Company have requested $45,654. The total donations requested for 2014/2015 being $186,042. This is 85% or $85,654 more than last year‟s donations.

Whilst Council has Service Agreements with all the institutions, they have various KPI‟s and accountabilities depending on the industry.

1. Albury Wodonga Eisteddfod (AWE)

The AWE is one of the most successful Eisteddfods in NSW with an annual participation of over 4,000 within music, dance, theatre and debating.

For 2014-2015 the AWE has requested an increase of $5,000 above the $25,000 which are historically utilised to offset AEC venue hire charges which are applied at the community rate.

In 2014, the AWE did not make a profit as compared to previous years as a result of fewer entries, investment into new technology and smaller sessions. For next year, the committee will be increasing entry fees, adding a fee for the programmes and broadening the marketing to further afield. These actions as well as an improved sponsorship drive will stabilise their operating position.

The Eisteddfod provides young people of the Albury Wodonga region and from afar, an opportunity to better their skills in the cultural field. The AWE adds diversity to the range of activities available in this area for our emerging talent.

2. Murray Arts

Murray Arts is an independent regional cultural development organisation that receives no other financial support through AlburyCity. The main proportion of funding for the organisation comes through an annual contribution from the LGAs that it services and ArtsNSW.

Murray Arts will be entering the final year of triennial funding agreement with AlburyCity and has requested for 2014-2015 $28,325 (excluding GST)

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This amount requested aligns with the Murray Arts 2013 – 2015 Business Plan and is also linked with the 2012 – 2016 Cultural Plan.

3. The Flying Fruit Fly Circus (FFFC)

The Flying Fruit Fly Circus is housed in an AlburyCity building and has received a $10,000 grant, either made up of direct cash sponsorship or a mix of rate subsidy and cash for the past five years. This year, the FFFC has requested a 100% increase from 2013-2014 to $20,000 ($10,000 for Borderville Festival above current support package of $10,000).

In 2012 FFFC was realigned with other community organisations in Council buildings and had the ordinary rates paid for by Council which equated to a net benefit to the FFFC of $8,100 in the 2012-2013 financial year. The remaining $1,900 plus GST cash was then debited as a direct subsidy.

The FFFC also works closely with AlburyCity staff where joint funding is achieved for projects such as the Indigenous Circus Program, major events and Bundyi Festival. The FFFC also provides Albury Wodonga with a national and international profile in the entertainment and circus industries.

In addition, AlburyCity will actively support in kind the Marketing Plan for Borderville Festival scheduled for later this year.

Outside AlburyCity financial support, FFFC offsets expenses with funding from the Federal Government (Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts) and the Australia Council for the Arts, ArtsNSW, Arts Victoria, NSW Trade and Investment, Wodonga Council and local sponsorship. In March 2013, the FFFC were successful in receiving an addition $2.122M over the next four years in Federal Arts funding.

The proposed package for 2014-2015 will be the rates and a cash amount of $500.

4. Murray Conservatorium

In 2013-2014 the Murray Conservatorium received $10,000 direct cash support from Council.

Outside AlburyCity financial support, the Murray Conservatorium offsets expenses primarily from tuition fees, Department of Education and Training annual funding and CSU subsidies.

For 2014-2015, the Murray Conservatorium has requested an additional $15,000, a total request of $25 000, to deliver additional programs to the local community that would otherwise be impossible. The additional funds will be used to form a stronger partnership with the Evocities program and to employ a Concerts and Events Coordinator.

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5. HotHouse Theatre

HotHouse Theatre has continued to be a major contributor to the presentation and development of national theatre and theatre craft in Australia. In the last 12 months HotHouse significantly increased their subscription and ticket sales, making it one of the most successful years at the box office.

Outside AlburyCity financial support, Hothouse Theatre offsets expenses with ticket sales, Australia Council for the Arts, ArtsNSW, Arts Victoria and Wodonga Council annual subsidy.

HotHouse Theatre has requested that their funding be maintained at $25,000 as with previous years in alignment with their new Business Plan.

6. Albury City Band

The AlburyCity Band is an incorporated volunteer organisation that has been supported to the value of $10,000 year for the past seven years. The band is located in a purpose built building located at the Albury Depot and is Council‟s choice for formal music requirements, Carols by Candlelight and other community events.

Outside AlburyCity financial support, the Albury Band offsets expenses with rental and investment income, which included the Ryth White Bequest last financial year.

The Albury City Band highlighted in their presentation that they are currently undertaking a strategic planning process and are interested in feedback from AlburyCity. One of their aims is to achieve new uniforms by their anniversary in 2017.

7. Albury Wodonga Theatre Company (AWTCo)

AlburyCity has recently been approached by AWTCo to assist their organisation with the purchase of the former Slovenian Club in South Albury as a home for the Theatre Company.

The Theatre Company has been seeking a home base for a number of years. A recent option for the organisation was West Albury Hall. AlburyCity funded business planning for this concept in 2008-2009, however their project did not proceed.

With the opportunity to purchase the former Slovenian Club AWTCo believes the retention of the club buildings will be a valuable community asset.

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The current requests to be considered for the 2014-2015 budget are as follows:

1. The waiving of rates at the property for the duration of the loan (currently $6,000 per annum) 2. All or part financial contribution toward concreting the floor of the existing shed to the value of $40,000.

Options

There are a number of options to Council in the allocation of Cultural donations for 2013/2014.

1. No Increase

Based on the increased demands/pressures on Council budget from a variety of sources, including cultural institutions and other sponsored bodies, and the level of budget rigour required to achieve a balanced budget, that the 2013/2014 funding level be maintained in 2014/2015 for all the groups.

2. Provide no increase to the traditionally funded organisations, but accept Albury Wodonga Theatre Company request for a one off grant due to the significant nature of their proposed capital investment in infrastructure

This is a significant opportunity for this very successful theatre company to achieve a home base in Albury. A capital contribution from Council would support their initiative and assist in the long term in ensuring the sustainability of the organisation. A part contribution of $8,000 would assist in making a part of their proposed new facility more usable for their activities.

3. CPI Increase

Allocate a standard CPI allocation increase for each organisation currently registered for 2014/2015.

The justification being that since 2007, there has not been any consideration by Council on including CPI to offset the annual increases in expenses these organisations have incurred.

4. Grant All Donation Requests

Fund all requests to the value of $186,042 for 2014/2015 with a $85,654 (85%) increase from the 2013-2014 budget.

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Proposed Financial Cultural Donations Summary 2014 - 2015

2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-2015 Actual Actual Actual Actual Actual Actual Actual Recommended Murray Arts $24,000 $24,000 $24,000 $26,500 $27,500 $27,500 $28,325 $28,325 The Flying Fruit Fly Circus $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $1,900# 0 * $500 # Murray Conservatorium $10,000 $10,000 $45,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 HotHouse Theatre $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 Albury City Band $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 Albury Wodonga $22,000 $20,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 $25,000 Eisteddfod Albury Wodonga Theatre $10,000 $8,000 Company $100,38 $101,000 $109,000 $139,000 $106,500 $99,400 $99,400 $106,825 8+ # This is the cash donation but does not show the rate payment made for the facility as per the lease agreement, bringing the value of the donation to $10k. * Invoice has not been received for 2013-2014 as at April 2014. + The total anticipates receipt of Invoice from FFFC.

Risk

 Business Risk

Council supports cultural organisations to sustain creative business, provide creative opportunities for its citizens and ensure that Albury is an exciting and contemporary city that offers everything that you can get in a large metropolitan city.

Council‟s role is to offer financial as well as, and if not more importantly, professional advice, strategic support and opportunities to these organisations so as they can best service the community.

The business risk currently faced by Council is that without consistency in funding which avoids large increases in funding, Council cannot maintain its own budgetary process.

 Corporate Risk

Supporting local cultural organisations is important for Council‟s positive community/cultural image. At the same time, Council‟s image as a transparent and financially responsible organisation is also of high importance.

Further consultation and research with all the organisations will assist in providing future guidance on funding of these organisations.

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 OHS and Public Risk

There is minimal OHS and Public Risk.

Conclusion

Council has been supportive over many years ensuring the success of local cultural organisations in providing a variety of ongoing cultural programs and opportunities.

The cultural scene in Albury is growing and healthy. From the presentations and submitted reports, these organisations appear financial and well supported. Participation is strong and the breadth of activity and standard of creative performance is very high. An excellent indication of the cultural health of a community is a direct indication of the important partnership between cultural organisations and local government.

The cultural team will continue to work with the cultural organisations to sign off Service Agreements and they will also be requested to produce current financial statements, and economic/community development impact study (if known) and/or Annual Reports.

For 2014 - 2015, Council‟s direct support (cash and rate payment) for cultural organisations in Albury will be $116,388, supporting seven professional and non-professional organisations for a variety of different focuses and levels. The ongoing budgetary pressure from cultural, community and business organisations along with continuing cost pressures on the budget make the granting of any increases in funding difficult to achieve whilst providing consistency and equity across all the groups.

It is considered that this report and proposed donations schedule provides a comprehensive allocation of funds to equip our cultural partners properly to ensure Council can meet its Albury 2030 community expectations.

Recommendation

That Council provide the following donations in the 2014-2015 Operational Plan: a. $28,325 to Murray Arts; b. $500 cash and rates payment to the Flying Fruit Fly Circus; c. $10,000 to the Murray Conservatorium; d. $25,000 per annum to HotHouse Theatre; e. $10,000 to the Albury City Band; f. $25,000 to the Albury Wodonga Eisteddfod; and g. $8,000 to the Albury Wodonga Theatre Company.

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10B Community Fund Request – Greenfield Park and Haydon Park Improvements (DOC14/29182)

DATE 14 April 2014

CONFIDENTIAL YES NO  If yes please tick one of the following reasons Personnel Matters Commercial Legal Security Personal Hardship

ITEM FOR DECISION  ITEM FOR NOTING Meeting Date Monday 28 April 2014 Meeting Date

FURTHER ENQUIRIES TO David Armstrong PHONE 6023 8706 Community and Recreation

Purpose

In 2012-2013 Council approved $110,492 from the Community Fund to the Albury Thunder Rugby League Football Club for upgrading the electricity at Greenfield Park. The upgrade was essential for the future projects to proceed. This power upgrade project was completed in 2013.

The Club is seeking a further $150k from the Community Fund ($50k cash and $100k interest free loan) to upgrade the sportsfield lighting at Greenfield Park (200 lux) and Haydon Park (training purposes). Funding is split over two financial years with the first allocation of $75k was approved in 2013-2014. This report provides details of the second request for funding of $75k from the Community Fund in 2014-2015.

Background

Greenfield Park is located on the corner of North and Alma Street and is home of the Albury Thunder Rugby League Football Club (ATRLFC). The Club has completed a number of recent improvements at Greenfield Park through cash and in kind contribution. Projects include keeper‟s box ($25k), new ticket box ($3k) and electronic scoreboard ($73k). The Club has also undertaken a concept design process for a new grandstand ($7k).

The sportsfield is accessible to the general public all year round except for game days and due to the close proximity has significant school use. Council in partnership with the ATRLFC continue to improve infrastructure to develop the site into a ground that can cater for rectangular field sports where expected crowds are less than 5000 people.

The ATRLFC has been successful in attracting NSW Cup Games for the City (NFL reserve grade competition games). These games will be held at Greenfield Park. Amongst the requirements for the games to occur is the capacity for the sportsfield lighting to meet Australian Standards for 200 lux and a high quality playing surface.

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The initial assessment of the Greenfield Park has determined that the playing surface is being over used and deteriorates as the season progresses. Alternative training venues have been discussed with the Club. It has agreed to distribute some training to other sports fields (Haydon Park is the short term option). The sports field lighting at Haydon Park is minimal and funds will be allocated to upgrade these lights.

The ATRLFC views the establishment of Haydon Park as a training ground an opportunity to grow the game in West Albury. Having a presence at the ground will give the young people in the area, who don‟t have access to transport, the opportunity to participate in Rugby League.

The Club is experiencing extreme growth in participation. Currently Council staff, in conjunction with Country Rugby League, are drafting a review strategy which will assist in planning for anticipated growth at all levels of the sport. The project is to involve the installation of lighting at Greenfield and Haydon Parks.

During 2013-2014 a lighting design was completed for Greenfield Park (refer attachment 1) and investigations of Haydon Park are well advanced. The second instalment of funds will allow installation of the lighting upgrade projects at both the sites. The costings are based on estimates.

ATRLFC will manage the project, whilst Council staff will confirm the scope and provide oversight for the project.

