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MAYORAL REPORT - NOVEMBER, 2009
Prior to conduct of Council’s meeting on 11th November, 2009 Councillors and senior staff attended Macknight Park, Urana, where they joined Returned Services personnel, teachers and students of the Urana Schools together with members of the community, for the recognition of Remembrance Day 2009.
This year was the 90th Anniversary of Remembrance Day, and the solemnity of the occasion was appropriately recognised and emphasised in a moving address by the Principal of St. Francis Xavier School, Mrs. Therese McFarlane. Wreaths and poppies were laid at the cenotaph and following the observation of one minute’s silence and the playing of the Last Post, I was privileged to read The Ode. The Ceremony concluded with the Reveille and singing of the National Anthem.
On Council’s behalf, I thank everybody for their continuing support of Remembrance Day in Urana, and the Council staff for co-ordinating the necessary arrangements.
Lest We Forget.
Following morning tea in Macknight Park, Councillors and staff returned to the Chamber for conduct of the Council meeting, with the following subjects reported upon in the Mayoral Minute.
- In response to an earlier invitation, I was pleased to perform the official opening of the Urana Courthouse Museum Annual Art Show on 16th October. The organisers are congratulated on providing a further enjoyable and successful Art Show, and Council’s collection was expanded by purchase of a work entitled “After Rain on the Plains”, by artist Dawn Macdonald, of Jerilderie.
- On 18th October, I attended the Oaklands RSL Bowling Club and welcomed the opportunity to make a congratulatory address to members on the achievement of fifty years of men’s bowls, at Oaklands. The beautiful roast and sweets prepared and served by the ladies of Oaklands to the some 100 people in attendance was an ideal complement to the celebration of this important milestone by the Club. Further information on this subject appears at page 23 of this Newsletter.
- I attended the Annual General Meeting of the Riverina Eastern Regional Organisation of Councils, at Wagga Wagga, on 28th October, accompanied by the Deputy Mayor and General Manager. Cr. Paul Braybrooks, Mayor of the Cootamundra Shire, was returned unopposed as Chairman, and Cr. Lola Commins, Mayor of the Junee Shire, was returned unopposed as Deputy.
- It was flattering to be invited to officially open the Jerilderie Hospital Auxiliary annual fete at the Community Centre on 1st November. The opportunity was taken to encourage the community to maintain its support of this important asset and to invite community members to join their Hospital Auxiliary. Despite the unfavourable weather conditions, the fete was a great success with some $7,000 being raised.
- Council is also a member of the Riverina and Murray Regional Organisation of Councils, whose Annual General Meeting was held on 4th November, at Jerilderie. I represented Council at that meeting, with the focus of discussions being upon the broad issues of water and fire services. Cr. Terry Hogan AM, Mayor of the Jerilderie Shire, was re-elected unopposed as Chairman, and Cr. John Bruce, Mayor of the Berrigan Shire, was re-elected as Deputy.
- My appreciation was extended to the Urana Shire Deputy Mayor, Cr. Patrick Bourke, for attending the successful Billabong Crows Sponsorship Night held on 10th November.
As is customary, the remainder of the Business Paper for the meeting covered a wide range of subjects, including the following.
Audit of Council’s Annual Financial Statements for the Year Ended 30th June, 2009 - At its September, 2009 meeting Council fixed the November, 2009 meeting as the date upon which it would present its audited Annual Financial Statements for the year ended 30th June, 2009 together with the detailed Auditor’s Reports thereon. The following extracts from the report will be of interest to readers.
- Available Working Capital - Available working capital gives an indication of Council’s working liquidity and its ability to fund unforeseen expenditures, or discretionary funding deficits. At balance date, available working capital stood at $409,000 which is currently adequate to fund general operations.
- Performance Indicators - At balance date, Council’s unrestricted current assets were 10.48 times its unrestricted current liabilities, and this indicator reflects Council’s strong liquidity position resulting from the level of internal reserves held.
- Debt Servicing Cost - The report reveals that only 2.07% of Council’s ordinary revenue is committed to the repayment of external debt which is a relatively low level of debt servicing cost.
- Rate Arrears - Whilst the arrears of rates and charges at 30th June, 2009 had increased to $87,000 (or 5.64% of collectable amounts), this remains an acceptable level of arrears. The level of arrears will be monitored and more focused collection action taken, if required.
- Conclusion - The Auditor notes that Council’s positive funding result for the year was a good result in light of the fact that investment revenue was less than budgeted, and that Council’s liquidity position was very good at 30th June, 2009 with an adequate level of available working capital and internally restricted cash reserves of $3.2M, set aside for specific purposes.
Ratepayers and residents can be assured that the finances of their Council are generally in “good shape”, and that Council will continue to responsibly manage the assets under its control.
Strategy for the Accessing of Federal and State Government Infrastructure Grants - Council has developed a strategy which it will pursue for the purpose of accessing Federal and State Government Infrastructure Grants which may become available, in future. The next step in the implementation of that strategy will be to identify and prioritise those projects which Council wishes to carry out, then to prepare estimates/concept plans for preferred projects, followed by the allocation of required resources. Shire communities will be consulted in the identification and prioritisation of preferred projects, over the coming months, and Council will conduct a workshop for the purpose in March, 2010 prior to formalising its budget for the succeeding year.
NSW Ombudsman’s 2008-2009 Annual Report - Council was recently advised by the NSW Ombudsman that his 2008-2009 Annual Report was tabled in the NSW Parliament on 22nd October, 2009. Appendix “H” of the Ombudsman’s Report disclosed the action which had been taken on each of the written complaints finalised in that year about individual Councils. It is pleasing to advise the community that the Urana Shire Council was not mentioned in the Ombudsman’s 2008-2009 Annual Report.
Division of Local Government, Department of Premier and Cabinet—Implementation of the Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework - As part of the continuing NSW Local Government Reform Program, all Councils in the State are now required to participate in the implementation of the Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework. The enabling legislation includes transitional provisions which allow Councils to select when they will commence under the new Framework. The choices available to Council are as follows:-
Group 1 - Community Strategic Plan and Delivery Program adopted by 30th June, 2010.
Group 2 - Community Strategic Plan and Delivery Program adopted by 30th June, 2011.
Group 3 - Community Strategic Plan and Delivery Program adopted by 30th June, 2012.
This is a major new initiative in the continuing Local Government Reform Program and will require a considerable investment of human and financial resources if implementation is to be successfully achieved. Council formally resolved to advise the Division of Local Government of its preference for participation in Group 3, and will now begin the long process of satisfying its statutory obligations under the Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework.
Cr Margaret Buntin
MAYOR
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