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00:00:00 Mayor Wellington: Thank you folks for bringing the meeting to order thanks. Welcome everyone to the special meeting for budget adoption. I'd like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet today that's the Gubbi Gubbi or Kabi Kabi people. They were the traditional owners of this land for some 60,000 years and we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging. So we begin with no apologies. Terrific to see everyone here. Thank you. And we'll move on to item number one, which is adoption of the operational plan.
00:01:00 I'll move. I'll move. Second. You said second. It's okay. I said move but I'll second. Councillor Wilkie moves. Councillor Jackson second. Does anyone wish to speak to it? Yeah. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Chair. Councillor Wilkie: indeed. Then, for those at home in the gallery. Over and above, yet central to this council's strong focus on the core business of providing quality services and facilities, the operational plan highlights projects this team of councillors and staff has collaboratively identified as key aims over the next 12 months. They form part of a 20 year long-term strategic vision as shared in the corporate plan. Divided into five themes, environment, economy, community, long term planning and excellence as a council. The From five themes, environment, economy, community, long-term planning, and excellence as a council. The The operational plan singles out the major initiatives that will be monitored and reported on a quarterly basis. They include new Noosa River Plan actions, such as the establishment of an on-water river management unit, and more initiatives under the Zero Emissions
00:02:00 Action Plan, which drive the economic savings for ratepayers that helped us keep rates rises down to 1.8% this year. With the State Government's introduction on July 1st of the $75 per tonne waste levy, work done also to reduce our community's waste to landfill will also mean cost savings for ratepayers, as well as advance our collective goal of responsible stewardship of our environment. The operational plan also mentions innovative partnerships, such as that with the Nature Conservancy making the Noosa River part of a nationwide and international network of oyster reef restoration projects intended to improve both water clarity and marine life, or the Ural Ringtail Project, which will eventually see 2,400 hectares of former timber plantation and state forests restored to national park over the next 10 years. There is much more work to be done to implement the transport strategy initiatives that saw record numbers of residents and visitors access Hastings Street via free buses, walking or cycling than previously in Noosa's history
00:03:00 over Christmas and Easter. And central to this will be a gap analysis on our cycleways and pathways network. And most importantly, one of the prime goals of the operational plan is the completion of the Noosa River Plan. The Noosa River Planting Scheme, an enormous body of work intended to accommodate the aspirations of community, business and community groups, residents and ratepayers at a time of incredible intergenerational change. Not the least among priorities is the work done to develop the most important resource of the Noosa Council, that is the staff, who more than anyone were responsible for the positive results in the recent Community Satisfaction Survey. Underpinning all of these more ambitious projects is a strong focus on the core business of providing the best quality traditional Council services and facilities possible within a responsible budget of a relatively small Council, always aiming to keep rates rises to a minimum, in recognition of the many financial pressures ratepayers face. As stated in this report, not all initiatives are included in the operational plan. It and
00:04:00 the corporate plan it forms part of are publicly available on the Council's website and I commend my fellow Councillors and the staff for their work in its core. Councillor Jackson. Councillor Jackson: Councillor Jackson. Yes I'd like to also say a few words and I thank Councillor Wilkie for his explanation. Our annual operational plan is of course done on the basis of a corporate plan which has been developed earlier in our term in conjunction with staff, the leadership team and Councillors. Every year we have a new operational plan to highlight the priorities and many of those have been highlighted as priorities. However, just recently Councilor Jackson entered a I'm just going to highlight a few that I think are particularly important. I'm always seeking a balanced approach towards community, economy and environment and I'm pleased to see that Council's operational plan focuses on environment strategy, social
00:05:00 strategy and local economic plan for implementation. I'm also concerned about traffic and congestion management so it's good to see that the implementation of Noosa transport strategy priorities are listed. Of course I'm extremely glad to see that what we are facing in climate change is being addressed as Councillor Wilkie has already mentioned with the climate change adaptation plan and zero emissions action plan. Several residents from various parts of the Shire have come to myself and other councillors about footpaths and bicycle paths connectivity. So it's great to see that cycleways and pathway studies are going to be done to fill in the missing links. And I'm very concerned about potential erosion at Doggie Beach and the Noosa Spit so I'm very pleased to see a priority being put on Noosa Spit shoreline erosion management plan
00:06:00 called ASSEMP. So yes, I commend this work and thank you to the CEO who has prepared this for Noosa Council. Mayor Wellington: Thank you. Any other speakers? Councillor Jurisevic. Councillor Jurisevic: Look, Councillor Wilkie and Councillor Jackson have alluded to a number of the great projects in there but there's a number of projects here that I'm very proud to see finally getting underway in our, that are running to our community. Continued implementation of council social strategy, cultural plan, active recreation plan, health and wellbeing plans. I think they're essential for our community going forward. One that I'm particularly pleased to see in there is the adoption of master plans to the Noosa District Sports Complex in New South Wales. It's well overdue and it would be great to be able to finally get on and get some support for the sporting clubs in there and the facilities within our Shire for further enhancing sporting activities and recreational activities. Again, the finalised cycleways and pathways study I think is one that we've been approached
00:07:00 by a number of residents over time and I think that's going to guide us going forward to make sure that people can get to and from localities. We continue to insist on that. I think that's one of the things that we need to do. In our planning scheme on the creating of cycle facilities and end of trip facilities in there, but people need to have ways and means of getting to those localities. And of course, the one for our staff is to continue to develop our staff through leadership, supervisor development programs and the employee training program, which I'm sure the CEO will be only too pleased to see his budget being spent accordingly. Councillor Wilkie: Thank you, Councillor. Any other councillors? Just to close, Councillor Wilkie. No, thank you, Mr Chairman. Mayor Wellington: Okay. I'll put the motion. All those in favour? Thank you. That's carried. We go on to item two, and that is the adoption of budget policies, including the financial sustainability policy, investment of surplus funds policy, debt policy, procurement policy and environment policy. Moved, Councillor Glasgow.
00:08:00 Seconded, Councillor Jurisevic. Councillor Jackson. Councillor Jackson: Mr Chair, I do have a question. Certainly. I wonder if... Mayor Wellington: Who's it aimed at? Councillor Jackson: First of all... Mayor Wellington: It is actually... Councillor Jackson: It's actually through the Chair to the Director of... Corporate Services. No. Environment and Sustainable Development. Sorry, go on. I wonder, Kim, if you could please explain what is new or changed in the environment levy policy. Speaker 1: Through the Chair, the primary changes through the environment policy are the changes in the policy relate to some changes in the purpose of the policy, particularly some additional wording around the environmental grants program, which has been launched as part of the new environment strategy, to be specific about that the grants are to support the implementation of the environment strategy.