Issues

 Council has approved funding in 2013-2014 and the second instalment of $75k is required to undertake the identified works. Not allocating the funds will limit the works.  The Club has electrical contractors in the Club who will undertake the works

Albury 2030

Themes, outcomes and strategic actions identified in Albury 2030 that are relevant to the Albury Thunder Rugby League Football Club include:

Theme - A Growing Economy

Outcome 1.2 Improve Visitor and Residents’ Experiences 1.2.6 Encourage innovative and modern design for the built environment

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Theme - A Caring Community

Outcome 3.3 The Health of the Albury Community Improves 3.3.6 Provide support to the community to increase positive outcomes

Outcome 3.4 Albury Officer a diverse range of facilities and activities for all ages

3.4.1 Improve access for all – in relation to transportation, civic buildings, community facilities and parks 3.4.3 Promote and encourage healthy lifestyles through development and efficient use of infrastructure. 3.4.7 Provide high quality open space – to support a growing population – through Open Space Master Plan.

Options

1. Approve the second allocation of $75k from the Community Fund for the upgrade of lighting at Greenfield Park and Haydon Park; OR 2. Not approve the second allocation of funds to the project and reduce the scope of works.

Conclusion

Albury Thunder Rugby League Football Club has been proactive in contributing over $100K (cash and in-kind) to improving infrastructure at Greenfield Park. Two years of funding ($75k each year) was allocated in 2013-2014 budget to improve lighting at Greenfield Park and Haydon Park. The 2013- 2014 allocation was approved while this report requests the second allocation of $75k. If approved, this will bring the total allocation over the two years to $150K which will be in the form of $50k cash and $100k as an interest free loan.

Recommendation

That Council provide AlburyCity Community Fund Donation of $75,000 from the 2014-15 budget to the lighting improvements projects at Greenfield Park and Haydon Park.

 Attachment 1. Greenfield Park – Lighting Design.

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10C Community Fund Request - Urana Road Oval Master Plan Sports Pavilion Project (DOC14/29245)

DATE 14 April 2014

CONFIDENTIAL YES NO  If yes please tick one of the following reasons Personnel Matters Commercial Legal Security Personal Hardship

ITEM FOR DECISION  ITEM FOR NOTING Meeting Date Monday 28 April 2014 Meeting Date

FURTHER ENQUIRIES TO James Jenkins PHONE 6023 8145 Community and Recreation

Purpose

The New City Cricket Club and the Murray Magpies Football and Netball Club have submitted a proposal to construct the main sports pavilion at the Urana Road Oval. The proposal (Attachment 1) outlines the funding strategy for the $1.36M project. The $1.36M project cost is based on a detailed cost estimate provided by Premier Building Construction (PBC) in 2014. The funding strategy includes:

 $150K – 10 year interest free loans ($100K Murray Magpies and $50K New City Cricket Club.  $600K – cash over 2 financial years.  $383.4K – in kind contribution ($191.7 each user group).  $227.9K – grants and association contributions.

For the purposes of the Community Fund budget the $150k has been split over year 1 & 2. The seed funding demonstrates Councils commitment to the project and will provide leverage for the user groups to approach leading sports associations seeking contributions and apply for grant funding. The two allocations of $300K are proposed for inclusion in year 2 and 3.

Background

The Urana Road Oval Master Plan was endorsed by Council in 2009 (refer Attachment 2). Since this time Council and the user groups have contributed to improvements to the site. Projects include:

 erection of perimeter fence;  installation of cricket nets and curators compound;  upgrade of cricket wicket;  upgrade of tennis court playing surfaces;  relocation of playground; and  construction of two new netball courts (2013-2014 budget)

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Concept designs for the sports pavilion were developed with a previous contribution through AlburyCity‟s Community Fund. Detailed engineering designs were completed in 2012 refer (Attachment 3). The building is designed to AFL preferred facility guidelines and addresses a number of deficiencies at the site including female change rooms for umpires and disabled toilet facilities.

Staff have commenced the development consent process for the project which includes the demolition of a number of small buildings and the construction of the new sports pavilion.

Issues

 No grant funding has been secured for the project however letters of support are included in the proposal from AFL NSW ACT, Cricket NSW and Cricket Albury Wodonga. Council‟s financial commitment to the project provides opportunities to explore external funding for the project. Council staff would continue to work with the Clubs to identify and seek grant funding and other sponsorship for the project.  A construction agreement will be required for the user groups to manage the construction phase. It is likely that the construction agreement would be with the New City Cricket Club who can ensure that their major sponsor can deliver this construction project. The significant in kind contribution can only be achieved if the project is managed by the user groups.  There are land parcel issues which may restrict the construction of the building in one stage. A proposal has been submitted to the Department of Trade and Investment Crown Lands that would address this issue. In principle agreement has been received however a formal response from Crown Lands has yet to be received. It is expected as part of the Development Application process a condition of consent would be consolidation of parcels  Councils Asset Management Plan for buildings identifies the upgrade of the change room building at Urana Road Oval as one of the top three priorities for change room upgrades.  Council‟s Special Variation to Rates funds are available for change room, public toilets and kiosk upgrades with $2M allocated in the budget over a number of years. Some of these funds have been allocated to the asset replacement portion of the project ($600K).  The project could be constructed in two stages with the community room canteen, bar, coaches boxes and timekeepers areas being stage 1 (estimated cost $600K). While stage two or the public amenities component could be constructed by Council in future years (estimated cost $800K). A staged approach does not immediately address the substandard facilities however provides the community space for the Clubs to generate income. A staged approach would also be a less efficient project construction plan.  It would be proposed to have licence agreements with Murray Magpies Football and Netball Club and New City Cricket Club for the use of the building. The building would also be available for use by other user groups and community use.  Not achieving grant/sponsorship targets is a risk to the project. Having funding across three financial years increases the time in acquiring these additional funds.  The Clubs have the capacity to deliver the project through connections with sponsors and appropriately qualified trades people within the Clubs.  Cost overruns for the project are a risk. This will be managed through the continued communication of project status and budget throughout the construction phase. It is also mitigated by the proposed construction agreement mentioned earlier.

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Albury 2030

Themes, outcomes and strategic actions identified in Albury 2030 that are relevant to the New City Cricket Club and the Murray Magpies Football and Netball Club include:

Theme - A Growing Economy

Outcome 1.2 Improve Visitor and Residents’ Experiences 1.2.6 Encourage innovative and modern design for the built environment

Theme - A Caring Community

Outcome 3.3 The Health of the Albury Community Improves 3.3.6 Provide support to the community to increase positive outcomes

Outcome 3.4 Albury Officer a diverse range of facilities and activities for all ages. 3.4.1 Improve access for all – in relation to transportation, civic buildings, community facilities and parks 3.4.3 Promote and encourage healthy lifestyles through development and efficient use of infrastructure. 3.4.7 Provide high quality open space – to support a growing population – through Open Space Master Plan

Options

1. Approve the funding strategy as presented and include into AlburyCity Community Fund four year delivery program ; or 2. Not approve the funding strategy as presented and make alteration and include into AlburyCity Community Fund four year delivery program; or 3. Not approve the project.

Conclusion

The Urana Road Oval Master Plan was endorsed in 2009. Since this time a number of improvements have been undertaken at the facility through council and user group contributions. Urana Road Oval change room upgrade has been listed as a high priority in the building asset management plan and the user groups have identified the community room and canteen facilities (income generation portions of the building) a high priority.

The New City Cricket Club and the Murray Magpies Football and Netball Club formed a working group and developed a proposal and funding strategy for the Urana Road Oval sports pavilion construction project. The groups are seeking $150K in 10 year interest free loans (New City Cricket Club $50K and Murray Magpies FNC $100K) and $600K cash (over two financial years) while the remaining funds sought through grants and sponsorship.

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Recommendation

That Council: a. provide AlburyCity Community Funds of $150,000 to the Urana Road Oval Sports Pavilion project over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 budgets ($75,000 each year). b. funding is to be allocated as 10 year interest free loans in the following manner:

1. Murray Magpies Football and Netball Club - $100,000. 2. New City Cricket Club - $50,000.

 Attachments 1. New City Cricket Club and Murray Magpies Football and Netball Club Facility Upgrade Proposal. 2. Urana Road Oval Master Plan. 3. Urana Road Oval Sports Pavilion Designs.

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10D Community Fund Request - Alexandra Park (Murrayfield) Enclosed Spectator Area (DOC14/29236)

DATE 14 April 2014

CONFIDENTIAL YES NO  If yes please tick one of the following reasons Personnel Matters Commercial Legal Security Personal Hardship

ITEM FOR DECISION  ITEM FOR NOTING Meeting Date Monday 28 April 2014 Meeting Date

FURTHER ENQUIRIES TO David Armstrong PHONE 6023 8706 Community and Recreation

Purpose

The Albury Wodonga Rugby Union Football Club (The Steamers) and the East Albury Cricket Club have submitted a joint proposal to modify the existing open shelter at Alexandra Park (Murrayfield) to an enclosed spectator area with additional outdoor verandah area. The proposal (refer attachment 1) outlines a funding strategy (Attachment 2) for the $114,955 required for the project. The user groups are seeking $34,815 (or 39% of the project cost) from the Community Fund.

Background

The Alexandra Park Master Plan was endorsed by Council in 2007. The master plan identifies the retention of the shelter. At present during the extreme temperatures in winter and summer as well as solar radiation can be a deterrent to attending sporting events. The proposed enclosed spectator shelter will provide protection for the spectators and officials.

The user groups have developed the plan and documentation for the project which is ready to seek Land Owners Consent from NSW Trade and Investment prior to commencing the development application process. Initially the project was to be constructed in two stages with stage one funding secured with assistance from Sports Albury Grant of $10K in 2013. The clubs are seeking additional funds to complete the project in one stage. The proposed funding strategy involves:

 $20,000 – Club‟s cash contribution  $50,140 – in kind contribution  $10,000 – Sports Albury Grant Funds  $34,815 – Community Fund cash contribution

The User Groups are proposing to contribute 61% of the project cost and are proposing to project manage the construction phase.

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Issues

 The group has already received $10k funding for stage one. There are cost benefits in constructing the project in one stage and less disruption to user groups.  The Clubs have members with construction project management skills and trades people to undertake the works.

Albury 2030

Themes, outcomes and strategic actions identified in Albury 2030 that are relevant to the Albury Wodonga Rugby Union Football Club (The Steamers) and the East Albury Cricket Club have include:

Theme - A Growing Economy

Outcome 1.2 Improve Visitor and Residents’ Experiences 1.2.6 Encourage innovative and modern design for the built environment

Theme - A Caring Community

Outcome 3.3 The Health of the Albury Community Improves 3.3.6 Provide support to the community to increase positive outcomes

Outcome 3.4 Albury Officer a diverse range of facilities and activities for all ages. 3.4.1 Improve access for all – in relation to transportation, civic buildings, community facilities and parks 3.4.3 Promote and encourage healthy lifestyles through development and efficient use of infrastructure. 3.4.7 Provide high quality open space – to support a growing population – through Open Space Master Plan

Options

1. Endorse the project and project funding strategy and allocate $34,815 from the Community Fund to the project; or 2. Not approve the project and do not allocate funds to the project.

Conclusion

The Albury Wodonga Rugby Union Football Club and the East Albury Cricket Club have developed a partnership to modify the shelter at Alexandra Park (Murrayfield) to an enclosed spectator area for spectators and officials. The project was initially programmed to be completed in two stages and were successful in obtaining $10,000 through the Sports Albury Grants program for stage one.

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The user groups are seeking $34,815 from the community fund to add to the $10,000 already allocated through Sports Albury Grants (for stage 1). This will allow the $114,955 project to be completed in one stage. The user groups will project managed the construction phase and will fund the balance of the project cost (61%) through cash and in kind contribution.

Recommendation

That Council provide AlburyCity Community Fund Donation of $34,815 from the 2014-2015 budget to the enclosed spectator area at Alexandra Park (Murrayfield).

 Attachments 1. Albury Wodonga Rugby Union and East Albury Cricket Club Letter Seeking Contribution. 2. Funding Strategy. 3. Enclosed Spectator Area Designs.

