COUNCIL Infocus JULY – SEPTEMER 2020
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COUNCIL inFOCUS JULY – SEPTEMER 2020 CONTENTS PART 1 4 FOCUSING on your COUNCIL Cook Shire Hosts Senator Nita Green Councillor Morris likes to Move It FNQROC in Brisbane Northern Exposure for Douglas Shire 6 EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM 9 COMMUNITY ECONOMY AND INNOVATION The Shape of Things to Come – Cook Shire 2031 Social Recovery Survey launched Covid Call Centre comes to a close Ayton Blitz – Resilience Day Traditional Welcome at Wujal Wujal Gateway to Cape York Indigenous Literacy Day Cardiac Challenge 2020 rolls into town Citizenship Day ABC Backroads Council Blitz ‘Cleans Up’ at LGMA Awards Cook’s Departure Re-enactment Live from Cooktown Queensland Weekender 13 ORGANISATIONAL BUSINESS SERVICES Shire Hall Project Builders and Tradies Info Night My Cook Shire Career Environmental Health 14 INFRASTRUCTURE Coen Reservoir Parks and Gardens Cooktown and Coen water meter replacement Cherry Tree Bay walking trail Restoration underway Jensen’s Crossing Bridge upgrade Canopy of colour Monumental cleaning jobs for Parks and Gardens Sealing the way Flood works Job well done Preparing for take off Airport upgrade taking flight Charlotte Street improvement works complete PART 2 17 OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE Cover image: 25-26 July 2020 - Cooktown Underwater Hockey Team took on the Cairns Crays at the Cooktown Pool over a weekend of fierce competition and festivities that brought the whole community together. PART 1 FOCUSING on your COUNCIL LINDA CARDEW Chief Executive Officer Emerging in July from three months of and most significant works programs arrangements, there is much to be done. COVID-19 lockdown across the Cape undertaken: over $45 million in Disaster Council staff have also commenced brought a collective sigh of relief across Recovery works across the Shire, the scheduling and delivery of a $2.6m Council. The very substantial efforts providing work for 17 Cape–based program of Operational Plan initiatives, required to establish a dedicated call contracting teams employing an the most exciting of which is community centre and the provision of advice and estimated 190 personnel, not including consultation for the new 10 year 2031 support for the community, saw a team Council’s DRFA team, and road and of redeployed staff commit many hours structures crews of 23. Council is also Community Plan. Councillors and staff of care and concern for those affected delivering additional projects funded by have travelled throughout the Cape to by travel and border restrictions. The the State Government with a value in listen to and capture the aspirations of results of the combined agencies excess of $19.5m, and projects funded the community for the next decade. were phenomenal – with Cook and by the Federal Government with a value Finally we celebrated the LGMA our neighbouring communities not in excess of $10 million. Across all Excellence in Local Government Awards, experiencing a single case of COVID-19 works and projects there is a shortage winning the category of “Doing More with anywhere in the Cape. Significant and of qualified trades – a consequence of Less”. The category recognises projects ongoing partnerships have also been COVID travel restrictions and the short or initiatives from category one councils renewed with the Chamber of Commerce timeframes nominated by funding bodies that showcase lateral thinking, increased and others in a push for economic for the delivery of ‘stimulus’ projects. productivity and simplicity, to drive a recovery throughout the Shire. Strong Council is fortunate to have now project or initiative that is an aspirational bids for resilience funding provided by appointed a full time Disaster model for other smaller councils. This Council, were submitted by businesses Management Officer and with the Award was sponsored by the Department and have since been awarded. confirmed La Niña event and forecasts Local Government Racing and This quarter has also seen Council of an early and significant wet season, Multicultural Affairs and was announced powering on while the weather is the remaining fire season and the by the Director General. Congratulations favourable, with one of the largest vigilance required for ongoing COVID and thanks go to all involved. 