00:09:00 The other change is to... That the environment levy purpose is available to fund the... The delivery and implementation of the Noosa River Management Plan, when that's finalised. And there is also some other consequential changes throughout, to be clear about some changes to Council's funding arrangements with the MBRF. Council's new funding agreement with the MBRF changed the way we were to fund projects. Those projects... That funding to MBRF is through the levy. So there are some changes to reflect and be consistent with the MBRF funding agreement. Essentially, they're the key changes to the environment levy policy. Thank you very much. Mayor Wellington: Councillor Glasgow, do you wish to speak? No, absolutely. Does anyone wish to speak for this? Councillor Jackson: Councillor Jackson? Yes, I do, actually. Thank you, Kim, for your explanation. I actually feel it's extremely important to make the public aware that the environment
00:10:00 levy policy is now undergoing the biggest change ever. The environment levy was originally just for the acquisition of environmental land. The policy has been changed each year since I've been on Council, to include gradually the maintenance of environmental land purchased, and later the funding of management and administrative arrangements for Noosa Biosphere Reserve. This time, it's been expanded to also cover the environmental grants program, capacity building and research projects, and so on. In addition to that, there's been significant environmental projects and programs. This allows, for example, funding of the Council partnership with the Noosa Nature Conservancy, and projects related to the Noosa River Plan. Basically, the environment levy will be able to use to support all of Council's environment strategy. And this is a significant change, and changes how ratepayers funds are accessed.
00:11:00 Thank you. Mayor Wellington: Thank you. Thank you, Chair. Any other speakers to this? Oh, Mr Chair. Councillor Pardon: Yeah, just with regards to the changes, I think the changes are great. As a long-term Councillor, I've been trying to change this policy for many years, and I'm pleased that the Council has gone down this road for opportunities, and especially if we're taking over. Well, if the State will let us take more management, especially of the Noosa River, and as we look to the budget today, we're looking at a $10 increase in the environment levy. And we'll need these funds to actually expand our biodiversity grants, our opportunities to look after the river and the lake system as a whole. So whilst these things are being pointed out today, the changes in policy, I think they're
00:12:00 going to get terrific initiatives, and will give broad scope to bush care groups, many groups who have opportunities to apply for grants. And look, I'd like to commend Councillor Jurisevic and Councillor Stockwell for their work with those groups to pull some of these ideas together, and I think it's a very forward step for this Council. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor. Mayor Wellington: Councillor Stockwell, I thought you might be inspired. I am. I'm going to talk about the policy. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Because sometimes we always look at a budget about what's in there, and some of the most important decisions about what's not in there. And so what's not in there for the next 10 years is more debt. And that says a lot about how we manage the environment. Because why there's no more debt is because we're not investing in major infrastructure
00:13:00 to cater for the environment. We're not investing in sustainable sprawl. We're not investing in large, unsustainable growth of our population. We're not investing in huge seawalls to push back climate change. We're investing in sustainable community development. So to me, it's just as important that the principles that we've had in this Council since the 1980s continue to go on for economic reasons, the reasons why, as a Council, we can hold our head high up in terms of our financial performance is because we understand that there is a tendency on Coastal Councils to look at population growth as a panacea rather than a problem that can lead to existing ratepayers having to fork out for future or investment that comes with the need for growth. And I think because it's topical, I think it's important to realise that we're not just
00:14:00 not borrowing to build multi-storey car parks on Hastings Street. What we are investing in is more investment in sustainable tourism development. So as a part of the budget, we are investing our levies wisely to try and create an industry that attracts high value but low volume. So it makes economic sense to have a population that is within the carrying capacity in the economic sense of the future to have a tourism strategy that was in the carrying capacity of this particular time. Thank you, Councillor. Mayor Wellington: Any other speakers who wish to close? Councillor Glasgow? I'll put the motion. All those in favour? Thank you. That's carried. Speaker 3: Yes. Mayor Wellington: The next one is adoption of budget. But first, I'm going to move that the operation of standing orders or any relevant provision thereof be suspended to allow Council to do so.
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00:15:00 I'll second that. Seconded by Councillor Glasgow. Thank you. I'll put the motion. All those in favour? Thank you. That's carried. Okay. The good news in this budget story is that Council's managed to keep... I hope you don't mind if I stay seated for this. The good news in this budget story is that Council has managed to keep the minimum general rate rise to less than the local government association of Queensland's cost index. And this has been managed by the local government association of Queensland's cost index. The LGAQ cost index provides a measure of the average cost increases experienced by councils across the state for the previous year. The LGAQ suggests that, quote, a comparable average revenue increase will be necessary
00:16:00 to maintain current levels of service before provision for growth, irregular maintenance and capital replacement. To put that in plain English, it's what the local government association recommends as a rate increase to continue to provide the same level of service into the coming year. The LGAQ cost index for the coming financial year is 2 per cent. Our minimum general rate increase is 1.8 per cent, as I say, less than the cost index. Furthermore, our minimum general rate increase is just 0.3 per cent above CPI for Brisbane, which is currently at 1.5 per cent. And to add some further comparisons, the CPI for Australia up until December was 1.8 per cent, the same as our minimum rate rise, and it was at 1.3 per cent up to the March quarter. Of course, Noosa did experience another year of increased land valuations. As usual, we've attempted to soften the impact of those valuations through our rating categories with the aim of preventing too many property owners from jumping to a higher category.
00:17:00 Changes to the Valuer General's land valuations. Nevertheless, results in some additional revenue to Council, which partly explains how we can increase our service levels whilst keeping the minimum general rate rise to less than the LGAQ cost index. According to the State's Land Valuer General rates went up in every district of the Shire with Cooroy once again the front runner on an extraordinary 8.5 per cent. Most other districts were between 5 and 7 per cent. So I'll move on to have a closer look at the impact of the rate increase. More than three quarters of Noosa property owners, 77 per cent in total, will experience even no rate increase, or else the minimum general rate increase of 1.8 per cent. Meanwhile, actually 6 per cent of properties will experience a decrease in their rates based on last year. And a further 11 per cent will experience a rate increase between 1.8 and 5 per cent thanks to land valuations and changes in rating categories.