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10E Community Fund Request – Albury Sports Ground – Umpires Room Upgrade (DOC14/29105)

DATE 14 April 2014

CONFIDENTIAL YES NO  If yes please tick one of the following reasons Personnel Matters Commercial Legal Security Personal Hardship

ITEM FOR DECISION  ITEM FOR NOTING Meeting Date Monday 28 April 2014 Meeting Date

FURTHER ENQUIRIES TO David Armstrong PHONE 6023 8706 Community and Recreation

Purpose

Albury Tigers Football and Netball Club is seeking funding to upgrade umpires room at the Albury Sports Ground. The upgraded facility will allow separate changing and showering facilities for both male and female umpires. The total project cost is $108k with the demountable structure being donated by the Joss Group ($70K) and the Club contributing $30K through cash and in-kind to the project. The Club is seeking $8K top up funds from the community fund to complete the project. Attachment 1 outlines the request received from the Club.

Background

The Albury Sports Ground is leased to the Albury Tigers Football and Netball Club. Over recent years the Club have undertaken significant improvements to infrastructure at the ground with minimal financial contribution from Council. Project works have included numerous building improvements, upgrade of fencing (perimeter and ground), ground improvements, new goal posts and irrigation upgrade.

The next priority project for the Club is upgrading the umpires change facilities. Attachment 2 provides plans for the upgraded facility. The designs have been developed to complement the existing buildings at the site. The club has, over the last five years, applied for grant funding for this project from AFL (NSW/ACT), VCFL and the NSW Government however no application has been successful.

The provision of umpires change rooms is critical to successful sporting codes, in particular there is a growing need to provide female change rooms to cater for all sports.

Issues

 Development Approval has been completed for the project.

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Albury 2030

Themes, outcomes and strategic actions identified in Albury 2030 that are relevant to the Albury Tigers Football and Netball Club include:

Theme - A Growing Economy

Outcome 1.2 Improve Visitor and Residents’ Experiences 1.2.6 Encourage innovative and modern design for the built environment

Theme - A Caring Community

Outcome 3.3 The Health of the Albury Community Improves 3.3.6 Provide support to the community to increase positive outcomes

Outcome 3.4 Albury Officer a diverse range of facilities and activities for all ages. 3.4.1 Improve access for all – in relation to transportation, civic buildings, community facilities and parks 3.4.3 Promote and encourage healthy lifestyles through development and efficient use of infrastructure. 3.4.7 Provide high quality open space – to support a growing population – through Open Space Master Plan

Options

1. Approve the allocation of $8k to the Albury Football and Netball Club for the upgrade of the umpires facilities at the Albury Sports Ground; OR 2. Not approve the allocation of funds to the project and continue to work with the Club on seeking grant funding.

Conclusion

Albury Tigers Football and Netball Club have undertaken significant improvements to the Albury Sports Ground over recent times. The next priority project is the upgrade of the umpire‟s facilities at the Ground. The Club is seeking an $8K contribution from the Community fund to complete the $108K upgrade project.

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Recommendation

That Council provide AlburyCity Community Fund Donation of $8,000 from the 2014-15 budget to the upgrade of umpires facilities at the Albury Sports Ground.

 Attachments 1. Letter from the Albury Tigers Football and Netball Club. 2. Albury Sports Ground Umpires Room Building Designs.

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10F Community Funding - Splitters Creek Rural Fire Service – Request for Additional Standpipe (DOC14/26650)

DATE 7 April 2014

CONFIDENTIAL YES NO  If yes please tick one of the following reasons Personnel Matters Commercial Legal Security Personal Hardship

ITEM FOR DECISION  ITEM FOR NOTING Meeting Date Monday 28 April 2014 Meeting Date

FURTHER ENQUIRIES TO Brad Ferris PHONE 6023 8233 Engineering

Purpose of Report

For Council to consider the inclusion of a funding request from the Splitters Creek Rural Fire Brigade as part of determining the 2014-2015 Community Fund allocations.

Background

Splitters Creek Rural Fire Brigade (SCRFB) is a team of volunteers that are committed to preparing and protecting their area in the event of fire. This region is rural/semi-rural with significant natural areas. Therefore the risks associated with a bushfire are relatively high.

The provision for fire fighting services is a State Government responsibility, with AlburyCity contributing (to the State Government) in excess of $150K per annum towards operations. Additionally, Council provides in kind support where possible to assist the local brigades and in recent times Council has contributed to the Splitters Creek community with the provision of a new fire station/community hall ($300K) and the construction of a turnaround area for a nearby standpipe.

Issues

Splitters Creek Rural Fire Brigade have been consulting with Council over an extended period of time to improve fire fighting facilities within their region. An area they have identified as deficient with regard to fire fighting facilities is the eastern portion of Bretton Road.

Representatives from the SCRFB made a request for assistance through Mayor Cr Mack and Deputy Mayor Cr van de Ven and a subsequent meeting was held on site in February. The scope of the project is to prepare an off road parking bay for brigade fire trucks to enter and fill from a new standpipe in the event of a bushfire. The proposed location is at the intersection of Bretton Road and Barwonga Drive which is approximately 3kms from the nearest standpipe. The site has substantial fill requirements and will require a private water system to be extended by approximately 40 metres. Council undertook an estimate of costs associated with this project, valued at $60K.

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Following discussions with representatives from the SCRFB, the scope of the project was substantially reduced and the following responsibilities were allocated, pending Council‟s consideration of participation, as part of the allocations for the 2014-2015 Community Fund:

 SCRFB to complete final layout and revised quantity estimates for fill material;  SCRFB to provide majority of fill material and make arrangements for temporary storage;  SCRFB to undertake all plumbing works including approvals, materials and construction of the pipeline and standpipe;  Council to provide fill material where available;  Council to place and compact fill material as per the revised design;  Council to provide and place crushed rock for hardstand area; and  Council to seek all environmental approvals for the project.

The proposal above provides a partnership arrangement between Council and the community group. This is consistent with the intent of the Community Fund program where projects are jointly delivered for the benefit of the broader community. Council‟s contribution to the project is valued at up to $20K, with the in kind support of SCRFB of similar value.

Given SCRFB has limited funds or ongoing income streams it is deemed more appropriate to consider a grant, in the form of Council services, rather than provide an interest free loan or cash as Council‟s contribution.

Options

1. Allocate up to $20K from the 2014-2015 Community Fund towards the construction of a fire standpipe and associated hardstand area at the intersection of Bretton Road and Barwonga Drive; or 2. Not allocate funding towards the project.

Conclusion

Splitters Creek Rural Fire brigade is a team of dedicated volunteers that wish to pursue a project to improve fire fighting facilities for the Splitters Creek area. The scope of the project is primarily the installation of a fire standpipe at the intersection of Bretton Road and Barwonga Drive and a hardstand area to allow fire trucks to pull off the roadway and refill in the event of a fire.

The proposal is a partnership structure whereby the value of in kind services provided by the Brigade is of similar scope to the requested Council services and contribution (value of up to $20K). This approach is consistent with the intent of the Community Fund and a grant, by way of Council provided services, is more appropriate than a cash donation or interest free loan.

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Recommendation

That Council provide a Community Fund donation of up to $20,000 from the 2014-2015 budget to the Splitters Creek Rural Bush Fire Brigade for the purpose of providing an additional standpipe for fire fighting purposes.

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10G Draft 2014-2015 Operational Plan, Draft 2014-2018 Four Year Delivery Program and Draft Long Term Financial Plan (DOC14/14635)

DATE 15th April 2014

CONFIDENTIAL YES NO  If yes please tick one of the following reasons Personnel Matters Commercial Legal Security Personal Hardship

ITEM FOR DECISION  ITEM FOR NOTING Meeting Date Monday 28 April 2014 Meeting Date

FURTHER ENQUIRIES TO Judy Charlton PHONE 6023 8150 Corporate Services

Purpose

This report recommends the adoption of the Draft 2014-2015 Operational Plan, Draft 2014-2018 Four Year Delivery Program and Draft Long Term Financial Plan so that they can be placed on public exhibition.

Introduction

AlburyCity develops financial plans within the framework of the integrated planning and reporting process as per Sections 403, 404 and 405 of the Local Government Act. The requirements include:

 an Annual Operational Plan,  a Four Year Delivery Program, and  a Ten Year Long Term Financial Plan (LTFP).

Albury 2030

The plans include draft projections for the immediate financial year, 2014-2015 (Operational Plan), a projection for the following three years (Four Year Delivery Program), plus a projected Long Term Financial Plan (LTFP) extending 10 years. These plans‟ activities are linked to Albury 2030, the community strategic plan and the associated resourcing strategies.

This report provides an overview of the activity and financial plans which have been structured with continuing recognition of the diversity of Albury‟s community needs.

The plans contain documents in the attachments for activities and services, Operating Results (Income Statement), Capital Results, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow, and Council Borrowings.

These components identify the financial results for the consolidated Council position and the individual General, Water and Sewer Funds.

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Operating result deficit reduction has been a priority in the development of these plans and ongoing work is required to achieve, and maintain, a sustainable surplus result across all funds.

Draft 2014-2015 Operational Plan, 2014-2018 Four Year Delivery Program and 2014-2024 LTFP

The Four Year Delivery Program Activity Statement incorporating the One Year Operational Plan Activity Statement (Attachments 1 a., 1 b. and 1 c.) provides a comprehensive overview of the activities that will be undertaken by Council to achieve the objectives of Albury 2030.

Operating Results and Income Statement

Income from continuing operations:

The Statement of Revenue Policy (Attachment 1 m.) provides the complete overview of Council‟s income from continuing operations. This includes rates, fees and charges, borrowings and sale of assets. It also includes the maps showing the location of the different rating categories.

A graphical representation summary of income for operating and capital is provided in the Four Year Delivery Program (Attachment 1 c.).

Rates

The Ordinary rates proposed by the Council for 2014-2015 contain a 2.3% increase in yield (the NSW rating peg as approved by IPART) and a notional income reduction adjustment will also be applied at $52K. This reduction is an adjustment ratified by the DLG and is generated from actual movements in categories, land values and property numbers that differ from prior budget estimates.

The history and projections of % movement outcomes for ordinary rates (as impacted by the SVR) and special rates per pegging are as follows:

Ordinary Rates Table

2011-12 SVR 2012-13 SVR 2013-14 SVR 2014-15 2015-16 -> Yr 1 Yr 2 Yr 3 Post SVR per LTFP SVR & Pegging 5.64% 5.69% 4.77% 2.80% 3.00% Productivity & Carbon adjustments 0 + 0.40% - 0.10% - 0.50% - 0.20% Net Allowable 5.64% 6.09% 4.67% 2.30% 2.80%

For the average residential property in Albury, this will mean the average residential rate for the 2014- 2015 financial year will be $1202, an increase of $24.27 on last year‟s actual average rate.

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Special Rates Table (Albury CBD Car parking special rate and Promotional special rate)

2011-12 SVR 2012-13 SVR 2013-14 SVR 2014-15 2015-16 -> Yr 1 Yr 2 Yr 3 Post SVR per LTFP Local Govt Cost Index 3.00% 3.40% 3.70% 2.80% 3.00% Productivity & Carbon adjustments - 0.20% 0.20% - 0.30% - 0.50% - 0.20% Net Allowable 2.80% 3.60% 3.40% 2.30% 2.80%

Pegging increments reflect the Local Government Cost Index (LGCI), which the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has developed and calculated. IPART has subtracted a productivity adjustment of 0.20% from the increase in the index, to determine the peg. In 2012-2013 an advance of 0.40% was added to the peg to help councils meet cost increases due to the carbon price. This advance has then been recovered back by peg reductions in 2013-2014 of 0.10% and 0.30% in 2014- 2015.

The following assumptions and principles have been applied to the budget estimates.

 Council will proceed with:

• applying the peg of 2.3% to the ordinary rate for 2014-2015; • apply the peg of 2.3% to special rates for 2014-2015; • an increment of 2.8% in future years (from 2015-2016). This assumption is critical as many of Council‟s expense categories are driven by economic factors that require greater increments.

The full peg has been applied to the ad valorem rate component. The base rate (fixed component) for all property categories has been held at $798 for business, $436 for business village and $304 for residential and farmland properties. The current rating structure was last revised in 2005 and it is proposed that a review of the structure will be conducted by Council in 2014-2015.

 The ordinary rates as influenced by the above factors is projected to raise in 2014-2015 a total of $35,771,120 and specials rates (car parking and CBD Promotional) will raise $619,631.  Funds from car parking rates are used to contribute the cost of improvement and maintenance works on car parks. This levy does not provide for future expansion or upgrades.  The special rate to fund promotional activities in the Albury CBD is levied on Albury Central traders, and raises $142K.  Both special rates income forms part of Council‟s notional income calculations.  In prior years, a 2.0% prompt payment discount has been allowed. There is a cash timing benefit to the Council in providing a discount for prompt payment. While the percentage of residential ratepayers utilising the discount in the past has been moderate, it is considered beneficial to continue the discount at the current level.