4 COOK SHIRE COUNCIL COOK SHIRE FNQROC IN BRISBANE In August, Mayor Peter Scott travelled to Brisbane with other members of the Far HOSTS SENATOR North Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (FNQROC) board to meet with State Government Ministers and Shadow Ministers to discuss regional issues. Over NITA GREEN three days, and in the light of the State elections in October and the extraordinary On Thursday 23 July, Senator Nita COVID-19 related social and political environment, discussions focussed on the Green visited Cook Shire to discuss opportunity for regionalisation that is underpinned by the need for new and improved our post-COVID-19 priorities, including transport infrastructure, water security, communications and housing. championing our capacity for growth and development in the region and in the importance of upgrading the Bloomfield Track to create a coastal tourist loop from Cairns. Pictured (clockwise from the centre-top): Hopevale Mayor, Jason Woibo; Cook Shire Mayor, Peter Scott; Douglas Shire Mayor, Michael Kerr; Wujal Wujal Mayor, Bradley Creek; Mareeba Mayor, Angela Toppin; Yarrabah Mayor, Ross Andrews; Mr. Mark Furner MP, Minister for Agriculture Industry Development and Fisheries; Cairns Regional Council Mayor, Bob Manning. COUNCILLOR MORRIS LIKES TO NORTHERN EXPOSURE MOVE IT FOR DOUGLAS SHIRE Cook Shire hosted the Douglas Shire Mayor, Cr Michael Kerr and CEO Mark On Friday 24 July, Councillor Marilyn Stoermer on Friday 21 August. Included were visits to the Cooktown History Centre Morris joined fellow Directors from the with volunteer historians Jean Stephan and Jenny Habermann, and the Cooktown North Queensland Sports Foundation Sewerage Treatment Plant with tour guides Robyn Maddalena and (NQSF) in Townsville to discuss Les Treloar. ‘MoveIt NQ’ - a new and exciting community recreational initiative - as well as other opportunities for future engagement through sport and nutrition. COUNCIL inFOCUS | JULY - SEPTEMBER 2020 5 EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM The Executive Leadership Team comprises the Chief Executive Officer and the Directors of three separate departments: COMMUNITY ECONOMY ORGANISATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND INNOVATION BUSINESS SERVICES A customer focused department Manages a diverse portfolio Responsible for all civil works, charged with the responsibility of corporate and business water and waste water, parks of developing and maintaining responsibilities including and gardens, fleet management, social and economic capital and finance, governance, facilities, airports, major capital projects identifying and implementing land tenure, planning and and asset management. new and innovative actions and environment, customer service, projects. human resources and information technology. Over the last three months the Executive Leadership Team has represented Cook Shire in a wide range of forums. These have included: DATE NAME OF EXTERNAL PARTY NATURE OF ENGAGEMENT 1 July Dept. Local Government, Racing and Teleconference with Premier and Queensland Mayors Multicultural Affairs (DLGRMA) 13 July Torres and Cape Indigenous Council Alliance Ordinary monthly meeting (Weipa) (TCICA) 16 July Senator Nita Green Meeting with Councillors to discuss local issues Cairns District Disaster Management Group Monthly meeting with updates from Queensland Health executives re. (DDMG) Covid-19 21 July Dept. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teleconference with Queensland Chief Health Officer (CHO) and State Partnerships (DATSIP) Disaster Coordinator re. Covid-19 22 July Various agency groups Cook Shire Local Disaster Management Group (LDMG) meeting Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Queensland Disaster Management Arrangements (QDMA) training (QFES) 28 July TCICA Teleconference with Minister Mick de Brenni re. local housing matters 30 July Local Government Association Queensland LGAQ 2020 Regional Organisation of Councils Assembly (Brisbane) (LGAQ) Various agency groups Cooktown and District Interagency Working Group bimonthly meeting 31 July Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) Teleconference re. Communities in Transition Business Cases within the State’s Economic Recovery Strategy DLGRMA Teleconference with Premier and Queensland Mayors 4 August Various agency groups Laura Interagency Group meeting (Laura) Members of the public Community Meeting (Coen) 5 August Various agency groups Coen Interagency Group meeting (Coen) DLGRMA Teleconference with Premier and Queensland Mayors 6 August DATSIP Teleconference with Mayors and CEOs of remote and discrete Qld communities 10 August Hon James McGrath, LNP Senator for Far North Queensland Regional Organisation of Councils (FNQROC) Queensland 6 COOK SHIRE COUNCIL DATE NAME OF EXTERNAL PARTY NATURE OF ENGAGEMENT 11 August FNQROC Monthly board meeting (Brisbane) Dr Christian Rowan MP, Shadow Minister FNQROC Mayoral Delegation (Brisbane) for Aboriginal and TSI Partnerships, Shadow Minister for Communities, Disability Services and Seniors, Shadow Minister for the Arts Ms Ros Bates MP, Shadow Minister for Health FNQROC Mayoral Delegation (Brisbane) and Ambulance Services, Shadow Minister for Women Mr Dale Last MP, Shadow Minister for FNQROC Mayoral Delegation (Brisbane) Northern Queensland, Shadow Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Water Hon Mick de Brenni MP, Minister for Housing