Nominations for LGA President, SAROC & GAROC | Members' Survey | New Federal Minister for Local Government | 2018-19 LGA Annual Business Plan | Council elections | Supermarket trolleys | Planning meeting update | R&D Scheme sector funding No Images? Click here Vol 3: Issue 32 - Monday 27 August 2018 I often include links to relevant media articles in this weekly update to ensure members are kept informed about how our sector is being represented in the media. I understand it can be frustrating when some of these stories are behind website paywalls. However, we would breach copyright legislation if we included the full articles, and this could incur a substantial fine. Hyper-local stories (such as those about councils) are often very popular, so it’s not surprising that media outlets are often keeping these behind paywalls to help drive subscriptions. If there is a story that interest you that you don’t have access to, please let me know and we would be happy to provide an update. It was my pleasure to meet last week with the Moroccan Ambassador Karim Medrek. He was particularly interested in our waste and water management in SA, as well as councils as a third tier of government. On Saturday I joined Port Adelaide Enfield Mayor Gary Johanson at the open day for the redeveloped Roy Marten Park at Taperoo. This is one of the many great council projects partially funded through the State Local Government Infrastructure Partnership that the LGA negotiated with the previous Government. LGA President Sue Clearihan Nominations for LGA President and SAROCNominations for LGA President and South Australian Region Organisation of Councils (SAROC) closed on Friday at 5pm and I would like to thank everyone who has put their hand up for these important roles. It has been a number of years since a ballot has been held to elect the LGA President, and it is encouraging to see so much interest in the position for the upcoming term. The draw for the ballot papers was held earlier today, and I am pleased to announce the following candidates for your next LGA President:
Ballot papers will be posted to all councils shortly, and will need to be returned to the LGA by COB Thursday 18 October. We also received the following nominations for appointments to SAROC. Eyre Peninsula
Legatus Councils
Limestone Coast
Murraylands & Riverland
Southern & Hills Councils
Given that each region has been allocated two positions on SAROC under its Terms of Reference, all of the above candidates have been elected to SAROC, with their term to commence at the conclusion of the 2018 LGA Annual General Meeting. Spencer Gulf Cities has requested that the LGA undertake their election process to determine their two representatives on SAROC. Nominations for Spencer Gulf Cities’ two representatives on SAROC close at 5pm on Friday 7 September. GAROC nominations extendedA final reminder that nominations for Greater Adelaide Region Organisation of Councils (GAROC) members will now close Friday 7 September 2018, to allow for additional time for council meetings to consider nominations. I encourage council members (in GAROC councils) to nominate for GAROC – it will be an exciting opportunity as the LGA forges ahead with its new governance arrangements and implements exciting new services for members. Also, the new LGA Board of Directors will be comprised of members from both SAROC and GAROC. If you have any queries please contact Dr Andrew Johnson at andrew.johnson@lga.sa.gov.au. The information we gather from our Members’ Survey is not only critical in providing feedback about performance of the LGA, but also provides us with a clear direction for the prioritisation of strategies and services we deliver to members. Last week I shared with you the results of the survey from March 2018, which were used to plan for this financial year. We have amended the timing of our annual survey to better align with our business planning activities. A new survey, which will inform our 2019-20 priorities, is now available for members to complete. I strongly encourage you to participate in this survey here and help us shape the direction of the LGA. Your feedback is being sought via the survey by COB Thursday 20 September. If you have any questions please contact Executive Director Corporate & Member Services Kathy Jarrett on 8224 2000 or at kathy.jarrett@lga.sa.gov.au. New Federal Minister for Local GovernmentNew Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced his Cabinet over the weekend, with the Hon Bridget McKenzie appointed as the Minister for Regional Services, Sport, Local Government and Decentralisation. Senator McKenzie is Deputy Leader of the Nationals, and has previously held the portfolios of Rural Health, Sport and Regional Communications. We look forward to working with the Senator towards better outcomes for South Australian councils and their communities. If you haven’t yet completed ALGA’s pre-election questionnaire I would encourage you to fill this out, and let them know what your council could do with more Federal funding. 2018-19 LGA Annual Business PlanOver the coming year the LGA will continue to focus on delivering value to members through delivery of the 2016-2020 Strategic Plan objectives of Advocate, Assist and Advance. Our high level priorities outlined in this year’s Business Plan include:
All of these priorities are complex and resource intensive, but will contribute positively to the sector and deliver benefits for our communities. If you have any questions about LGA programs and services, or would like a presentation at your council meeting, please let me know. Council electionsOn Friday afternoon I attended an elections candidate briefing session at the City of Adelaide with the Electoral Commissioner. It was encouraging to see so many keen and capable individuals eager to learn what’s involved in becoming an elected member for the City of Adelaide. The future is looking bright! This was just one of 11 sessions that have been facilitated by the LGA in collaboration with ECSA and hosted by councils across the state. To date, these sessions have attracted around 160 potential candidates with three sessions – two regional and one metro – remaining. The sessions cover a range of topics including the role and functions of an elected member and the council; relationship between councils and other spheres of government; how elections are conducted; eligibility and nomination process; and running a campaign for election. Click here for further details. It’s great to see so much material promoting the elections out in our communities – road houses in all corners of the state being no exception! Supermarket trolleysA report on the outcomes of the Trolley Summit hosted by the City of Marion has been released. In some communities dumped trolleys are a persistent issue that can create safety concerns people with disabilities, who use mobility scooters or who are visually impaired. As Mayor Kris Hanna said, councils have a role in coming together to find a solution when the personal responsibility isn’t there. Solutions presented at the summit included GPS tracking, coin-operated trolleys, community education campaigns and the introduction of by-laws to force retailers to collect trolleys. City of Marion staff will assess these suggestions over the coming months and it’s hoped this work will also help other councils already dealing with this issue. Planning meeting updateLast Thursday I, along with metropolitan and regional Mayors, CEOs and senior council staff, attended a meeting with the State Planning Commission (SPC) and the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) to discuss State Planning Policies. Janet Finlay, Acting Chair of the SPC provided an overview of the State planning reforms while Michael Lennon, SPC Member, provided information on State Planning Policies. Download the presentations provided by Janet and Michael. There was positive interaction between the Commission, DPTI and those in attendance, and the Commission has indicated that it is keen to hold another session with councils. The LGA will look at organising another meeting in due course. R&D Scheme sector fundingThe Local Government Research and Development Scheme’s Advisory Committee met on 24 August to consider 25 applications for funding for projects from the sector. The collective funding amount sought totalled $832,316, which creates a competitive process to allocate the budgeting funding amount of $343,600. Applications were assessed against their fit with the Principles and Purposes of the Scheme, the Scheme’s 2018-19 Annual Business Plan, the LGA’s 2018-19 Annual Business Plan and Budget, and their relevance and potential application across the sector. The Advisory Committee‘s recommendations will be submitted to the LGA Board for consideration at the Board’s meeting on Thursday 13 September. All applicants will be advised of the outcome following the Board meeting. For further information or to submit |