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Net revenues are influenced by rebates for eligible pensioners as outlined in the Local Government Act. Council provides additional rebates for domestic waste and green waste which is fully funded by Council and is projected to cost $194K. This has been in place for many years and it is proposed that it will continue to apply.

The mandatory pensioner concessions outlined in the Local Government Act are represented by ordinary rate concessions at a net cost of $315K and domestic waste concessions net cost of $71K in 2014-2015. Pension rebate information is provided on the back of the rates notice and water bills.

AlburyCity‟s Debt Management Policy and Procedure includes hardship provisions. The key points are that payment plans can be arranged, accrued interest on arrears can be written off in cases of hardship, and deferred payments, following a property revaluation, are considered if significant increases can be substantiated.

Council also provides a direct debit facility which allows residents to pay a nominated amount off their rates and water accounts each fortnight or month. Under this arrangement, they are not charged interest on outstanding amounts at each instalment date if the payment schedule is designed so that the account is cleared by 30 June each year. The direct debit service is an administrative overhead for Council. However, it assists low-income rate payers to manage their cash flow and reduce their bank fees. Further to this all rate payers, including pensioners, receive four free annual tip entry vouchers which provide a value of $140.

Residents can go to the AlburyCity website and use the rates calculator to determine the impact of the proposed changes for 2014-2015.

Fees & Charges

Fees & Charges revenue contributes significantly to the organisation‟s income. It is critical that pricing increments recognise the need for a financially viable Council and that cost of service wherever possible is recovered. It is a statutory obligation to publish a detail schedule of Fees & Charges (Attachment 1 m. iv.) and Council furthers assists its customers with a web based search tool to identify individual charges. The Fees and Charges Schedule also identifies the charging category, ranging from a statutory charge, full subsidisation, partial subsidisation and a full commercial fee.

Without focus on recovering the costs of Council activities the past deficit positions will not be improved. The Draft Four Year Delivery Program commencing 2014-2015 contains target fee increases in general at 5%. For future years (beyond 2015-2016) an assumption of 3% has been applied. Variations to this average however, apply in specific business units (Water, Sewer, Airport, Glenmorus and Landfill). The following table illustrates the revenues raised by Fees & Charges:

Summary of Fees & Charges projected Revenue by Fund $000 Year 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018 General Fund 24,304 25,164 26,085 27,070 Water Fund 10,267 11,178 12,100 13,102 Sewer Fund 16,840 18,812 21,026 23,114 All Funds 51,411 55,154 59,211 63,286

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Water and Sewer Pricing

Movements in Water and Sewer pricing have been incremented as per Attachment (1 m. v.).

AlburyCity complies with the Council of Australian Government‟s (COAG) best practice pricing requirements for water and sewer charges (including trade waste), which is based on a user pays principle for this resource, and includes ratios for the consumption and access charges.

According to the NSW Office of Water NSW Performance Monitoring Report, AlburyCity continues to have the third lowest typical residential bill (dollar per property) for water and sewer supply in NSW for the 2012-2013 financial year.

To maintain reliable and quality service provision, expenditure is required on infrastructure maintenance and expansion in order to service the existing and growing city. Council must continue to increase water and sewer revenues to redress the financial position of both the Water and Sewer funds, as a result of the lost income from years of drought. These charges are necessary for the Water Fund, in particular, to generate operating surpluses and ensure reserves for future capital works for our growing city.

In addition, the city‟s water and sewer infrastructure is aged. To ensure the continual supply of high quality water we must upgrade the systems.

Over the next four years, there will be significant changes at the water filtration plant to improve water quality which will set us up for the next 20 years. Likewise, the Waterview sewer treatment facility will undergo a massive expansion as the Kremur Street plant is decommissioned.

Water consumption estimates have taken into account historical average consumptions. To add more safety into the calculation any consumption results that are considered to be abnormal have been removed from these calculations.

Water consumption charges for 2014-2015 have been increased as follows:

 10% increase for the first 225 KL per annum, to $1.18 per KL;  5% increase for consumption from 226 KL to 19,999 KL per annum to $2.16 per KL; and  10% increase for consumption beyond 20,000 KL per annum to $1.66 per KL.

Sewer residential connected charges are proposed to increase by 14%, and the non residential sewer treatment charge to increase by 7% with access charge being increased by 15%.

Council has also increased its Water Access Charge and in 2014-2015 it will increase by 20%. The State Government‟s Best Practice Pricing Policy obligates councils to ensure that water access charges are 25% of a property‟s total water bill, AlburyCity complies with this ratio. This levy is payable on every property to fund the essential infrastructure that gives each resident access to water, but is not dependant on actual water use.

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Trade Waste charges are proposed to rise by 5% with total revenue forecast at $415K.

The outcomes of pricing and revenue forecasting for the Water and Sewer Funds is illustrated in Attachment 1 m. v.

Increases have been driven by a combination of issues including:

 Council‟s strategy of ensuring financial viability of the funds.  Adequate funds for future capital works.  Compliance with national COAG pricing principles.  Commitments given to NSW Office of Water to ensure these funds are viable.

Domestic Waste Charge

The Local Government Act provides that the Domestic Waste Management Charge must be self- funding, and the Council must bring to account all known costs in determining the charge. The General Fund must not „subsidise‟ the operations of the Domestic Waste Management Charge. In calculating the Domestic Waste Management Charge, all costs are brought to account, including depreciation, provision for rehabilitation, interest charges, carbon liability and the cost of pension rate concessions and discounts. A Domestic Waste Management Charge can only be applied to domestic premises (residential, business properties and vacant land), and must be segregated from other Council waste management activities.

The Domestic Waste Management charge is proposed to increase from $216 to $226 for 2014-2015. This increase reflects the recovery of cost growth for contracted service charges and also maintains the carbon price mechanism. Uncertainty prevails for the future of Carbon pricing. Council has structured its budget as per the current legislation. The carbon price component is being collected for future remittance to the Federal Government.

The Green Waste charge will increase from $41.00 to $78.00 per annum. This change also recognises the proposed introduction of a weekly organic waste service charge.

The new proposed Organic Waste Service charge is included in the Domestic Waste charge. A range of new additional waste service options are planned for introduction during the 2014-2015 year. Implementation of these programs will be confirmed later in 2014-15 and a pro rata amount has been priced in Council‟s Fees & Charges schedule effective 1 March 2105 (Attachment 1 m. iv).

In 2014-2015 it is proposed to levy $25 per annum for waste service for each assessment that is vacant land. This charge, as required by the Local Government Act, continues from its initial implementation in 2013-14.

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Investments

Earning from investments has declined in recent times with the market generally offering lower interest rates. This lower position has been assumed as ongoing and earnings are forecast at $1.65M in year 1 of the plan.

Other Revenues

This is a diverse group containing property leasing income, Childcare, Plant or Equipment hire and Compliance revenues. Forecast income for future years (beyond the 4 year plan) has been factored to increment generally by 3%.

Grants

The budget reflects grants seen to have a high probability of outcome with future years incremented generally by 2.5% unless otherwise specifically known.

Expenses from Continuing Operations

The draft budget comprises more than 2500 expenditure items - total cash spend - $126.5M, including $46.3M for asset acquisitions.

A graphical representation summary of expenditure is provided in the Statement of Activities (Attachment 1 c.).

Employee Benefits and On-Costs

The Draft 2014-2015 Budget reflects significant payroll improvements as a result of a number of initiatives. The payroll for 2013-2014 estimated total costs as $36.1M (including transfers to capital works) The draft 2014-2015 budget payroll is reporting $37M, an increment of $0.9M, 2.5%. This is despite the following cost increases:

 The Local Government Award forecast increment with an effective date of 1 July 2014 (at 3.0%) projects a full year affect of $1.33M; this includes flow on impacts of opening balance for Annual Leave ($110K) & Long Service Leave ($229K) liabilities.  $466K for Award skills progression (effective February 2015).  Superannuation increment from 9.25% to 9.50% (further increases staged to come over 7 years to a maximum of 12%).

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Savings can also be summarised as:

 Estimate for time to fill unfilled vacancies set at $900K an increment of $600K to prior year.  Overtime costs reduced by $175K from 2014-2015 estimate.

Payroll budgets at AlburyCity are complex and reflect the diversity of its activities. Costs are categorised as:

 Overheads: these are clearly visible in the financial reports as employee benefits, for example; salaries, annual leave or superannuation,  Direct jobs: these are payrolls costed to a job or project via a timesheet and therefore contained within another cost category such as repairs and maintenance or an asset being constructed. This treatment ensures job costs reflect real full cost values and is in compliance with industry conventions and accounting standards.

Future years cost estimates from 2015-2016 contain increment factors of growth of 4.35% per annum decreasing to 4.17% by the end of the LTFP. These percentages recognise award movements including skill steps and announced superannuation increments as per Federal Government Policy.

Borrowing Costs

The interest payable on all Councils loans are estimated at $3.78M for 2014-2015. The interest rate assumed on future new borrowings for years 2014-2016 is 6.0% pa and then 7.5% pa until the end of the LTFP. Loans by fund are summarised in the attached Borrowings Summary (Attachment 1 k.).

Council submitted two applications to the DLG for the Local Infrastructure Renewal Scheme (LIRS), LIRS is an interest subsidy scheme. The projects relate to the Albury Regional Art Gallery redevelopment and the Wagga Road upgrade. Interest subsidies have not been included in the draft budget as advice will not be received until late May 2014 at the earliest.

Materials and Contracts

This cost category reflects a diversity of costs including repairs and maintenance, operational costs, fuel, audit fees, bank charges, cleaning, security, other consumables and contractors. Future year costs are estimated to follow inflation at 2.5% per annum growth.

Depreciation

Council utilises a comprehensive asset database to manage the Infrastructure Property Plant and Equipment which has a value of $1.044B by June 2015. These assets are effectively valued at current cost (“Fair value”) and depreciation is estimated by applying factors reflecting useful life in the asset management system. Future year values contain estimates for growth consequent to new assets, estimated useful life and also cost revaluations.

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Other Expenses

This cost category also reflects a diversity of costs including electricity, gas, carbon liability costs as collected at Landfill, Council meetings, debt collection, insurances, printing and storage and many other minor items. Future year costs are generally estimated to follow the TCorp inflation estimate at 2.5% per annum growth unless subject to specific indexes such as for electricity and insurances.

Significant Pending Changes

A range of service and efficiency projects are underway with many as yet incomplete. As these progress changes will be implemented. This may influence Council‟s cost structure and service levels. An identified example of this service and efficiency process has recommended that AlburyCity should not continue to deliver Immunisation Services. The provision for Immunisation is the role of NSW Health and Local Health Districts to ensure that communities have access to immunisation providers. Given that there is no legislative requirement for NSW Councils to have any involvement in delivering Immunisation clinics, it is reasonable and practical for AlburyCity to withdraw from having any direct involvement with immunisation delivery (AlburyCity Community Centres will continue to be made available for clinics as required).

Over the last ten years there has been a decrease of 54% in the number of people attending Council Clinics. The primary reason for this occurring is that the number of General Practitioners in Albury has significantly increased over this time and that first baby/parent visit to a doctor now aligns with the first immunisation. It is no longer difficult for families to access GPs. Currently GPs provide 78% of vaccinations in Albury and AlburyCity now provide just 17% of early childhood immunisations. AlburyCity will develop a transition plan with Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) to facilitate the handing back of service delivery.

It is Council‟s intention to transition the service to MLHD by December 2014. This has been reflected in 2014-2015 budget with a half year saving of $64K.

Financial Assistance: Donations and Sponsorships

Council provides a comprehensive program of financial assistance to community groups ($1.22M). The 2014-2015 schedule is provided (Attachment 1 p.). Recipients include the Chambers of Commerce, Albury Central, Uiver Memorial Museum Group, Community Centres, Community and Cultural Grants Programs, Sports Albury Grants program, various arts organisation, subsidised use of the Albury Entertainment Centre by various community groups, subsidised rates for not for profit groups that lease Council facilities, landfill entry fee write-off for registered charities.

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Operating Result

Summary points for operating results are:

 Draft net Operating Results are better than prior year forecast for 2014-2015 and previous LTFP.  All funds $4.6M surplus for 2014-2015 compared to last year‟s estimated surplus for 2014-2015 being $3.38M.  The General Fund result at $111K surplus is a significant improvement on prior year prediction of $750K deficit and reflects revenue steps, estimated impact of proposed cost efficiency reviews and general savings.  Water income estimates have been revised up by $761K compared to last year‟s projected income due to an increase in the overall level of water consumption that has been assumed. Costs have increased against prior year estimate by $646K primarily due to improved data being available surrounding depreciation.  Sewer fund income increases by $102K due to closer forecasting, costs have diminished by $651K from last year‟s forecast primarily due to a reduction in loan interest expense.

