Brian O’Connor – Heritage Levy

1. BRIAN O’CONNOR – HERITAGE LEVY Question 1: Can the council confirm whether the wages, superannuation and staff costs of the Noosa Council Heritage Coordinator position are paid from the annual ratepayer Heritage Levy and not from general rates, as is the case with the vast bulk of council employees and, if so, whether there are other instances of staff wages being met from other levies, such as the Environmental Levy and the Sustainable Transport Levy? Response by Trent Grauf, Acting Director, Corporate Services: Yes, a portion of the Heritage Coordinator’s salary directly related to delivery of heritage projects and activities is funded through the Heritage Levy. This is only part of the full time position’s salary, and estimated at a 26% share for the 2021/22 budget. This approach aligns consistently to all other Council levies and separate charges, where the share of officer hours directly related to the delivery of levy activities are funded through the levies. Question 2 Would Noosa Council consider paying the staff costs of the Heritage Coordinator position from general revenue, thereby allowing that person's wages, employer superannuation contributions etc to be re-directed to heritage preservation tasks, including (but not exclusively) those performed by the Noosa Shire Museum, which is not guaranteed regular annual hypothecated funding from the Heritage Levy for the work it does? Response by Trent Grauf, Acting Director, Corporate Services: Changing approach for the Heritage Levy would be inconsistent to Council’s approach for all other levies. Any change in funding approach from Levy to general revenue in turn requires an increase to the General Rate and still impacts the total rates and charges paid by ratepayers. The Heritage Levy Policy & Guideline does not currently contain provision to support the payment of ongoing annual operating contributions to community organisations. As part of the annual budget process (commencing shortly for 2022/23), Council reviews the activities and priorities for funding within all levies. This will include the Heritage Levy. Council’s community grant program provides for equitable competitive funding to community organisations through its Community Grants Programs. The museum receives a three year Community Alliance Grant and has also been previously successful with Project Grants. 2. BREE JOHNSON / SUNSHINE BUTTERFLIES – PATHWAY AT COOROIBAH Question 1: Cr Lorenston has provided a response to our initial questions and we are respectful of Council’s position. However we believe that letters of support as well as the 640 signatures via change.org (215 of those signatures are in the Noosa Shire Council Area) and multiple signatures collected by Bree Johnson from Noosa residents, shows a strong case for need to have the bike/walking path extended from Lake Cooroibah to Silverwood Drive. Our question is, what more do we need to provide to further substantiate our case? Response by Larry Sengstock, Director, Infrastructure Services: Firstly we note the petition that has been presented tonight for consideration by Council. The proposed shared path from Lake Cooroibah to Silverwood Drive was identified within the Noosa Cycling and Walking Strategy and Implementation Plan under Project ID 193B. The project was assessed against a criteria aimed at “getting more people riding a bike or walking” and “achieving value for money”. The criteria and scoring system was developed in consultation with the Project Reference Group (PRG) and later reviewed by the broader community through Council’s Yoursay Community Feedback. The proposed shared path from Lake Cooroibah to Silverwood Drive scored well however was in the slightly lower range when compared to other projects and as the length of pathway required for this project is 1,673m long it would come at a significant cost. Council would need to reallocate resources and funding from other projects which have scored higher in the prioritisation process, or increase Capital spend from general rates. As more funds or grants become available in the future, Council will be able to reassess priorities to be able to deliver this project to the benefit of community.