00:18:00 Just a reminder that almost two thirds, 64 per cent of properties will experience a rate increase between 1.8 and 5 per cent. And as Councillor Pardons previously noted, or maybe it was Councillor Jurisevic, I forget now, it was so long ago, we decided to increase the environment levy by $10 this year. This is because we intend to establish a council river unit to help deliver the outcomes of the upcoming Noosa River Plan, yet to be endorsed I acknowledge, and the extra $10 will also go towards increased support for land for wildlife properties and also voluntary conservation agreements. By way of comparison, our new environment levy of $70 still places Noosa in an average position compared with other Queensland councils. It's slightly less than the Sunshine Coast Council's $76 environment levy, and of course every council is probably less than the Cassowary Coast, who charge $202 for their environment
00:19:00 levy. There's also a small increase this year in waste collection. That amounts to just $7.50 per year for those properties with a 240-litre three-bin service, and that's the majority of our urban residents. And here's how that all looks from the perspective of the 64 per cent of property owners on the minimum general rate. With the 1.8 per cent rate increase, they'll be paying $1,122 in rates. Add the environment levy, which is the only levy to increase this year of $70, plus the other levies which remain the same. Sustainable transport levy, $30, heritage levy, $10, and the three-bin service waste charge, assuming they're on a three-bin service, of $337.50. That takes their gross rates and charges to $1,569.50. Now if they pay it smartly and enjoy the early payment discount, they'll get a $56.10 discount, leaving a payment of $1,513.40, and that would be $36.50 or 70 cents per week more than they
00:20:00 paid overall for the same property last year. Now Noosa does have some unique qualities that prey on our minds, all of us, when we're designing our annual budget. We absolutely recognise that Noosa Shire is a local government area with below state average household incomes, which surprises some people, but well above state average land values. And this affordability dilemma has to be factored in each year, and it remains a primary reason to keep rate increases to an absolute minimum. Furthermore, our recent case study shows that Noosa Shire is one of the most affordable residencies in New South Wales. We've determined not to increase the rating on retirement villages this financial year. However, it should be noted that two properties fall into the category under the Valuer General's
00:21:00 definitions. Remember, it's the Valuer General that determines these categories, and they've been subject to a valuation increase. So those two retirement villages, being Cooroy Village and Palm Lakes, will end up paying a bit more, because while our rate in the dollar hasn't altered from last year, their land value has increased. As well as new initiatives and another massive capital works program, there are a number of other imposts that we had to factor in this year. One was the 2.5% across the board wage increase for staff. Another was a rather surprisingly expensive state imposted costs, state imposed costs for next year's local government elections. We also had a temporary loss of revenue from the necessary closure of North Shore Campground while we upgraded to factor in. We had to factor in the short-term loss of income from the Noosa Aquatic Centre while the roof was repaired and the pool refurbished and rejuvenated, the 50-metre pool that is. Thankfully there are also some savings to be had this year, including obviously the
00:22:00 reduced interest on loan borrowings due to our early payment of $10 million off our debt, plus a kickback from the state for administering the new waste levy on their behalf. And while we're talking about the waste levy, there will be no impact of that levy on residential properties, but there will be increases in waste for commercial waste disposed at landfill and letters have already been sent to our commercial waste bin customers to explain this. To say this Council's in good financial shape is to state the obvious. After all, we've just paid down the $10 million from our historical high interest debt, and in keeping with our financial sustainability policy, we've again budgeted for a small surplus in 2019-20, as well as meeting all three of our financial sustainability ratios. As always, we've used a build-from-base, otherwise known as a zero-base budgeting process, which ensures that we scrutinise every expenditure line. Our economic development and tourism levy remains the same this year.
00:23:00 Over and above the agreed sum going to Tourism Noosa, as set out in our funding agreement with them, we've also determined to provide Tourism Noosa with $100,000 from the levy to fund an eco-accreditation system and to implement other activities, such as water management, which is aimed at improving the local environment. Some additional funds from the levy will also go to our economic development department for arranged initiatives. Sustainable transport levy funds will go towards further transport initiatives. The Go Noosa trials over Christmas and Easter were largely successful, and those actions, including free buses, will continue to be rolled out over peak holiday periods. Staff are also working closely with TransLink on the network review of public transport, which we hope will inspire a whole new way of approaching our bus service. Staff are also working with the State's Mobility as a Service team on future transport options for Noosa, looking well into the future. And there will be more initiatives announced shortly, taking into account recommendations
00:24:00 made to Council from our Transport Strategy Steering Committee. And the heritage levy will be funding five new initiatives, from digitising copies of historical newspapers, such as the Noosa News and Noosa Advocate, to recording oral histories with significant residents. So, let's go and have a look at the $28 million capital work spent for the coming year. The big ticket items include the upgrade of the Noosa North Shore beachfront campground, and that of course is a revenue-raising asset that Council wants to see operate at world's best practice. Close to $2.5 million will be spent redeveloping the campground. The Ariella Bridge at Sunrise Beach is a critical piece of infrastructure that requires replacing, and that's being part-funded thanks to a federal grant. The intersection of Hilton Terrace and Ernest Street will be home to a new roundabout that's recently been designed by staff, and the new Peregian Community Centre, part of the overall roof of street development at Peregian, will be constructed again with federal funding to assist.
