Palerang Council is proceeding with the preparation of plans to establish its ongoing viability. The process is part of the NSW government ‘Fit for the Future’ (FFTF) program, which requires all NSW councils to demonstrate that their operating model supports effective and efficient service delivery, with the scale and capacity to meet the ongoing needs of their communities.
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There has been a great deal of discussion about various aspects of the NSW local government reform agenda. The aspect most discussed locally, of course, has been the role that council mergers might play in this agenda, specifically the proposed merger between Palerang and Queanbeyan City Councils.
This, however, is only one possible option, albeit the one recommended by the Independent Local Government Review Panel (ILGRP). It is also only one small part of the broader reform agenda. The FFTF program nonetheless requires each council to prepare a business plan for its future, starting with consideration of the recommendations of the ILGRP. This, together with any other options, must then be put out for pubic comment, with relevant feedback to be included with a Council’s FFTF submission.
Last November Palerang Council resolved to support the FFTF program, which includes consideration of a possible merger with Queanbeyan City Council (QCC). The proposal was to work with QCC to develop a business case for the merged entity, so that this could be compared with those of any alternatives, most notably those of the two independent councils.
Even though the consensus within the two Councils to that point had been that there would be little benefit to either the Palerang or Queanbeyan communities in merging, the process involved the engagement of a State funded facilitator to assist in identifying the key issues involved.
“It’s important to understand that the ILGRP recommendation is the starting point in this process, not the end point”, noted Palerang Mayor, Cr Pete Harrison in providing an overview of Council’s effort to date. “We’ve had meetings with Queanbeyan Council representatives, but our focus has been on identifying constraints and critical issues that will have a bearing on any ultimate plan.”
Workshops conducted with the two individual Councils have revealed a consistent range of concerns. A team of technical experts, also subsidised by the State, is now guiding council staff through the assessment of the specific financial and business implications of a merger. This will provide the necessary detail for the merger proposal, and together with our knowledge of the individual council entities, will form the basis for subsequent community comment.
“Once we have a complete picture, we’ll seek public comment on the available options”, Cr Harrison continued. “We are still hoping to have the details finalised so that we can go out to the community in the April/May time frame.”
Community feedback will have a significant bearing on the content of the ultimate submission.
“Whatever option we ultimately propose in response to the ‘Fit for the Future’ program, this exercise will have been of value” concluded Cr Harrison. “We will have a reasonable idea of where we stand as a local government entity, of our weaknesses, and most importantly of those aspects of our current operation that need to be addressed for us to remain viable into the future.”
‘Fit for the Future’ proposals must be submitted by all NSW councils by 30 June 2015.
