Agenda of Ordinary Council Meeting - Tuesday, 19 December 2023

Ordinary Council Meeting Minutes

21 November 2023

1 Opening of Meeting

The Mayor declared the Ordinary Council Meeting of Tuesday 21 November 2023 open and welcomed Councillors, Council Officers and members of the public attending and listening to the meeting.

The Mayor advised attendees that the meeting was being recorded and streamed live on the internet, to enhance the accessibility of Council meetings to the broader Parkes Shire community, and that the recording will be archived and made available on Council’s website.

The Mayor asked that attendees ensure that mobile phones and other electronic devices were turned off or in silent mode for the duration of the meeting.

The Mayor further advised that all care would be taken to maintain privacy, however, as a visitor in the public gallery, members of the public should be aware that their presence may be recorded.

2 Acknowledgement of Country

The Councillor Marg Applebee read the following Acknowledgement of Country:

Parkes Shire Council acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Wiradjuri Country and recognises and respects their cultural heritage, beliefs and continuing connection with the lands and rivers of the Parkes Shire.

Council pays its respects to Elders past, present and emerging and extends this respect to all First Nations peoples in the Parkes Shire.

3 Prayer

The General Manager read the Prayer:

Almighty God,

We ask for your blessing upon this Council,

Direct and prosper our deliberations,

For the true welfare of the people of the Parkes Shire and beyond.

AMEN

4 Apologies and Applications for a Leave of Absence

Apology

Resolved OCM 305/23

Moved: Cr William Jayet

Seconded: Cr Marg Applebee

That the apology submitted by Councillor Glenn Wilson be received and leave of absence be granted.

Carried

5 Applications to Attend by Audio-Visual Link

An application to attend by audio-visual link was received from Councillor Ken Keith.

6 Confirmation of Minutes

6.1 Minutes of the Ordinary Council Meeting held on 17 October 2023

Resolved OCM 306/23

Moved: Cr Marg Applebee

Seconded: Cr Jacob Cass

That Ordinary Council Meeting receive and confirm the Minutes of the Ordinary Council Meeting held on Tuesday 17 October 2023 appended at Annexure A.

Carried

7 Disclosures of Interests

The Mayor reminded Councillors and Council Officers of their obligation under Council's Code of Conduct to disclose and manage any conflicts of interest they may have in matters being considered at the meeting, and invited Councillors and Council Officers to disclose any such interests.

Cr William Jayet disclosed a non-significant non-pecuniary interest in relation to item 18.6 Lake Endeavour Telecommunications Infrastructure Tender Evaluation and chose to remain in the meeting, but not participate in debate and discussion on the matter, and not vote on the matter. The reason provided was:

“Family member who is an employee of Council wrote the report.”

Cr William Jayet disclosed a non-significant non-pecuniary interest in relation to item 18.7 Lake Endeavour Floating Walkway - PSC2023/097 and chose to remain in the meeting, but not participate in debate and discussion on the matter, and not vote on the matter. The reason provided was:

“Family member who is an employee of Council wrote the report.”

8 Late Business

The Mayor advised that no late items of business had been submitted to the meeting.

At this point, the Mayor considered 17.1.

9 Mayoral Minute(s)

9.1 Meetings, Functions and Events Attended by Mayor and Councillors

Resolved OCM 307/23

Moved: Cr Daniel Weber

Seconded: Cr George Pratt

That Council:

1. Note the report on the Meetings functions and events attended in an official capacity, by the Mayor and Councillors during the period 17 October 2023 through to 21 November 2023.

Carried

9.2 Coming Known Events for Mayor and Councillors

Resolved OCM 308/23

Moved: Cr Marg Applebee

Seconded: Cr Jacob Cass

That Council:

1. Note the known upcoming meetings, functions and events for the Mayor and Councillors for the period 21 November 2023 through to 19 December 2023.