00:25:00 When the community centre is completed, along with the associated public park upgrade, we can then move on to expanding the very successful digital hub in the following financial year. Peregian will also see a new boardwalk and a much-needed replacement of its somewhat embarrassing toilet block. There will be essential works at Gympie Terrace, Noosaville to replace and repair stormwater drains. Now, this is hardly a sexy project, but it's a very expensive one, as we all know, and that simply has to be done as part of good asset management. As well as fixing an ailing stormwater system between Cloudsley Street and Albert Street, we'll also be improving the on-road cycle facilities, plus the pedestrian pathway. And speaking of pathways, children attending schools in Noosaville will enjoy new pathways at Seagull Drive and Shire Drive, providing safer access for those walking and cycling to school. And of course, we encourage more students to walk and cycle to school. Given the incredible number of requests we are continuing to receive for new pathways,
00:26:00 which was mentioned earlier by Councillor Jackson, we'll be undertaking a Shire-wide investigation of our pathway network, and that'll be with a view to doing two things. One, looking at the missing links. But also setting a set of guidelines to help instruct us in terms of prioritising work on these pathways. And significant funds, of course, are being once again injected into Council's Zero Emissions Project, as well as our transport strategy actions previously mentioned. So let's take a little trip to the hinterland. Our hinterland residents will see a couple of replacement bridges at Kin Kin and Cooran. And we've also decided to seal Teewah Road with one E in Boreen Point. Don't be afraid. One has it with two Es and one has it with one, but we know that it should be one E there. And we've also decided to seal, that's at Boreen Point, Teewah Road, and we'll be sealing
00:27:00 the dead-end, steep section of Ambulance Street in Pomona. The considerable safety upgrade of Black Mountain Road will be completed this financial year, and we've helped SEQ Water. And you should know that. This shade house will be constructed in the Botanic Gardens, and the gardens will also receive improved irrigation and improved signage. Pioneer Park in Cooran will receive further works to finalise the improvements made over the last year or so. And a total of $260,000 will be spent across our community halls and public buildings in the hinterland. Design plus tendering on the hinterland nature-based adventure playground in Cooroy will occur over the coming financial year, with construction to begin in the following financial year. And of course this project comes with a very pleasant $2.8 million injection from the Federal Government. I'm just going to talk about that project for a minute while I've got an opportunity. Suggestions of this project that's suddenly been sprung on the community couldn't be further from the truth.
00:28:00 The playground, or a playground, was part of the Mill Place Precinct Master Plan going back to 2006. Significant consultation on the playground in this location was carried out by the then Sunshine Coast Council. The playground has been discussed publicly by Noosa Council since de-amalgamation and has appeared in Council's corporate plan as a key objective for a number of years. In April last year, staff met with key stakeholder groups in Cooroy, including the Cooroy Chamber of Commerce, Cooroy Future Group and Cooroy Area Residents Association, and they received enthusiastic response to the project. Media releases last July well reported in the local media also referred to the playground, and a stakeholder reference group for the project has been meeting since November 2018. I understand that reference group will continue to meet every month this year. And there is nothing sudden or secretive about this project. So, carrying on, the budget also sees a new focus on the Noosa River with a range of actions.
00:29:00 And this will include establishing a river unit following on from the adoption of the Noosa River Plan. And that means new staff positions. Another area for capital investment is the construction of the Noosa River. Noosa Council will be the creation of a placemaking team. Once the new Noosa plan is adopted and gazetted, we can begin to get serious about a placemaking team that acts as a liaison between the wide range of departments in Council to ensure there is a consistent approach to the look and feel of our respective locales. And while we're dealing with staffing, the budget will see an additional 15 full-time equivalent staff added to Council. This includes a couple of local law officer positions to help deal with dogs, signage and other matters. Four new infrastructure staff to help deliver the massive capital works program. Plus new staff positions in the property branch, in workplace health and safety, in people and culture, building certification and also a new electrical apprentice. We'll be beefing up our support, as I said, for landfill, wildlife and voluntary conservation agreement landholders.
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00:30:00 And we're also funding an unsuitable tree project, which doesn't, as the name suggests, means we'll be planting a lot of unsuitable trees. In fact, we'll be identifying trees on public land that are causing or will soon cause damage to infrastructure and replace them with more suitable species. Many of Council's service levels will also be increased, there'll be an increase in street sweeping in priority areas, especially ahead of storm events, plus increased street sweeping in Cooroy, Pomona, Cooran, Noosaville industrial area and residential streets. We're also increasing the slashing of Hinterland Road verticals. There'll be an increase in road surges from twice a year to three times a year. There'll be increased works to prevent trees from encroaching on rural roads, providing increased vehicle safety on those roads. Pressure cleaning of pathways in high profile areas will be doubled and hand soap dispensers will be reintroduced in public toilet facilities in high use areas. Hope those hands are clean, you'll keep clapping.
00:31:00 Overall, this is another responsible budget. It sees Council increasing its capacity to sustainably deliver greater services to the community and provide outcomes to residents. These outcomes derive from increased service levels, new directions in placemaking and on the Noosa River, and on top of this, another massive, as I say, capital works program over $28 million, all for a minimum general rate increase less than the LGAQ recommendation. For that, I wish to thank my fellow councillors for their significant input. This may be the last ostensibly mayoral budget under current legislation, but as always here in Noosa, it's a budget that we all share responsibility for. And I thank my fellow councillors for their advice, and particularly their passion. Thank you very much, everyone. As well as councillors, I do want to note the assistance and advice from the entire staff because budgets affect everyone in the organisation. Once again, the leadership group worked cooperatively over a long period to help us with this budget. And of course, many within the corporate services branch put in significant effort. In particular, I'd like to single out our rates whisperer, Kelly Seeliver.
00:32:00 Kelly's our... Done a fantastic job once again, as has our trenchant financial services manager, Trent Graff, plus director of corporate services and the voice of our collective conscience, Michael Shave. Before I close off, I'd like to flag a slightly different approach to developing the budget for 2021. For a start, under the proposed state legislative changes, as noted, the mayor will no longer be solely responsible for delivering the budget. Which will instead be the responsibility of all councillors, which is in practice how we do it anyway. But in the interest of greater transparency, and in keeping with this council's approach to community consultation, I'll be seeking to have greater input and scrutiny from residents in the next budget process. Whether this is via open budget workshops, a community roadshow, or perhaps a reference group or some other system, is yet to be determined in consultation with my fellow councillors.
00:33:00 However, I do think it would be very instructive for resident representatives to have the opportunity to better understand the issues we face each year, as we grapple with marrying both resident expectations, staff and councillor desires, with trying to keep rate rises as low as possible. I'm sure that areas such as service delivery and capital works will be points of interest for many residents. Meanwhile, 2019-20 is shaping up to be another bumper year for the Noosa community. Thank you very much everyone. I'd now like to move that standing orders be removed. Second. Seconded. Seconded. Councillor Pardon, I'll put the motion. All those in favour. Thank you. So the item before us is item number three, and there are a number of motions here which we need to go through one by one. The first motion is with regard to incorporating statements of income and expenditure, financial position, cash flow, changes in equity, long term financial forecast, revenue statement and revenue policy, and the 19-20 capital program.
