The Coorong District Council Annual Report 2004 - 2005 Creating a Better Future ~ with Pride Our Vision Creating a Better Future ~ with pride Our Mission Is ¾ To provide strong leadership ¾ To listen and be sensitive to the community ¾ To serve the community with equality ¾ To actively encourage and support enterprise for local prosperity ¾ To foster community health. ¾ To protect and enhance the environment Core Values Are The Coorong District Council has a commitment to balancing the following core values ¾ Integrity ¾ Reliability ¾ Consistency ¾ Continuous Improvement ¾ Financial Responsibility ¾ Quality Customer Service ¾ Acting in the best interest of the community CONTENTS Mayor’s Message -------------------------------------------------------------1 Chief Executive Officer’s Report-------------------------------------------3 Elected Members -------------------------------------------------------------5 Representation ----------------------------------------------------------------6 Structure & Functions of Council ------------------------------------------7 Occupation Health, Safety & Welfare ----------------------------------- 10 Risk Management----------------------------------------------------------- 13 Departmental Reports • Administrative Services------------------------------------------- 15 • Technical Services------------------------------------------------- 18 • Development & Environmental Services Department -------- 22 Information ------------------------------------------------------------------ 32 Documents Available for Public Inspection----------------------------- 38 Rating Policy ---------------------------------------------------------------- 39 Separate Documents: Coorong District Council’s Annual Financial Statements 2004/2005 Murray Mallee Community Transport Scheme Annual Report Murray & Mallee Local Government Association Annual Report Mayor’s Message Cr. Neville Jaensch I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Councillors and staff for their support and endeavours continuing to “create a better future – with pride” for Council and our community. As an organisation Council must always be mindful that we are accountable to our communities and it is our responsibility to be aware of and sensitive to, their opinions, needs and ideas. Council is also under constant pressures that affect its decision making and these include, budget constraints as well as State and Federal Government requirements and or initiatives and changing legislation these are not common just our Council but all of Local Government. This became more public in the Hawker report on Cost Shifting. Over the last twelve months there has been a substantial increase in interest from developers in residential subdivisions. These will take a number years to come into fruition but the future looks exciting for development within our area with residential and other commercial developments being pursued. In time these changes can mean more job opportunities for our youth and diversity for our region. With these potential changes in mind Council has commenced a district wide PAR with the assistance of interested community members who formed a working group with Council to establish the direction of the district wide PAR. The Murraylands Regional Development Board has also been instrumental in promoting our Council area with potential developer and I thank the Chief Executive Officer, Brenton Lewis for their support in this area. Tailem Bend’s North Terrace, Trevena Road being stage 1 of a project to upgrade and make safer access to the SACBH Silos for the heavy vehicles and the community has commenced. This will be a great improvement not only for the Tailem Bend community but the farmers accessing the silos and the visitors to the town centre of Tailem Bend. Council would not have been able to undertake this project without the financial assistance from Special Local Roads Program and the Roads to Recovery Program. Council’s Manager Technical Services, Mr Trevor Gordon retires beginning of next financial year so he will not be apart of the completion of the above project but there are many project around the district to which Trevor has influenced for the enhancement of all. I wish to personally thank Trevor for his service to this Local Government area (Chief Executive Officer of former Peake District Council), his support including times when he was Acting Chief Executive Officer of this Council. We wish Trevor all the best in his retirement. It is also with sadness that Council was informed of the Chief Executive Officer, Bill Paterson’s intention to retire in December 2005. Bill is the first Chief Executive Officer of the Coorong District Council having previously being Chief Executive Officer of the District Council of Meningie. Bill has successfully seen through the amalgamation of the three previous councils the third one being Coonalpyn Downs District Council. Bill has lead with Councillors to deliver to the community a unified, healthy and growing Council to which we all can be proud of. On behalf of Council and the Community I take this opportunity in advance to thank Bill and his wife Jill for their service and wish them well in their retirement. 1 Although the retirement of two of Council’s senior staff members is a loss to Council it will not be a total loss to the Community as both families are planning to remain in the district. I welcome you to Councils 2004/2005 Annual report and encourage you to read further about the Council as an organisation and about the Coorong district. Cr. Neville Jaensch MAYOR Council meeting held at Narrung Hall 2 Chief Executive Officer Mr William (Bill) Paterson Local Government in South Australia is coming under continual pressure in respect to not only performing well in a range of functions, but to report on that performance in a manner that is meaningful at a variety of levels, not the least of which is the ratepayer. Meaningful reporting is a good thing, if it makes it possible for rate payers to become more involved in the level of government that has every day direct effects on the way in which things are done around them. Unfortunately a report in a format useful to other levels of government, is often meaningless to the general public just because of the difference in detail required. An unavoidable outcome of this requirement for more and particular reporting is more resources required to provide these reports. To enable a council to fill its role as a representative informed and responsible decision maker, providing and coordinating various public services and facilities, response from the public is essential, and for this to be an informed response, appropriate reporting is again essential. The Council has commenced the process of reviewing its “Development Plan” under the Development Act 1993. While this plan is still essentially a land use plan, it is requirement that it have closer ties to state planning in regards to infrastructure and outcomes desired at a State level. Public comment will be sought on the Plan Amendment Report, that being the document that amends the Development Plan. It is likely that other Plan Amendment Reports will be commissioned in respect to land use changes in particular areas of the district. The 2004/05 year became pivotal in terms of major road works in Tailem Bend when decisions by other councils in the region to defer major works programs subject to grants, enabled Council to bring forward the complete reconstruction of the North Terrace-Trevena Road heavy traffic route road works. The two year project will also include major upgrades of roads adjacent to and associated with the heavy traffic route. While this work necessitated deferment of other district works, the net gain for the whole district in terms of problems solved will be very large. While Council does not have a direct responsibility for the control of underground or surface water resources either as an asset or as a liability, it will in accordance with the Local Government Act continue to have a major role to “to represent the interests of the community to the wider community” for all aspects of water management. The future management of water will be extremely important to the future of the Coorong District and its people as the Council in line with its Strategic Plan seeks to “Create a Better Future with Pride”. In this my final Annual Report for the Coorong District Council, I believe I can with all those involved look back at a procession of worthwhile achievements, while looking forward with anticipation to the future. Personally I say “thank-you” to the Council for the opportunity to be your Chief Executive Officer and “thank you” to my fellow employees of the Council for your cooperation and assistance. W.R. Paterson Chief Executive Officer 3 Coorong District Council Area Area of 8,836 km2 (largest Council area in the State) Population of approximately 6,000 Sealed Roads 294km Unsealed Roads 1,588km Rate Revenue $3,360,000 Rateable Assessments approx. 3,586 Hosts diverse primary industry including: Cropping Livestock (Sheep, Cattle, Pigs) Dairying Commercial Fishing Aquaculture Horticulture Fodder Mining (eg gypsum) A growing Tourism Industry with three major highways being the Dukes, Mallee and Princes. 4 Elected Members (Councillors) Photo Elected Members & Staff in attendance at a Council meeting Cr. Gary Appelkamp, Cr. Ted Freak, Mr. Clarry Fisher, Mr. Robin Hood, Mr. Bill Paterson, Cr. Roger Strother, Cr. Neville Jaensch, Mr. Trevor Gordon, Cr. Peter Mattner,