A summary of the Operating proposed budgets for 2014-2015 is outlined below. The operating budgets are prepared on an accrual basis and include non-cash charges for depreciation of $26.16M, internal charges, fixed asset disposal book profits and real estate sales book profits.

Operating Budget: Including Non Cash items - $000 Excludes Capital Income Fund Original Budget Forecast Budget at Prior Year Plan for Proposed Budget December Review Year 2 2013-2014 2013-2014 2014-2015 2014-2015 General $1.127 Deficit $5.255 Deficit $0.750 Deficit $0.111 Surplus Water $0.341 Deficit $0.503 Deficit $0.681 Surplus $0.775 Surplus Sewer $1.797 Surplus $1.877 Surplus $3.452 Surplus $3.715 Surplus Total $0.329 Surplus $3.881 Deficit $3.383 Surplus $4.601 Surplus

Council has been incurring deficits on operating results for several years. An ongoing program of operational review has been in place to change this pattern of results and achieve a sustainable structure of Operating Surplus for all Funds and sustain that outcome within four years. These cost and revenue projections indicate this is achievable at a consolidated level but further work is required to ensure that this is attained in all funds over the longer term.

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Draft Capital Result 2014-2015 to 2017-2018

A net $40.704M (including capital income) capital budget is proposed for 2014-2015 compared to $41.793M in the prior year estimate for this year. The General Fund has reduced by $106K, Water Fund reduced by $385K and Sewer Fund reduced by $598K. This has been influenced by retiming adjustments as detailed in the New Initiative schedules.

Capital Budget: Including Capital Income - $000 Fund Original Budget Forecast Budget at Proposed Budget December Review 2013-2014 2013-2014 2014-2015 General $ 17,686 Deficit $ 22,808 Deficit $ 24,343 Deficit Water $ 2,789 Deficit $ 2,645 Deficit $ 5,612 Deficit Sewer $ 5,824 Deficit $ 3,107 Deficit $ 10,749 Deficit Total $ 26,299 Deficit $ 28,560 Deficit $ 40,704 Deficit

Capital Works Program

Council‟s key priorities for the next 12 months are detailed in the Funded New Initiatives (Attachment 2 a.) with further detail provided in the Engineering Works Program (Attachment 1 n.). The Engineering Works Program map (Attachment 1 o.) shows that works are planned for all parts of the city.

The key projects scheduled to be undertaken in 2014-2015 are outlined below:

 $3.9M road and drain rehabilitation: • It will include the rehabilitation and resealing of approximately 40 local roads in 2014-2015 Rehabilitation work will include: Boronia Street, between Union and Batten; Fallon Street, between Garland and Metry; Table Top Road, Between Old Sydney Road and 984 Table Top Road; Poole Street/Kiewa Street Roundabout; Creek Street, between Stanley and Englehardt; Townsend Street, between Hovell and Hume and between Smollett and Dean.

 $17.62M to fund essential sewer upgrades and to improve water quality and supply including: • $1.215M to upgrade the UV disinfection system at the Waterview Waste Water Treatment Plant • $1.025M for the annual watermain replacement and renewal program • $5.275M for the continuation of the augmentation of the Waterview Wastewater Treatment Plant, paving the way for the eventual decommissioning of the Kremur Street facility • $1.75M for upgrades to the sewerage pump at the Wodonga Place Depot • $526,000 for the annual sewer main rehabilitation program • $1.03M for Thurgoona Sewerage Augmentation • $4.1M has been set aside for Water Filtration Plant B.

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 Special Variation (SVR) Projects (Attachment 1 j.):

• $8.4M to begin detailed design and construction of the Albury Art Gallery Redevelopment • $1.8M for the Kiewa Street reconstruction • $1.1M for the reconstruction of Alexandra Park • $108,376 for the Murray River Experience – Mungabareena vegetation works, Monument Hill Master Plan and weed control and revegetation at Padman Park. • $73,777 to continue Council‟s Urban and Public Art Strategy which includes new art projects, the upgrade of existing monuments and rejuvenates public areas. In 2014-15 this will include QEII Square forecourt sculpture, Commissioning sculpture in a Lavington Park, QEII Digital Gallery projections, Painting Traffic Boxes, Commission art work for the Kiewa St Crossing and Commission art work for WW1 Centenary.

 Energy Saving Measures – photovoltaic infrastructure on Council Buildings $414K in 2014-2015 and $246K in 2015-2016.

Community Fund Projects (Attachment 2 c.)

In past years many organisations have benefitted from Council‟s assistance to develop facilities with a net annual target contribution from Council of $500K. Council has allocated the available funds at $513K for 2014-2015 by adopting recommendations from the reports on the various projects earlier in the meeting‟s agenda. These projects are also noted in the Funded New Initiatives for 2014-2015. Projects are:

 $300,000 for the Uiver Memorial Museum Group.  $75,000 for Greenfield Park and Haydon Park upgrades.  $75,000 for the Urana Road Oval.  $34,815 for Alexandra Park reconstruction.  $20,000 for the Splitters Creek Rural Fire Brigade.  $8,000 for an upgrade to the umpire‟s room at the Albury Sports Ground.

Draft Cash Flow Results 2014-2015 to 2017-2018

Council‟s past and forecast operating results are not cash deficits, but they do reflect the consumption of assets (as measured by depreciation) which will ultimately require cash funded replenishment.

The cash position is sound with Council able to meet all its obligations but ongoing consolidation is required to ensure a viable future for provision of, and replenishment of, community assets.

These issues and the DLG position on sustainability ratings underpin why Council has developed comprehensive policies and tools for asset management, and a plan to generate cash to fund future asset replacement and construction programs. This budget continues the undertaking to create a sustainable outcome by management attention focussed on sound cash management, and policy to grow Council‟s revenue raising capabilities. This approach also ensures Council is able to internally fund assets and nor rely entirely on borrowings to meet the growing community‟s needs.

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The key cash position changes are:

 All funds $1.6M cash surplus is budgeted compared to an estimated $1.002M deficit in the prior year delivery program for 2014-2015.  The income has grown by $2.0M against previous estimate.  Special variation project loans will continue to be managed in timing and value to meet project scheduling.  The LTFP cash position recognises significant values of reserved cash held to meet carbon pricing obligations. These liabilities are consequent to Landfill emissions with payments obligations being delayed well past the cash collection. By LTFP year 10 cash held (but fully reserved) is anticipated to be in the order of $21M if the current legislation is retained.

DRAFT BUDGET 2014-2015 CASH FLOW SUMMARY $000 All Funds 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 2017-2018

Income - Operating (124,752) (133,395) (137,306) (144,895) Income - Capital (5,915) (3,696) (4,768) (4,435) Inflow - New Loan Funding (12,050) (10,750) (8,000) (8,000) Expenditure - Operating 120,505 125,648 127,587 132,315 Savings Not Yet Identified (354) 0 (266) (472) Expenditure - Capital 46,620 33,911 34,934 35,187 Other Movements (25,653) (26,890) (25,127) (26,293) Total Cash flow Result (1,600) (15,172) (12,946) (16,592)

Note (brackets) indicates a source of funds or a surplus if in Result line. This table is at net values which eliminates internal transactions. Loan Program

Council‟s Delivery Program includes a four year loan program as detailed in Attachment 1 k.

Projected Loan Requirements (Subject to Ministerial Approval) Project Drawdown Year $M General Fund 2014-2015 4.500 2015-2016 6.550 2016-2017 8.000 2017-2018 8.000 Water 2014-2015 2.000 2015-2016 1.200 2016-2017 0 2017-2018 0 Sewer 2014-2015 5.550 2015-2016 3.000 2016-2017 0 2017-2018 0 Total Borrowings for the Four Year Delivery Program 38.800

Loans are generally structured to reflect the effective operational asset life. Council takes out loans for projects to ensure that the cost is spread out over time. This approach not only enables bringing forward the implementation of major projects, but also carries the cost to the future beneficiaries of the asset‟s use. Council‟s debt level is sound, and current borrowing philosophies are appropriate and ratified by the recent NSW Treasury Corp (TCorp) review.

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The continued commitment by Council to adopt reasonable price rises and take up the full rate peg each year ensures that it keeps its debt well within its means. Loan payments over the next four years represent less than seven cents of each dollar of operating revenue. Council‟s debt level, forecast to be $61.268M by the end of 2014-2015, for this sized organisation remains manageable and continues to be monitored against the above principles and Council‟s cash position.

The Long Term Financial Plan (LTFP)

A recent and independent assessment of AlburyCity's financial capacity and future sustainability has found Council is capable of meeting its financial commitments in the short to medium terms and has an acceptable long term capacity.

The NSW Treasury Corporation (TCorp) in 2013 assessed all 152 Councils across the State and released a Financial Sustainability Rating (FSR) and Outlook to enable Council's to benchmark their overall sustainability position against each other. AlburyCity received a 'Moderate' FSR and a 'Neutral' Outlook. In AlburyCity's case, a 'Moderate' FSR means the Council is able to address its operating deficits, and manage unforseen financial shocks and any adverse changes in its business.

The Long Term Financial Plan is available in Attachment 3. Three scenarios are provided; 1, 2 and 3. Each scenario contains the Income Statement, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Statement for each fund and the consolidated position.

Scenario 1 is the base position. The assumptions underpinning this scenario are provided in Attachment 3 Scenario 1. e. with the key assumptions being an ordinary rate increase each year based on a rate peg of 2.8%, Fees and charges to grow at 5% in the 4 year plan and thereafter decline to 3%, and many cost areas to grow at 2.5% as per TCorp forecasts.

Scenario 2 provides for curtailed income through an ordinary rate increases at a peg of 2.8% each and fees and charges increase each year by of 2.8% with most costs at 3.0% growth.

Scenario 3 provides for reduced levels of both income and expenditure due to a 2.0% increment on Fees & charges with reductions in Employee Benefits & On-Costs to a growth of 3.5% and Materials & Contracts at 2.0%.

A range of measures are applied across local government to assess viability and other aspects of financial capability. AlburyCity compares well with these ratios as evidenced in the attachment. Ongoing attention to Council‟s operating deficit elimination will create further improvements against these benchmarks. The key financial ratios are provided for the base in Attachment 3 Scenario 1 d.

Unrestricted Current Ratio

This indicator is a measure of Council‟s ability to meet its financial obligations. Council‟s position is sound at a value greater than 3 throughout the LTFP. DLG guidelines state a ratio of less than 1.5 is unsatisfactory.

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Debt Service Ratio

This ratio is the degree to which revenue from continuing operations is committed to the repaying of debt. All funds moves from 6.8% to 7.9% by the end of the Four Year Delivery Program. The debt service ratio by 2023-2024 will be 7.1%.

The Division of Local Government (DLG) considers a debt service ratio of less than 10% to be “satisfactory”. This ratio represents loan commitments as a percentage of Council‟s total operating revenue. The use of debt to fund major projects is positive as it creates intergenerational equity and enables the city to continue to move forward.

Borrowings necessary to provide new sewer treatment plants, water treatment facilities, landfill development, sewer augmentation program and multiple SVR projects are key components.

Productivity Improvements

Council remains committed to continuous improvement and achieving value for money with every dollar spent.

As identified earlier in this report, 2014-2015 will see a containment of payroll costs. The total increment on payroll costs from 2013-2014 is 2.5% despite award costs forecast to increase by 3.0%. This has been achieved through a review of all of Council‟s vacant positions, restructuring in various areas and maintain the push for greater internal efficiency.

Council will continue to investigate better ways of doing business and the operating result for 2014- 2015 includes estimates for service and efficiency improvements across the organisation.

Summary

Council‟s Operational Plan, Delivery Program and Long Term Financial Plan have been prepared with consideration of Council‟s overall financial position and its ongoing viability. The Four Year Delivery Program outlines a very comprehensive range of activities to support Albury, its residents and businesses to flourish and achieve the outcomes in Albury 2030.

Efforts have been made to achieve improved operating and cash results for all funds. This process has been implemented by an ongoing program of Service and Efficiency Reviews of Council‟s Operations to reduce expenditure and implement an income strategy which reflects the true cost of providing services.