00:34:00 I bring your attention, councillors, to a... Error, typographical error, which was cleverly noted by Councillor Jackson, and that is that the words for the financial year ending 30th of June should read 2020, not 2021, and that's been changed on the screen and will be reflected in the motion. So I'm looking for a mover and a seconder. So moved. Moved by Councillor Stockwell. Seconded by Councillor Glasgow. That's a juristic. Yeah, juristic. Sorry, it was a juristic. It was looking at the corner of my eye. Sorry. You can wear different colours next time. Sorry. Councillor Jackson: Yes, Mr Mayor, I would like to ask some questions. Mayor Wellington: Yeah, sure. Councillor Jackson: I've got some questions about the Cooroy Hinterland Playground. There is $300,000 included in this year's budget for Cooroy Hinterland Playground, and then $4.8 million earmarked for 2020-21, including car spaces and car parking.
00:35:00 Could I get a bit... Could we get a bit more information about what the $300,000 is? Yeah. Mayor Wellington: I'll answer that, and Carl can follow up if needs be. $300,000 was budgeted before we actually received the successful grant from the federal government, and the $300,000 was earmarked for carrying out further design work and consulting with the community on those designs, and also hopefully starting the tender process with a view to construction. So the construction beginning in the following financial year. Now that we have the grant from the federal government, there's an opportunity if we get the design work completed in time to actually begin work, hopefully on the car parking arrangements that are associated with the new playground in Cooroy, as well as completing the design work, and be well placed, therefore, in the coming financial year to spend the rest of
00:36:00 the money on the construction. So the original $300,000, as I say, predated the approval for the $2.8 million from the feds, and now that we have all that, we can hopefully use some of that $2.8 million in this financial... Coming financial year, if capacity allows us to do so. Councillor Jackson: I have a further question. Including all the amount we've already spent on design, I understand the Cooroy Playground is estimated to cost you around $5.4 million, but of course, we have a $2.8 million budget. Will the proposal to go forward with this expenditure and with the playground come before Council for approval before proceeding to tender for construction? Speaker 3: Yes, it will. There's a Council decision in that regard that there has to be a report to Council before we go out to tender. So, Carl will be bringing a report up to Council in that regard. Councillor Jackson: Thank you very much.
00:37:00 I also have a question. It was reported in Noosa News on Tuesday that Council would only be paying $1.12 million for the Cooroy Playground, and certainly that doesn't appear right, given that the total cost is $5.4 and the grant is $2.8. Can you comment on that? Mayor Wellington: Yes. That $1.12 figure did not appear in the media release or the response to the paper's inquiry that I saw go out. I'm not sure how it happened. It might have appeared. It's obviously some sort of miscalculation. It may be a misunderstanding that our 40% is 40% of the money that is provided by the Federal Government. In fact, that's not the case. Our 40% is additional to the money provided by the Federal Government. So the total funds are 100% with 60% being provided by the Feds and an additional 40% provided by Council, and that's over and above the money already spent on the project today. So that $1.12 figure was wrong, and it should have been around $1.8.
00:38:00 Speaker 3: Just to clarify, that funding's coming from the State, not the Federal Government. Mayor Wellington: I did. Thank you. I'll go back to this. No. Yes, sorry. State funding. Councillor Jackson: Does the Cooroy Playground require development approval, and will that come before Council for approval? Mayor Wellington: Yes, I can answer that. Yes, it turns out that the Cooroy Playground will require development approval, and will require a development approval, because of the scale of it and the nature of the zoning. However, it doesn't require a public notification process. Council can make that, or staff will probably make that determination and recommend it to us. But yes, definitely it will come to Council for a planning decision, and I understand and Kim can correct me if I'm wrong, that we'll be farming out the report to an external consultant to provide the recommendations. Yes. Speaker 1: That's correct. Councillor Jackson: Yes. Thank you for that.
00:39:00 One additional question that has been asked by residents, and that is, will there be any public consultation about the Cooroy Playground? I do understand there's been a reference group, but yes. Mayor Wellington: Yes. As I said earlier, the reference group will continue to meet on a monthly basis. That reference group includes the peak organisations in the Cooroy area, and it's expected that from the reference group, they will feed back to their residents, and they'll be able to take information back from that reference group. But staff are also looking at having pop-ups, for example, at the library, et cetera, in Cooroy, so people can come and see the designs and respond to them. Councillor Jackson: Thank you. Now, I have a separate question, and I think it might be of Trent Graufe, the Accounts Director, and that's relating to cycle network and the cycle network and that plan. I had noticed that in the budget, there's $650,000.
