LGA secures $13 million refund | Planning reform | Make a Difference campaign No Images? Click here Vol 4: Issue 23 - Monday 28 October 2019 I’m looking forward to catching up with many of you at our 2019 AGM and Conference at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday’s Conference will be a great snapshot of topical issues for our sector and what they mean for our role as local community leaders. The program includes presentations from Minister Knoll, SA Productivity Commission Chair Dr Matthew Butlin, State Planning Commission Chair Michael Lennon, and Valuer-General Katherine Bartolo. There will also be a panel on local government reform where mayors will share their ideas for improving our sector. Before our AGM on Thursday we will hear a keynote from AFL great Paul Roos on leadership. The formal AGM is an important part of the program and I encourage you to contact us if you have any questions about the meeting or the agenda items. There’s still time to register, and it would be great to see you there! LGA President Sam Telfer LGA secures $13 million refund Last week the LGA secured a determination from the Australian Energy Regulator that will see SA Power Networks refund $13 million to SA councils and DPTI. This was the outcome of a lengthy legal process initiated by the LGA, and is primarily based on SAPN ‘over-recovering’ depreciation costs on its public lighting infrastructure. We are thrilled to have delivered this outcome with the support of our member councils. From here we will be working with SAPN to make sure this money is repaid quickly. This determination only covers the 2010-2015 regulatory period, so we’ll be looking closely at what the implications are for our sector for the 2015-20 period. The LGA is also working with SAPN and the AER to negotiate future tariff pricing and the roll-out of energy efficient LED technology. This process is expected to save councils between $10 - $30 million on street lighting over the next five years. Planning reform Consultation on the State Government’s Planning and Design Code is now open, with feedback from smaller regional and rural councils due at the end of November. Unfortunately, the State Planning Commission is yet to agree to an extension of time for small regional ‘phase 2’ councils to provide feedback on these important policies. The Planning Commission will hold a briefing for elected members from these councils at 5:30pm on Thursday 7 November at 50 Flinders Street Adelaide. This will provide an opportunity to hear more about the proposed Planning and Design code, and have your questions answered. Livestreaming options are available for anyone not able to attend in person. We understand all Mayors and Councillors from affected councils have already received invitations to this session directly from the Planning Commission. For more information, or to RSVP, email saplanningcommission@sa.gov.au. The “Make a Difference” campaign that our sector ran in the lead up to the 2018 councils saw a 20% increase in nominations from women, and a record number of female mayors elected. I’m pleased to share the great news that this campaign was recently recognised with an award in the Social Change category at the 2019 Australian Marketing Institute Awards. The campaign was a collaboration between the LGA and SA councils, and it’s fantastic to see the work we did, and outcomes we achieved, recognised at a national level. October Board meeting Some of the key outcomes from our last Board meeting on 17 October included:
Regional visits are an important part of the Board’s engagement with member councils, and help us as representatives of the sector to understand the issues and opportunities for local government across different areas of the State. Please let us know if your council is interested in hosting an LGA Board meeting in 2020. LGA office closure The LGA office will be closed this Wednesday and Thursday as staff will be at the Conference and AGM. The switchboard will be diverted to mobile for any emergencies, and the office will reopen at 8.30am on Friday morning. For further information or to submit |