Council continually reviews its operational expenditures and for the past few years has undertaken a staged process of cost reductions. This has included reductions in payroll costs; a micro-reform which saw a comprehensive range of processes and practices reviewed a strategic review of income streams and introduction of user-pays for appropriate services.

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The operating position, which includes non cash charges, and forecasts a move to a non deficit position for the General Fund in 2014-2015, requires inclusion of estimates for further savings to be achieved through service and efficiency reviews that are still to be identified. The LTFP for General Fund indicates that issues remain in later years. Water Fund reflects uplifted pricing steps and is forecast to achieve ongoing surplus; a surplus position also exists for all planned years in the Sewer Fund.

A consolidated operating surplus position for 2014-2015 is a very positive result, and a significant improvement on prior year forecasts.

Community Engagement

The Operational Plan, Delivery Program, Long Term Financial Plan and associated documents will be on public exhibition for 28 days. Council will consider the submissions at the Monday 26 May 2014 Council Meeting before adopting the final plans.

The draft plans will be available for viewing on the website, at the Library Museum, Lavington Library and Customer Service Centre. Presentations will be made to the Chambers of Commerce, and to various community groups. An information email will be provided to all residents registered with the email reference group. A full page feature will be published in the local newspaper on Saturday 3rd May.

Several groups that seek ongoing financial assistance have taken the opportunity to present to Council Workshops during the budget preparation process. Groups that have requested AlburyCity Community Funding have liaised with Council staff prior to submitting their request. User Groups have been consulted through various Council Committees such as the Lauren Jackson Sports Centre Advisory Committee and the Acquatics Advisory Committee.

Options

1. Adopt the draft 2014-2015 Operational Plan, draft 2014-2018 Four Year Delivery Program, and draft Long Term Financial Plan, as presented in this report for public exhibition.

OR

2. Adopt the draft 2014-2015 Operational Plan, draft 2014-2018 Four Year Delivery Program, and draft Long Term Financial Plan, with nominated changes prior to public exhibition.

Council must adopt the final version of these plans prior to 30 June 2014, as required by the Local Government Act.

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Conclusion

The budget for 2014-2015 delivers a surplus for all funds. Projections show that Council will achieve a balanced budget by 2014-2015 in the General Fund and improved fund positions for the Water and Sewer Funds due to improvements in the four year delivery program. In order to achieve the balanced budget for the General Fund a program of service and efficiency reviews are ongoing, and further reviews are to be identified. Council continues to deliver an extensive range of services and a comprehensive capital works and asset maintenance program for our vibrant and growing city. These projects and services are in line with the community‟s strategic plan, Albury 2030.

Recommendation

That Council: a. adopts the draft 2014-2015 Operational Plan; b. adopts the draft 2014-2015 to 2017-2018 Four Year Delivery Program; c. adopts the draft 2014-2024 Long Term Financial Plan; and d. places the draft plans on public exhibition for 28 days, prior to final adoption at the 26 May 2014 Council Meeting.

 Attachments (listed below) (This report and attachments are provided as hardcopy documentation under separate cover).

ATTACHMENT 1

DRAFT 2015-2018 FOUR YEAR DELIVERY PROGRAM INCORPORATING THE DRAFT 2014-2015 OPERATIONAL PLAN

General Information

a. Introduction, Integrated Planning Framework, Vision, Values and AlburyCity functions under the Albury2030 Themes. b. Statement of activities linked to Albury 2030 to the Draft Four Year Delivery Program and the Draft Operational Plan. c. Income/expenditure pie charts under Albury2030 Themes and Outcomes.

Draft 2014 - 2018 Four Year Delivery Program Financial Information (Incorporating 2014-2015 Operational Plan).

d. 2014 - 2018 Operating Results Organisational Structure (Consolidated and each Fund) e. 2014 - 2018 Operating Results Organisational Structure (Consolidated at Team Level) f. 2014 - 2018 Income Statement Statutory Format (Consolidated and each Fund) g. 2014 - 2018 Capital Results (Consolidated and each Fund) h. 2014 - 2018 Cash Flow Statement (Consolidated and each Fund) i. 2014 - 2018 Balance Sheet (Consolidated and each Fund) j. Projects Funded by Section 508A Special Variation to Rate Income k. Council Borrowings Summary l. Assumptions

Draft 2014 - 2015 Operational Plan Additional Information

m. Statement of Revenue Policy 2014 - 2015 incorporating: i. Income Statement Statutory Format (incorporated info 1.f.) ii. General Rates Category Map iii. Albury CBD Special Rates Map iv. Fees and Charges v. Water and Sewer Pricing n. 2014 - 2015 Engineering Works Program o. 2014 - 2015 Engineering Works Program Map p. 2014 - 2015 Financial Assistance

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ATTACHMENT 2

NEW INITIATIVES

a. All Projects Summary and Detail b. SVR Projects Summary and Detail c. Community Fund Projects Summary and Detail

ATTACHMENT 3

LONG TERM FINANCIAL PLAN

Scenario 1 – Base

a. Income Statement (Consolidated and Each Fund). b. Balance Sheet (Consolidated and Each Fund). c. Cash Flow Statement (Consolidated and Each Fund). d. Ratios. e. Assumptions & Analysis.

Scenario 2 – Income improved

a. Income Statement (Consolidated and Each Fund) b. Balance Sheet (Consolidated and Each Fund) c. Cash Flow Statement (Consolidated and Each Fund) d. Ratios e. Assumptions & Analysis

Scenario 3 – Expenditure decreased

a. Income Statement (Consolidated and Each Fund) b. Balance Sheet (Consolidated and Each Fund) c. Cash Flow Statement (Consolidated and Each Fund) d. Ratios e. Assumptions & Analysis

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10H Draft Cultural Services Ethics Policy (DOC14/30721)

DATE 20 April 2014

CONFIDENTIAL YES NO  If yes please tick one of the following reasons Personnel Matters Commercial Legal Security Personal Hardship

ITEM FOR DECISION  ITEM FOR NOTING Meeting Date Monday 28 April 2014 Meeting Date

FURTHER ENQUIRIES TO Jacqui Hemsley PHONE 6023 8154 Community & Recreation

Background

The draft Cultural Services Ethics Policy has been developed to provide a framework and guidelines that address specific ethical requirements for paid and volunteer personnel who work in, or advise on, the delivery of Albury Regional Art Gallery, Museum and Social History operations.

In alignment with the redevelopment of the Albury Regional Art Gallery, creation of the ARAG Advisory Committee, Cultural Services restructure and the formation of the QEII Working Party; the ARAG Governance Committee has begun developing a number of policies and procedures that address the expected new operating frameworks for the Cultural Services team and support organisations.

The vision for how the team as well as other stakeholders in QEII Square will operate on completion of all the construction works is one of professional collaboration, at a standard comparable with other successful and vibrant cultural precincts, where stakeholders are well networked, committed and proficient within their dedicated field and act with integrity.

Issues

 Scope

This policy applies to; primarily volunteers and staff that have a direct advisory or influencing relationship with the gallery, museum and social history area, secondary; with other volunteers and staff that work with these institutions such as the Cultural Precinct Internal Working Committee, AEC, Youth services, the Events Team, and Community Development teams.

In the context of this draft policy, non Cultural Services teams and organisations such as the Friends, Foundation and the ADHS as well as external cultural organisations that have existing MoU‟s with Council, would also fit within the definition and therefore the guidelines outlined within this document.

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 Professionalism within the Cultural Sector

Cultural Team members have high public visibility and enjoy a generous level of esteem. To the public, the Cultural Institutions and its staff are never wholly separated and senior staff are an important part of the facility brand.

Ensuring that the staff, advisory and support members and volunteers are transparent and professional at all times and aware not only with their own motivations and interests but also with the way in which such actions might be perceived by the outside observer is crucial to successful, contemporary practice.

Examples where this can be tested is when Cultural Officers are asked to value or provide external financial advice on artwork purchases or create artwork themselves and exhibit locally. Gallery and Museum Delegates engaged in outside activities within the area of interest and similar to those that they perform in their paid role are perceived to be representatives their Cultural Institution.

 Regional and National Profile

When the Albury Regional Art Gallery reopens mid-2015, the expectation is that the institution will have the profile and ability to be a major regional and national player within the Australian art scene. Leadership and professionalism of its staff and volunteers that is of standard practice with State and Capital galleries and museums is essential.

 Consolidation of Existing Ethical Guidelines

The draft policy in essence recognizes and illuminates within one document how the AlburyCity will conduct itself ethically within the cultural sector.

The policy provides an easily defined framework on how to apply existing codes, policies and procedures - AlburyCity Model Code of Conduct and Business Ethic Guidelines, Cultural Exhibition Policy, Cultural Assets Development and Management Policy, Cultural Services Sale of Goods and Services Internal Procedure and permanent Collections Acquisition and De- Accession Procedure – define and regulate professional behaviour but also clarify at a national level professional ethics within documents such as within the NAVA The Code of Practice for the Professional Australian Visual Arts, Craft and Design Sector and the Council of Australian Museums Code of Ethics for Art, History and Science Museums.

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Consultation and Implementation

It is proposed that this draft Policy be put on public display for a period of 28 days using the usual publicity processes available and display mechanisms.

Following the consultation period and adoption of this draft with or without amendment it is intended to roll out the policy which will include Information sessions for external organisations outlined within the draft policy and those that have external MoU‟s with the Cultural Services team.

In addition the draft policy, with HR‟s guidance, will be included within the induction process for new Cultural staff and included within information sessions for existing staff.

Conclusion

Establishing ethical standards for cultural workers should not be seen as an overtly inflexible administrative burden. In an industry where work is a pleasure and creative careers are intrinsically linked with employment, setting frameworks on what is professional public practice is expected of officers and volunteers allows them a level of professional protection and awareness without exposure.

As the gallery enters a new phase with fresh recruitment with a higher level of philanthropic and business accountability, it is essential that the uppermost level of ethical behaviours is espoused.

Recommendation

That Council: a. receive and note the report; and b. place the Draft Cultural Services Ethics Policy on public exhibition for a period of 28 days.

 Attachment 1. Draft Cultural Services Ethics Policy.

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10I Expression of Interest for the operation and maintenance of the PS Cumberoona (DOC14/30346)

DATE 16 April 2014

CONFIDENTIAL YES NO  If yes please tick one of the following reasons Personnel Matters Commercial Legal Security Personal Hardship

ITEM FOR DECISION  ITEM FOR NOTING Meeting Date Monday 28 April 2014 Meeting Date

FURTHER ENQUIRIES TO James Jenkins PHONE 6023 8145 Community and Recreation

Purpose of Report

The purpose of this report is to inform Council of the results of the Expression of Interest for the operation and maintenance of the PS Cumberoona and provide recommendations for Council consideration. Council was seeking an operator (private or community) to enter into a three year lease, with a two year option, for the lease of the vessel.

Background

Council considered a report on the Cumberoona in October 2013 which related to the current status of the vessel and the options for its operation. Council resolved to undertake an Expression of Interest process for the operation and maintenance of the vessel.

The Expression of Interest was advertised in the:

 The Sydney Morning Herald,  The Border Mail,  Sunraysia Daily (Mildura),  Riverina Herald (Echuca), and  On Tenderlink.

The Expression of Interest for the maintenance and operation of the PS Cumberoona closed on 4 March 2014. Two submissions were received:

 Murray River Steam Navigation Pty Ltd.  Friends of the Cumberoona Inc.

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Issues

There were four parts to the EOI documentation. They were:

 Part A - General information for the Expression of Interest process.  Part B – Eight schedules to be completed as part of the EOI submission.  Part C – Specification which outlines the vessel and proposed operating periods.  Part D – AlburyCity Contractors Package to be completed by the proponent.

These documents outline the information to be submitted by a proponent for an EOI to be deemed compliant. The table below outlines whether the submission was compliant or non compliant with the five key criteria.

Item Murray River Steam Navigation Friends of the Cumberoona Inc The EOI is completed in accordance with the Compliant Non Compliant provisions of Part A. All schedules in Part B are completed in full and Compliant Non Compliant submitted The completed EOI is lodged by the closing time Compliant Compliant and date A suitable submission is received in response to Compliant Compliant Part C Completion of AlburyCity Contractors package Compliant (not assessed) Non Compliant provided in Part D

It was essential that the various parts of the EOI were completed to allow for detailed assessment and for Council to gain an understanding of how the proponents could address the various requirements needed to operate the vessel, this particularly related to the eight schedules attached to Part B of the documentation. The EOI was a two stage process and the assessment was undertaken by a panel consisting of Director Community and Recreation (James Jenkins), Director Corporate Services (Judy Charlton), Team Leader Parks and Recreation (David Armstrong) and Recreation and Open Space Coordinator (Brad Gill). Despite the Friends of the Cumberoona‟s submission being non-compliant it was decided to progress both submissions to the second stage to gather additional information on their proposals.