00:40:00 What's it called? Cycling and walking strategy. And I wasn't clear on what that consisted on, so perhaps it would be possible for you to explain that. Yes? Speaker 2: Good check. In the Transport and Infrastructure Program, the Capital Works Program, there's an item of Upgrade Works, an expansion of $650,000. It's a combination of $650,000 and $650,000. Councillor Jackson: Thank you. I think I understand also there's some expectation there might be some grants available but I'm not sure if these grants have already been agreed to Speaker 2: or whether that's a funding project. Chair, yes there is grants available. I do believe
00:41:00 we've applied for those grants. I'd have to take it on notice as to the status of whether we've been successful at this point in time on those grants. Thank you. Okay, Councillor Mayor Wellington: Jurisvic, do you wish to speak to this? No, you can get this cracked. Councillor Stockwell, Deputy Mayor Stockwell: do you wish to speak to this? I will speak to the motion because within the motion it talks about the capital program and I think a budget is about putting the dollars behind your strategy and I think you can see that in this current budget. You can see how the progress of the environment strategy through an implementation plan has led to increased investment in the environment. But there is an overarching thing and I think most councillors when we're sitting through the process have that overarching guideline, that overarching principle we apply to the budget and that is that in a budget we have to be able to put our residents first. And when the Mayor mentioned that 64% of our properties are
00:42:00 on minimum general rate, implicit in that is that 64% of the population are affected by how much that minimum general rate goes up. And we know that, as was mentioned, that we do have below average salaries in Noosa. So to me, one of the key things in this budget is the fact that this is a forced budget, that every budget this year is going to be a forced budget. So I think that we've kept the rate increase for the minimum general rate very close to CPI and we have progressively done that through both cost cutting through efficiency and being wise in our investments. But I think in the budget we can look at how the budget affects different types of residents. So those who own a house, they benefit from a low rate increase. You can see, you know, we talked about the bike park. I redid a survey of the Hinterland people and the number one thing that came back from that survey was people wanted more
00:43:00 Hinterland bike parks and pedestrian parks. And so we're going to put a strategy behind that so future councils can invest wisely in the bike park. And that's a particular age of people who are moving out. People like me are buying electric bikes and doing silly things in the Hinterland. But the... That's it. Next one we've got is trying to make the places so people want to enjoy them. So the new investment in placemaking, which I prefer to see as local area planning, is about making the places that people go to enjoyable, something their residents want to go, not just to shop, but to have social interaction, to feel a sense of community when they get there, a sense of place when they get there. But we're also... And also in terms of the budget for the new community centre, which is allied to the grant to expand the digital hub. And herein is, I suppose, one of the key things where we
00:44:00 start looking for future. For the teenagers today, the primary school age students, we're looking through the digital hub and it's been incredibly successful of creating employment opportunities that diversify our economy, that we're moving into the digital economy. And we are starting to see people moving from, you know, Silicon Valley over to the digital hub to create start-up, to create collaboration. And the investment we're making in that community centre is leading to a better future for future generations. Councillor Pardon: And we had a few questions about the playground. And that, what people might think is for the Deputy Mayor Stockwell: younger generation, but 30 years ago I mentioned this place, that this nature-based playground ticks all the boxes for all the generations. Playgrounds should have a place where people can explore and adventure, places where you can feel a little bit secluded, a place where you can interact with nature and water. And 30 years ago, I wrote a page on this for the council, and that's what that budget will achieve. You know, there's nothing more important
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00:45:00 than creating the places in our community for young and old to interact, enjoy themselves in natural, healthy ways. It might sound like a lot, but compare it to a bit of bitumen. It might get us a few hundred metres for $5 million. You know, we tend to think in really, really black and white terms because, you know, just making roads and fixing roads is just part of the course. Building things like a nature-based playground that will make Cooroy and the hinterland and people from the Shire something that kids will remember their whole lifetime. They'll remember when they go there. They'll remember the experiences they had with their parents and their partners. So to me, that's a big part of putting residents first in this budget. And I suppose the last one is the investment in the future generation. And that's our continuing investment in zero emissions, because there's no more greater threat to this community and all communities than the threat of climate change. And the fact that this year, in this budget, we have the first
00:46:00 major capital works where we are probably likely that the bit of infrastructure we're putting will not reach its design life. Because the stormwater on Noosaville, the stormwater improvements on the Noosaville foreshore, within their lifetime of service, they're likely to have the reverse effect of why we're putting them in now. We're putting them in now to drain water from the street to the river. And in 40 or 50 years' time, on a pretty reasonable regular basis, what the model shows is they'll be draining the water from the river to the street. And if that's not an incentive for people to do more and take more action on climate change, then to start having to invest in infrastructure that won't last as long as it's designed for, I don't know what it is. So the continuing investment in zero emissions, both within Council and the new initiatives that are coming out that help the community collect themselves and collaboratively develop mechanisms so more businesses and more residents can put renewable energy on their roofs, I
00:47:00 think is the investment in the future generation of residents. And therefore, I commend the Mayor and my fellow Councillors on the budget and the capital works within it. Thank you. Councillor Barton. Councillor Pardon: Yeah, Mr Chairman. Yeah. Yeah, look, endorse Councillor Stockwell's words. And boy, he talked about young people. And don't I love that? For the future, things that we're doing for the future, for the young people of the Shire. And I guess old fogies like me, we need to think of our young people and the people of the future. I used to call the previous CEO who used to run our finance here, Director of Finance. I used to call him Jew Boy, which I haven't used on Michael and the new crew. I took it as a compliment. Because of his prudence, I was always trying to spend the money. And his financial skills
00:48:00 actually kept the Council books balanced and in fine shape. Thank you. And I know he took it as a compliment. But with regards to the budget itself, I think it's a fantastic budget. It ticks a hell of a lot of boxes. I know I drive a lot of the unsexy stuff, especially on the capital works, bitumen roads, bridges and all that stuff. But it is where the rubber hits the road in a lot of cases, and especially for hinterland people. And I get excited because Black Mountain Road, I've been talking about it for about five years, and finally it's going to get that upgrade. And the people out there will be very grateful for that. But the playground, that's something that I share Councillor Stockwell's position, and
00:49:00 I know other Councillors as well. I read this paper somewhere I picked up 30 years ago that he wrote, so I stole that idea from Councillor Stockwell. Must have saw it online and thought, that's a good idea. We should run with that. And I think that'll stand not only the whole Shire in good stead, but certainly the hinterland community. And look, when we're accused, lots of cases of some sort of divide, which never existed in the Shire between the hinterland and coast. But when the hinterland people see $5 million boardwalks and the funding we spend down here, they don't look at the differential in the rates, where the people on the coast do pay a heck of a lot of rates compared to the minimum general that a lot of people in the hinterland are on. And that's okay. But if we don't sort of look more broadly, we could be easily accused
00:50:00 of just looking at coast or being blinkered towards the coast. But the playground, I just think that'll be a fantastic initiative for the future. And personally, when Councillors had the opportunity to put their input into the budget, and the Mayor's quite right, it's the Mayor's budget, but certainly in a conciliatory basis, everyone had opportunity to put forth their ideas into this budget. And I didn't put forward much, but they all got in. And I'm not going to name them because they could easily come out in some sort of discussion if someone moves something. So I'll just sit quietly here, enjoy the day. I thank my Councillors for their input. It's been a very collegiate job, the various meetings we've had over the last six months, and people would understand this document takes a lot of putting together.
00:51:00 But in particular, the staff and their input. I mean, staff have carried us heavily for the last, I'll go back to the beginning, six years. This is our sixth budget here. And if we look at the way staff have helped us, kept us tracking, especially in finance when it comes to budget, and to pay $10 million back, I mean, Councils across the state will just look at that and go, how the heck did they do that? While still having a $10 million surplus as a buffer zone. I mean, it's almost unheard of. But that's the prudence that our leadership, our finance people have kept us on par. As I said, I'd have probably spent most of it by now. But yeah, thanks to them, kept us tracking. So I commend the budget. Thank everybody. It's a great day for Moosa, I think. Thank you, Councillor.
00:52:00 Councillor Jackson: I appreciate what councillors have already said, as well as the Mayor, about all the contents of the budget. And I support all that. So I just briefly want to say that I really appreciate, as always, the professional approach taken and led by our Director of Corporate Services, Michael Shave, and all the staff, of course, and all the leadership team in carrying out the process of developing this budget, which many people wouldn't realise starts well before Christmas each year. So we're almost going to start again in the next few months, where staff, this is rolled up from base, from the staff throughout the organisation of around 350 people, and it's rolled upward, and gradually the leadership team decides what the priorities are, and then comes to councillors to have a say. So thank you very
00:53:00 I'm like Councillor Pardon satisfied to see that some of the things I've encouraged or hoped for are in the budget and I think that the budget is representing many of the things that evenly council sorry the customer satisfaction survey identified as gaps which included things like parking facilities economic development traffic management road maintenance food pads curbing guttering road construction drainage and flood mitigation many of these things we've already talked about today and highlighted and that they are in the budget of course that doesn't mean that the whole topic will be fixed but there are steps being taken I'd also like to welcome the mayor's I'm letting us or highlighting that I'm confirming that the new bill in front of Parliament at the moment actually will be
00:54:00 encouraging if it turns into legislation will encourage or insist that councils do public consultation about budgets and I think this is a great step and that input will be very good and I think our own residents will welcome that and so yeah I commend the budget I have one little thing to say that is I'm a bit slow off the mark on this one but I would appreciate in the future if any chair hears the racist comments made by councillors whether they're in jest or intentionally made that these racist comments be called out and not allowed thank you Mayor Wellington: you know we should speak I'm just I'm inspired after hearing councillor
00:55:00 Stockwell's oratory Brian referred to his salad days on council when he produced a document that supported a hinterland nature playground and councillor Pardons acknowledged that he may have plagiarized it to some extent but the reason I'm standing is simply to acknowledge that the hinterland playground was very much driven by councillor Pardons on the last Noosa council and he's been a driving force on that project as well as many other capital projects but on that in particular and I just like to acknowledge that he has really been the champion of this project anyone else wish to speak Councillor Jurisevic: a lot of the discussions been around some of the more glamorous items which are capital works program here but I want to pay credit to the staff we wouldn't be in the in the sound fiscal position we are the elements of this resolution with
00:56:00 regard to financial position cash flow changes equity long-term financial forecast but we're the focus of our financial team and I want to pay a great credit to Michael and Trent and all the staff all the managers with regard to how they go about this that zero based budgeting is proven time and time again to be a very prudent method of going forward and making sure that we look at every dollar being spent for the benefit of this community keeping a cost down and trying to manage those rate rises going forward and I think the mayor has alluded to we haven't exceeded CPI increases over the last six budgets that we've introduced in this council and I full credit to all staff that have been involved in that process it's important to note that all capital projects do go through a tender process and that the council is subject to the same planning applications that all developers are which we're going to talk about in just a moment. to the project that we put forward we're not immune to due process and it's
00:57:00 wonderful to see that what we have in this in this capital works program going forward is across projects across the entire Shire not just in any one area elements that will benefit the community and our and and visitors alike to our to our region but specifically projects that enhance the safety and and the usability of elements like the NAC pool for for years to come along with bridges such as Orealla and those are our elements that have to be addressed and all the rest of it but again I want to compliment the mayor and the councillors and the staff on putting this forward I think we we cover a large large range of elements and the 10-year capital works program now that that is alluded to in the in the costings here show that we've got some great planning
00:58:00 and some great projects going forward for this community for years to come thank Mayor Wellington: you I'll put the motion all those in favor thank you that's carried the next motion resolves to levy differential general rights is set out in the revenue Councillor Wilkie: statement councillor Glasgow second councillor Jackson wish to speak to it Mayor Wellington: anyone wish to speak to this I'll put the motion all those in favor thank you thank you that's carried motion number three is a description of the rating categories for rateable land across the Shire someone here to move I'll move on Councillor Wilkie: Mr Chairman move councillor Wilkie second and councillor Jurisevic wish to speak to Councillor Jurisevic: it no thank you anyone wish to speak I need to allude to the great work done by the the rates team in trying to manage and balance this as the mayor alluded to previously with regard to trying to keep those increases to a minimum thank you Mayor Wellington: put the motion all those in favor thank you that's carried we go to motion four which is to resolve to levy the special charges and the special charges are the
00:59:00 tourism and economic levy Noosa Waters Lock and Weir maintenance levy Noosa Waters canal maintenance levy Noosa Junction levy Hastings Street Precinct levy Noosa main beach levy rural fire charge Hastings Street community safety program charge lower Noosa North Shore electricity charge and the Noosa Junction streetscape levy move councillor Parton seconded councillor Jurisevic wish to speak to it no anyone wish to speak to this put the motion all those in favor thank you that's carried go to motion number five which is about adopting the overall plans annual implementation implementation plans and benefited area map specified in the revenue statement for the special charges move councillor Jackson seconded councillor Glasgow wish to speak to it I'll put the motion all those in favor thank you that's carried we go on to motion six motion six resolves to levy the utility charges as set out in the revenue statement councillor Pardon second councillor Wilkie
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01:00:00 anyone wish to speak to this put the motion all those in favor thank you that's carried go to motion seven and this resolves to levy separate charges as set out in the revenue statement being the environment levy sustainable transport levy and heritage levy move councillor Jurisevic seconded councillor Glasgow wish to speak anyone put the motion all those in favor thank you that's carried we go to motion eight which resolves that rates and utility charges and the Queensland government's emergency management fire and rescue levy be levied six monthly as set out in the revenue statement move councillor Pardon seconded councillor Wilkie anyone need to speak to this I'll put the motion all those in favor thank you that's carried go to motion nine which resolves to grant concessions to rate payers as set out in the revenue statement move councillor Jackson seconded councillor Glasgow need to speak I'll put the motion all those in favor thank you that's
01:01:00 carried we go to motion number ten in this one council resolves that all rates and charges and the state government's emergency management fire and rescue levy must be paid within 30 days after the date of the issue of the rates notice move councillor Glasgow seconded councillor Jurisevic anyone need to speak with the motion all those in favor thank you that's carried we've got a motion 11 and this one resolves that all overdue rates and charges bear interest as set out in the revenue statement move councillor Pardon seconded councillor Jackson anyone need to speak I'll put the motion all those in favor thank you that's carried we've got a motion 12 this delegates to the CEO its powers to identify the differential rating category into which each parcel would rate of land in the council's local government area is included by a using relevant information of the council's land record and any other information move councillor Glasgow seconded councillor Wilkie anyone need to speak I'll put the motion all those in favor thank you that's carried and we