In the second stage of the assessment process Murray River Steam Navigation provided additional information which supported their submission, which included alternatives for operation of the vessel.

In the second stage, the Friends of the Cumberoona provided additional information in support of their submission however it did not identify how they could comply with Council‟s EOI. Consequently the panel did not consider that the submission should be considered by Council as part of this EOI process because:

1. It did not comply with the EOI requirements and Council‟s desire to achieve an external operator for the vessel. 2. Any other potential groups or individuals interested in putting forward proposals which did not comply with Council‟s EOI parameters, have not been provided with that opportunity.

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Following consideration of the second stage submissions Council staff were informed by Murray River Steam Navigation on Monday 14 April of the withdrawal of their EOI submission and consequently this submission could not be further considered.

Accordingly the final situation was that Council did not receive any complying EOIs.

Risk

 Business Risk – As there were no complying EOIs for consideration, the EOI process has revealed that there are not suitably qualified and experienced operators who are willing to make a submission based on a shared allocation of risk responsibility. It has also highlighted that there does not appear to be proponents who can operate the vessel within Council‟s financial capabilities on a sustainable basis.  Corporate Risk – The varying circumstances which affect the ability of the Cumberoona to operate which includes existing and future river levels, the design of the vessel, licensing requirements, seasonal conditions, insurance requirements, an operator retaining suitably qualified staff and the inability of Council to secure a suitable qualified operator to sustainably operate the vessel all contribute to the ongoing perception by the community as to whether Council should be operating such a business. Due to the lack of success with the EOI process Council must consider the future options for the vessel to ensure that it is achieving value for ratepayer‟s money in the future.  WHS and Public Risk – The EOI process has not highlighted or resolved any new public or staff safety risks.

Community Engagement

The EOI process gave sufficient opportunity for interested operators to respond to Council‟s request for the operation and maintenance of the vessel.

Options

1. Not accept any EOIs and provide a further report to Council outlining the future options for the PS Cumberoona; or

2. Not accept any EOIs and readvertise the EOI for the operation and maintenance of the PS Cumberoona under the same terms and conditions outlined in the original EOI; or

3. Not accept any EOIs and advertise a new EOI for the PS Cumberoona seeking consideration of any future options for the vessel.

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Conclusion

Council has been unsuccessful in obtaining a compliant EOI for an operator (private or community) to operate and maintain the vessel through a lease arrangement for the next 5 years. Council has operated the vessel either directly or through a lease arrangement for approximately 20 years and has recently had the hull replaced to ensure that following further maintenance that the vessel can be considered for a Certificate of Survey for commercial operation. As a result of the unsuccessful EOI process Council is better placed to make an informed decision in relation to reassessing the opportunities and risks associated with owning, operating and maintaining the vessel in the future. This assessment should also consider Council‟s desire to investigate and develop, if feasible, an Albury Riverside Visitor Precinct

Recommendation

That Council: a. not accept any Expressions of Interest for the operation and maintenance of the PS Cumberoona; and b. be provided with a further report from Council staff detailing the future options for the vessel in light of the recent EOI process.

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10J Review of Organisation Structure (DOC14/31560)

DATE 17 April 2014

CONFIDENTIAL YES NO  If yes please tick one of the following reasons Personnel Matters Commercial Legal Security Personal Hardship

ITEM FOR DECISION  ITEM FOR NOTING Meeting Date 28 April 2014 Meeting Date

FURTHER ENQUIRIES TO Frank Zaknich PHONE 6023 8270 Executive Services

Background

The Local Government Act requires the governing body of council to determine an organisation structure, the senior staff positions within that structure and the resources to be allocated towards the employment of staff (Section 332).

Council must approve and adopt the organisation structure by Council resolution.

Section 333 enables the Council to re-determine that structure at any time and requires that this must be done at least within 12 months of an ordinary election.

The re-determination of Council‟s organisation structure becomes necessary when the way the organisation operates is proposed to be altered, that is; new positions are created, existing positions deleted, where various lines of responsibility are altered or Councils corporate or strategic objectives are reviewed.

Council last reviewed the organisation structure in July 2013 and resolved to: a. Receive and note the report on the organisation structure (macro level) review and the ongoing staged implementation of service and efficiency review. b. Confirm the organisation structure attached to the report as detailed in the 2013/2014 Operational Plan and 2013/2017 Delivery Program as a result of this review. c. Receive and note the report on “senior staff” as per Section 332 of the Local Government Act. d. Receive on a six monthly basis a further report from the General Manager outlining progress with the service and efficiency review and as future opportunities for organisation structure change present.

Notwithstanding, future opportunities were at that time identified for organisation structural change implementation as circumstances and timing were appropriate.

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With the pending departure of Council‟s Director Corporate Services, this report provides Council with the outcomes of a subsequent further review of the organisation structure (macro level) by the General Manager and recommended revised organisation structure.

Managing Business, Corporate and Public Risk:

Structure follows strategy

When considering the most appropriate organisation structure for Council to adopt, Council needs to consider what human resources are necessary to successfully achieve the goals articulated in Council‟s Community Strategic Plan – Albury 2030, Delivery Program and Resourcing Strategy. For this reason, Council‟s organisation structure should align and be designed to support its Delivery Program and the achievement of its Community Strategic Plan.

Albury 2030 Themes include:

1. A Growing Economy 2. An Enhanced Natural Environment 3. A Caring Community 4. A Leading Community

The different functions and services that AlburyCity provides the community are represented under the Albury 2030 themes. Due to the integrated nature of the Community Strategic Plan, some functions and/or services can be represented under more than one theme. (Attachment 1)

Structure and Review Objectives

The objectives and adopted recommendations from earlier organisation reviews undertaken remain relevant, continue to be implemented and have informed this process. The objectives of the organisation structure remain:

1. Delivers appropriate and timely information to Councillors to allow fully informed decisions to be made; 2. Delivers Council‟s identified priorities and enhanced customer service; 3. Achieves long term productivity gains and cost efficiencies; 4. Facilitates performance management and delivers career progression opportunities; 5. Facilitates continuous improvement and cultural change; and 6. Delivers long term financial sustainability.

Directorate Structure

The Council‟s current structure of six (6) directorates (including the General Manager) adopted in 2013 (Attachment 2) has to date been very effective and provides a high level of alignment with Council‟s Community Strategic Plan – Albury 2030 and 2013-2017 Delivery Program.

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This effectiveness and alignment ensures a high level of responsiveness, strategic and operational leadership and minimises the risk of not delivering on the plans that Council has adopted and committed to implement on behalf of the community.

Directorates work co-operatively and collegiately across functions and projects and communication between teams is continuing to improve.

The fact that the structure is efficient, effective and responsive has been clearly demonstrated in responses to the recent:

 Community Satisfaction Survey 2013  Promoting Better Practice Review - Division of Local Government 2013  TCorp Financial Sustainability NSW Local Government Sector Report 2013  Local Government Infrastructure Audit Report 2013  Development Application processing times 2012  Councillor Support Survey 2013  Council and regional responses to NSW and Federal Government inquiries, panels, reports and white papers

For comparative purposes the following information on other similar sized NSW council structures is provided:

Council Employees Estimated Operating Water & Sewer Directorates FTE Resident Popn. Budget $ Provider (inc. GM) Albury 461* 50000 106M Yes 6 Wagga Wagga 465 63500 110M Sewer only 6 Dubbo 319 42000 90M Yes 7 Tamworth 526 60000 117M Yes 6 Orange 370 40000 70M Yes 6 Bathurst 350 40000 75M Yes 5

* Includes apprentices and trainees (45 FTE) as per Council 10% policy

AlburyCity is placed generally at or above the average benchmark with respect to FTE (416), average operating budget ($91M) and number of directorates (six).

External Operating Environment

Emerging issues in Council‟s external operating environment which will further potentially impact on the current structure include the Independent Local Government Review Panel (ILGRP) proposals for AlburyCity to take a greater key strategic regional capability building role in the new model/s for local government in the region and state.

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Accordingly at the July 2013 organisation structure review, no changes to the current directorate structure were proposed until after the ILGRP recommendations are adopted and implemented by the NSW Government and/or until a vacancy occurred in one or more of the Director positions to trigger a further review.

Proposed Organisation Structure Changes:

Reduction in Directorates

It is proposed to reduce the number of directorates from six (including the General Manager) to five directorates. (Attachment 3).

The rationale for the change here is to give even greater strategic focus to the alignment of structure with the Albury 2030 Community Strategic Plan along key themes.

Re-alignment of Reporting Lines:

Direct Reports to the General Manager

In addition to the Directors (four), the Communications, CFO (Finance & Procurement) and Human Resources - Group Leaders (three) and Executive Assistant will report directly to the General Manager. The rationale for this is that these Groups are key organisation wide strategic and operational functions.

Accordingly the number of direct reports to the General Manager has increased by one (1) with the integrated planning function and co-ordinating the service and efficiency review activity area now within the General Manager‟s Directorate.

Alignment of Business Units

Re-alignment of reporting lines for Council‟s commercial business units (currently in the Engineering Directorate) to the Economic Development and Tourism (ED&T) Directorate has been reviewed as foreshadowed and it is proposed to allocate the Commercial Strategy component of the commercial businesses (and other opportunities) to ED&T while retaining the operational component in Engineering.

The rationale for the change here is to give even greater focus to the strategic management and operation of Council‟s regional business units including Albury Airport, Cemeteries and Crematoria, and Albury Waste Management Centre. Additionally this change will further enable the Engineering Directorate to focus on staged implementation of the Engineering Services review adopted in 2011.

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The outcomes of the Strategic Property Management review are currently being implemented with adjustments to reporting lines within the ED&T and other directorates (Corporate Services (Governance) and Engineering); accordingly the opportune timing for the re-alignment now coincides with the implementation of the Strategic Property Management review findings and allocation of the Strategic Property function to ED&T. The ED&T Directorate will also co-ordinate the shared services activity area.

The customer service and information management functions are now allocated to the Planning and Environment Directorate, aligning with a number of key customer and technology opportunities for further service development and innovation.

Changes to the organisation structure will be dealt with in accordance with the requirements of the Local Government Award and in consultation with the affected employees.

Senior Staff Designated Positions

“Senior Staff” are defined in the Local Government Act to mean the General Manager of the Council and the holders of all other positions identified in the Council‟s organisation structure as senior staff positions.

There are no other positions identified in the Council‟s organisation structure as senior staff positions other than the General Manager.

Senior staff contract conditions are provided for within the Operational Plan and are reported annually in Council‟s Annual Report.

Since 2010, all current Directors are employed under the Local Government (State) Award.

No changes to the current “senior staff” defined positions in the organisation structure were proposed at the time of the July 2013 organisation structure review. A further review has taken place as a result of the impending vacancy in a Director position and subsequent proposed reduction in directorate numbers. That further review has identified opportunities for “senior staff” defined positions, and transitioning to standard Division of Local Government (DLG) senior staff contracts.

Moving all current Directors to “senior staff” status and standard DLG senior staff contracts is now recommended and Council will need to resolve to determine the subject remaining Director positions as “senior staff” positions under the Act.

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Section 332 (extract) Local Government Act 1993

“(2) A council may not determine a position to be a senior staff position unless: (a) the responsibilities, skills and accountabilities of the position are generally equivalent to those applicable to the Executive Band of the Local Government (State) Award, and (b) the total remuneration package payable with respect to the position is equal to or greater than the minimum remuneration package (within the meaning of Part 3A of the Statutory and Other Offices Remuneration Act 1975) payable with respect to senior executive office holders whose positions are graded Level 1 (General Management). (3) For the purposes of subsection (2) (b), the total remuneration package payable with respect to a position within a council‟s organisation structure includes: (a) the total value of the salary component of the package, and (b) the total amount payable by the council by way of the employer‟s contribution to any superannuation scheme to which the holder of the position may be a contributor, and (c) the total value of any non-cash benefits for which the holder of the position may elect under the package, and (d) the total amount payable by the council by way of fringe benefits tax for any such non- cash benefits.”

The total remuneration package levels of all current Directors is commensurate with the SES Level 3/4 range for such Executive Band positions and levels of responsibility and accountability, and to achieve the employee retention and attraction objectives of Council.

Transition to standard DLG senior staff contracts for the remaining Directors will be dealt with in accordance with the Local Government Award provisions and consultation with affected employees.