01:02:00 get to motion 13 unlucky motion 13 that it be recorded in each case where a proceeding motion refers to a matter set out in the revenue statement that that matter is incorporated by reference into informs part of the terms and content of the motion and will be so incorporated and form part of the terms and content of council's resolution to adopt I'll put the motion amendment all those in favor thank you thank you that's carried okay we go to the next item on the agenda which is so the recommendation is to adopt the level of service catalog and to authorize
01:03:00 the CEO to make necessary changes I'll second it move Chancellor Jurisdict Councillor Jurisevic: seconded councillor Wilkie you wish to speak to it absolutely I think this is a wonderful initiative that's been undertaken by staff which shows a lot of a lot of work a lot of understanding by staff with regard to the work that is undertaken day by day across the Shire by all the other areas of council I think it's important to note that we've made changes as a result of to the service levels this year as a result of comments from the community and our understanding of service levels as a whole means that we have a better opportunity going forward to control and manage our expectations of the community but also we have budget requirements for Councillor Wilkie: the future thank you councillor Wilkie thank you mr. chairman just by way of explanation and to add to what councillor Jurisdict says it's it's it's a rare council that includes what allows councillors near a service level catalog and allows councillors to amend the levels of service as determined by
01:04:00 the organization for residents and ratepayers who may be interested in this document it is publicly available and that outlines how frequently each week for example a certain park may be serviced and how many times or how many times a year a certain service is conducted and it allows it I've really appreciated having access to this this document as I'm sure other councillors has have because it enables us to have a discussion about whether the council is actually over servicing in some areas and therefore gives us an opportunity to minimize waste and areas where there's a lot of over servicing in some areas and therefore gives us an opportunity to minimize waste and areas where the current the organization has been receiving complaints about the current level of service it's given us an opportunity to increase levels of service in that regard in response to resident ratepayers concerns it is publicly available on the website as part of these budget documents if any
01:05:00 resident ratepayer would like to understand the levels of service whether beach access is parks or gardens it's it's it's an excellent addition and I thank the staff for making it available to us thank you Councillor Pardon: councillor Park yeah yeah I think some of the increases in my opinion were warranted I was with a constituent the Shire the other day and they were shocked and the fact I moved my car because the street sweeper came down his street I haven't seen that for ages so in the future going forward you might see it a bit more often so then that's just one aspect of some of the services that three three slashes a year in the hinterland I think that was a vital thing for safety etc so we've we've addressed many of the feedback much of the feedback we've got from our community and and look we'll continue to do that and amend that over time that's that's a living document and it can be
01:06:00 changed more levels or if we're over servicing as we go forward but it's I think that's a terrific condition thanks Councillor Jackson: Jason relating to this excellent document that provides full information about what services Council provides in detail is it located only in our section in the website where the meetings are or is this service level catalog available to the public to view whenever they wish it's only be viewed whenever they wish Speaker 3: we put all of our budget documents on our website together so not just in the agenda section right but in the agenda section so we'll do that in the next few days if we do that. another part of the website where people go and have a look at all the budget it's included in that area as well so it's in both. Oh thank you. Anyone else need to Councillor Jurisevic: speak to this? Care to close Councillor Jurisevic? Yeah just CEO can correct me on this Councillor will be alluded to it this is probably a first among Queensland councils to provide a. No it's not quite first
01:07:00 Speaker 3: which actually put one together some time ago but it'd be probably only three Councillor Jurisevic: or four Michael would be my guess. Yeah wouldn't be too many would have this document. Close to first and probably a you know a best best practice mechanism and certainly recommended by the Audit Office for other councils to to look at and review their own their own levels of service and have that available for themselves so I think it's a credit to start for all the time and effort that's gone into creating that level of service catalog. Thank you. Mayor Wellington: I'll put the motion all those in favour. Thank you that's carried. We go to item 5 which is the statement of financial position it's to note the report from the financial services manager to the special meeting with the estimated financial position for the 18-19. So moved. Moved Councillor Jurisevic. Seconded Councillor Wilkie. Wish to speak to it anyone? No. Put the motion all those in favour. Thank you that's carried. Lucky last. Yep. Now the final one. I'll move that one. Okay the final one's the organisational structure. Moved Councillor Stockwell. Seconded Councillor Jadson.
01:08:00 Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I think organisational structure is important and I must admit when I heard your your budget presentation I thought we've moved into the age of artificial intelligence and we're going to have an electrical apprentice that we plug in each night but no it's it's the apprentice electrician and I think that's a good start. I think one of the things we look what we talked about is going forward the need to look at all the opportunities for traineeships for apprenticeships within council because we are one of the major employees in in this Shire. More importantly that what the structure shows us and what the establishment the new position changes is where there's demand and where we're going into and it's been mentioned a few times and I think it's important to highlight that under the environment sustainable development department you'll see two positions there about a river management unit leader for Noosa River Plan and a river management officer for the Noosa River Plan. I think that's
01:09:00 really important that is new business that is taking the step that this community has been pushing this council to do for a long time and that's saying we love our river we don't think the level currently provided by state agencies keeps it in the condition and in the in the in the amenities that we like we want council to take on both the environmental management and a little bit more in terms of compliance that we can do under existing legislation and I think that's really important step forward that we are taking this to the structure of our council to include a focus not on just on land but also under the water. Does anyone else wish to speak? Councillor Jurisevic: This allows us to look at the needs of the organisation as a whole with regard to where there are service level or workload and how they're being managed. So it enables an element of flexibility amongst those staff when they can be moved around.
01:10:00 But also, I credit the report to showing where temporary full-time or part-time staff exist within the organisation and the impulse that they provide upon our organisation going forward and the opportunities that exist there for temporary positions to be filled when as required. Thank you. Mayor Wellington: Anyone else wish to speak? Get it closed, Councillor Stockwell. I'll put the motion. All those in favour? Thank you. That's carried. Thank you very much. That concludes the meeting. Thank you to our attendants.