It is anticipated that a transition to standard DLG senior staff contracts can be successfully negotiated and it is considered appropriate to allow a timeframe for negotiations to occur. A target date for completing the transition is 1 September 2014.

Service and Efficiency Reviews

The 2013-2017 Operational Budget line item titled “Savings to be achieved” identifies a further $2.2M of savings to be achieved to return the General Fund to an operating budget surplus over the four-year Delivery Program.

Service and efficiency reviews have been commenced and/or scheduled across Council‟s operations over the four-year Delivery Program. The outcomes and recommendations of these reviews and where these recommendations would impact significantly on either service delivery or service levels will be reported to Council on an ongoing basis. Six (6) monthly reports are being submitted to Council as resolved in July 2013.

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The proposed reduction in directorates will generate direct savings in one (1) Director Salary and one (1) private use vehicle at the macro level. One (1) additional FTE saving is also anticipated with further changes and potential savings to be determined as the proposed changes in reporting lines and positions within the revised directorates are determined and finalised.

In the meantime, the ongoing strategy and policy of reviewing all vacant positions will continue as to need and justification and accordingly, the impact on existing employees and service levels are acknowledged, however, in the overall organisational context, is considered to be minimal at this stage.

Community Engagement

The review of the organisation structure is the prerogative of Council in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act.

In this instance, there is in place a detailed community engagement process during the development, discussion and adoption by Council of the 2013-2014 Operational Plan, the current service levels and organisation structure at the macro level has not been altered prior to this report. It is intended that any proposed changes to service levels and organisation structure are included in the 2014-2018 Operational Plan and take effect from 1 July 2014.

Service and efficiency reviews have been commenced and/or scheduled across Council‟s operations over the four-year Delivery Program. The outcomes and recommendations of these reviews and where these recommendations would impact significantly on either service delivery or service levels will be reported to Council and the community on an ongoing basis.

Options

Having regard to legislative requirements and the principle of structure following strategy; Council‟s options include:

1. adopting the recommendations of the review report; 2. adopting additional or other recommendations as Council determines within the context of the review objectives; 3. retaining the current organisation structure; or 4. requesting a further review following the service and delivery review report outcomes to Council as recommended in this report.

Conclusion

Section 332 of the Local Government Act 1993 requires Council to determine an organisation structure. Section 333 enables the Council to re-determine that structure at any time and requires that this must be done at least within 12 months of an ordinary election. Council‟s most recent review occurred in July 2013.

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The re-determination of Council‟s organisation structure becomes necessary when the way the organisation operates is proposed to be altered, that is; new positions are created, existing positions deleted, where various lines of responsibility are altered or Council‟s corporate or strategic objectives are reviewed.

The pending departure of the current Director Corporate Services has provided an opportunity to review the Council‟s directorates and associated functions and propose a revised organisation structure that continues to meet the organisation‟s community strategic plan requirements and service delivery capabilities.

The proposed revised organisation structure (macro level) will remain efficient and effective as detailed in this review report.

Recommendation

That Council: a. Receive and note the report on the organisation structure (macro level) review and the ongoing staged implementation of service and efficiency review. b. Adopt the revised organisation structure attached to the report for inclusion in the 2014/15 Operational Plan and 2014-2018 Delivery Program as a result of this review and to be given effect from 1 July 2014. c. Receive and note the report on “senior staff” and determine the four (4) Director positions in the revised adopted organisation structure to be “senior staff” positions in accordance with Section 332 of the Local Government Act 1993 (as amended) and give effect to these positions so determined effective from 1 September 2014. d. Continue to receive on a six monthly basis a further report from the General Manager outlining progress with the service and efficiency reviews and as future opportunities for organisation structure change present.

 Attachments

1. AlburyCity Functions under Themes. 2. AlburyCity Current Organisation Structure 2013. 3. AlburyCity Revised Organisation Structure 2014.

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OFFICERS REPORTS FOR NOTING

Note:

The following reports included in this Agenda are for the information of Councillors, to be received, noted and accepted.

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CM 11 – OFFICERS REPORTS FOR NOTING

There were no Officers Reports for Noting.

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DELEGATES REPORTS FOR NOTING

Note:

The following reports included in this Agenda are for the information of Councillors, to be received, noted and accepted.

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CM 12 – DELEGATES REPORTS FOR NOTING

12A Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (Fare) - 2014 Annual Alcohol Poll – Cr David Thurley Reports (DOC14/24650)

DATE 1 April 2014

CONFIDENTIAL YES NO  If yes please tick one of the following reasons Personnel Matters Commercial Legal Security Personal Hardship

ITEM FOR DECISION ITEM FOR NOTING  Meeting Date Meeting Date Monday 28 April 2014

FURTHER ENQUIRIES TO Cr David Thurley PHONE 0419 510 274 Council

Cr David Thurley attended the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) – 2014 Annual Alcohol Poll launch in Canberra on Wednesday 26 March 2014.

FARE is an independent charitable organisation working to prevent the harmful use of alcohol in Australia. Their mission is to help Australia change the way it drinks by:

 helping communities to prevent and reduce alcohol – related harms;  building the case for alcohol policy reform; and  engaging Australians in conversations about our drinking culture.

FARE is guided by the World Health Organisation‟s Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol for addressing alcohol-related harms through population-based strategies, problem-directed policies and direct interventions.

For the financial year ended June 30 2013 the foundation had an income of $5.6 million and used over $2 million of that on projects relating to its mission statement including fundamental research and social programs. The Chairman of the Foundation is Mr Andrew Fairley and the Chief Executive is Mr Michael Thorn.

Their principal involvement in NSW comes through the NSW/ACT Alcohol Policy Alliance (NAAPA).

This was the 5th such survey carried out by Galaxy Research and in it they surveyed 1,545 people over 18 years of age across Australia. This sample size allows an accuracy of ±2.5% at the 95% confidence interval. The survey is conducted online among members of pureprofile, a permission- based panel which has 375,000 members.

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Speakers at the launch included the Chairman of FARE Mr Andrew Fairley, the CEO Mr Michael Thorn, Ms Caterina Giorgi Director of Policy and Research, Dr Steve Hambleton, President of the AMA, Professor Mike Daube, Professor of Public Health at Curtin University and Chairman of the McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth, Senator Fiona Nash, Assistant Health Minister, Stephen Jones, Shadow Assistant Health Minister, and Senator Richard Di Natale, Greens spokesperson on health matters.

Issues raised by the speakers included the following:

 the AMA has called for a National Summit and Tony Abbott has agreed to raise the matter at COAG meeting;  75% of people agree that under-18s are influenced by alcohol advertising even though the industry says they do not target young people;  strategies other than law and sentencing are needed;  the Greens have called for a Senate inquiry into alcohol advertising; and  voluntary codes are not working.

Key Findings

Consistent with previous years, the poll found that the majority of Australians (78%) believe that Australia has a problem with excessive drinking or alcohol abuse and 76% believe that the problem will stay the same or get worse over the next 10 years. The majority (79%) believes that more needs to be done to address alcohol-related harms and that governments, alcohol companies and pubs and clubs need to do more.

More than one-third (37%) of Australians have been affected by alcohol related violence and 70% have been negatively affected by someone else‟s drinking including property damage and physical abuse.

There is majority support for most areas of alcohol policy reform such as health information labels on alcohol products, placing a ban on alcohol advertising before 8:30pm and not allowing alcohol advertising at sporting events. There is also majority support for various strategies to reduce alcohol related violence including increasing penalties for people involved in alcohol related violence, increasing police numbers at times and places where alcohol related violence is greater and a closing time for pubs, clubs and bars of no later than 3am.

Recommendation

That Council receive and note the report on Cr Thurley‟s attendance at the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) – 2014 Annual Alcohol Poll launch in Canberra on Wednesday 26 March 2014.

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12B Review of the Liquor Act 2007 and the Gaming and Liquor Administration Act 2007 Community Stakeholder Consultation Meeting – Cr David Thurley Reports (DOC14/28136)

DATE 10 April 2014

CONFIDENTIAL YES NO  If yes please tick one of the following reasons Personnel Matters Commercial Legal Security Personal Hardship

ITEM FOR DECISION ITEM FOR NOTING  Meeting Date Meeting Date Monday 28 April 2014

FURTHER ENQUIRIES TO Cr David Thurley PHONE 0419 510 274 Council

Cr David Thurley and Heather Webster (Community Safety Officer) attended the Review of the Liquor Act 2007 and the Gaming and Liquor Administration Act 2007 Community Stakeholder Consultation meeting on Wednesday 9 April 2014 in Sydney.

The format of the meeting was a discussion of the recommendations made in the Foggo Report. A session had been held the previous day.

15 people attended along with personnel from OLGR and a facilitator. The attendees included representatives from Councils (Sydney, Newcastle, Dubbo, Albury, Randwick and Blacktown) the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education Michael Thorn, Amy Ferguson and Tony Brown), Suzy Cenedese of LGNSW, Greg Chilvers of the Police Association, Dr J Crozier Royal Australian College of Surgeons and Dr A Ziller of the Australian Street Company and a lecturer in community impact assessment and social planning.

The consultation will assist the OLGR in the framing of a final report to Government but I do not intend to go through all the recommendations in this brief report. However I will highlight some of the main points and feelings of those who attended the meeting. The points are not made in any order of importance:

 Consultation favours the industry too much at present and gives little weight to the views of the community. The opportunities for Councils and individuals to have a say needs to be greatly strengthened.

 The Kings Cross initiatives need to be made state wide and Minister Souris says that this matter is on the table. This includes mandated 3 am closing times for example.

 The Environment and Venue Assessment Tool (EVAT) used in the assessment of licences and conditions needs to be made more transparent and give greater weight to social issues.

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 Research needs to be done so that problems can be clearly identified and quantified rather than decision-making based on anecdotes. For example we have no data in NSW regarding the quantity and location of alcohol sales. This data is collected in the ACT, NT, SA and WA.

 In a DA for a licensed premises, Councils are not permitted to consider the impact of gaming machines even though 38% of the income will come from these machines.  Penalties for infringements are out of line with the harms; eg the penalty for supplying tobacco products to a minor is twice that for supplying alcohol and for allowing a minor to gamble, 10 times.   There have been large increases in “move – on” fines for individuals but the penalties for licensees are less severe.   Pre-loading, binge-drinking and the failure of RSA are not mentioned in the review.   If a risk-based licensing scheme is introduced the fees raised should be directed towards research projects aimed at studying alcohol-related harms.   The planning laws and licensing laws need to be made more consistent so that all parties clearly understand what is required.

 A question was asked about the inconsistencies between the Foggo report and the report by the Standing Committee on Social Justice concerning reducing alcohol-related harm amongst young people. One example is that the latter report recommends that membership of liquor accords should be made compulsory whereas the former suggests that membership should be voluntary.

 Community Impact Statements only cover a very small area around licensed premises and do not accurately capture “community” impacts but merely cover very localised issues such as noise in the immediate vicinity.

The meeting also gave me the opportunity to network with other participants, in particular the two delegates from Newcastle. The following points are relevant in the light of recent comments and articles in local media:

 Few other NSW LGAs have experienced better reductions in the rate of assaults over a two year period.

 Newcastle now has more licensed premises (including restaurants and small bars) than prior to the 2008 intervention.

 The 2008 intervention coincided with the GFC and the bursting of the pub valuation bubble by 30%. Many other businesses unrelated to liquor went out of business.

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 Only a small number of late trading pubs and clubs closed down. One, the Civic Hotel burnt down.

 The Chairman of the Newcastle Liquor Accord, Mr Russell Richardson, who is the owner of King St Hotel, purchased an additional late trading venue called Fannys and renamed it Argyle House. It was a significant and does not indicate a lack of confidence in the viability of the sector.

 The multi-million Honeysuckle Hotel (midnight trading) was built after the reduction of trading hours came into effect.  The current Newcastle Mayor has spent $6 million renovating his Lucky Country development which is a late trading venue.

Recommendation a. That Council receive and note the report on attendance at the Review of the Liquor Act 2007 and the Gaming and Liquor Administration Act 2007 Community Stakeholder Consultation Meeting. b. That Council conduct a community forum as recommended by the NSW Standing Committee on Social Issues to develop an action plan to deal with alcohol related harms in our community. Such a forum would focus on all issues including the supply and promotion of alcohol, violence both domestic and non-domestic, the impacts on our police and health services and health effects of excessive drinking.

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CM 13 – NOTICE OF URGENT BUSINESS

Items raised by Councillors at the meeting.

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