Carried

9.3 Central West Flood Recovery Funding

Resolved OCM 309/23

Moved: Cr William Jayet

Seconded: Cr Jacob Cass

That Council:

1. Receive and noted the information.

Carried

9.4 LGNSW Conference and General Election

Resolved OCM 310/23

Moved: Cr Marg Applebee

Seconded: Cr William Jayet

That Council:

1. Write to the successful candidates and congratulate them on their election, particularly our neighbouring Mayor Cr Phyllis Miller OAM as Vice President Rural/Regional.

Carried

9.5 Annual Local Government NSW Conference Awards - Cr Ken Keith receives Lifetime Achievement Award.

Resolved OCM 311/23

Moved: Cr Marg Applebee

Seconded: Cr George Pratt

That Council:

1. Congratulate Cr Ken Keith on receiving the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Local Government Annual Conference Awards night held on 13 November 2023.

Carried

10 Councillor Report(s)

Nil

11 Reports of Committees

11.1 Minutes of the Local Traffic Committee Meeting held on 8 November 2023

Resolved OCM 312/23

Moved: Cr Jacob Cass

Seconded: Cr Ken McGrath

That Council:

1. Receive and confirm the Minutes of the Local Traffic Committee Meeting held on Wednesday 8 November 2023 appended at Annexure A.

Carried

11.2 Minutes of the Parkes Sports Council Meeting held on 14 November 2023

Resolved OCM 313/23

Moved: Cr Louise O'Leary

Seconded: Cr Jacob Cass

That Council:

1. Receive and confirm the Minutes of the Parkes Sports Council Meeting held on Tuesday 14 November 2023 appended at Annexure A.

Carried

12 Reports of the General Manager

12.1 Presentation of Audited Financial Statements and Auditor's Report for 2022-23

Resolved OCM 314/23

Moved: Cr George Pratt

Seconded: Cr Marg Applebee

That Council:

1. Note the presentation of the audited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 and Independent Auditor’s Report, appended at Attachment 1, to the public, pursuant to section 419(1) of the Local Government Act 1993.

Carried

At this stage being 2:51 pm Ben Howard, Director Operations left the room.

12.2 Investments & Borrowings Report as at 31 October 2023

Resolved OCM 315/23

Moved: Cr Marg Applebee

Seconded: Cr William Jayet

That Council:

1. Receive and note the Statement of Investments and Borrowings as on 31 October 2023

Carried

At this stage being 2:53 pm Andrew Francis, Director Infrastructure and Strategic Futures left the room at 2:53 pm.

At this stage being 2:54 pm Andrew Francis, Director Infrastructure and Strategic Futures returned to the room.

At this stage being 2:54 pm Ben Howard, Director Operations returned to the room.

12.3 Quarterly Budget Review as at 30 September 2023

Resolved OCM 316/23

Moved: Cr Jacob Cass

Seconded: Cr George Pratt

That Council:

1. Receive and note the budget review report to 30 September 2023

2. Adopt the budget variations proposed in the quarterly budget review to 30 September 2023

Carried

At this stage being 3:03 pm Councillor Weber left the room.

12.4 Adoption of Water Leak Policy

Resolved OCM 317/23

Moved: Cr Marg Applebee

Seconded: Cr Jacob Cass

That Council:

1. Adopt the draft Water Leaks Policy, appended at Annexure 1, as exhibited for inclusion in Council's Policy Register and publishing to the website.

Carried

At this stage being 3:05 pm Councillor Weber returned to the room.

13 Reports of the Director Customer, Corporate Services and Economy

13.1 Endorsement of Annual Report 2022-2023

Resolved OCM 318/23

Moved: Cr Ken Keith OAM

Seconded: Cr Jacob Cass

That Council:

1. Endorse the Annual Report 2022-2023, appended at Attachment 1, pursuant to section 428 of the Local Government Act 1993.

2. Note that the Annual Report 2022-2023 will be submitted to the Minister for Local Government and published to Council's website by 30 November 2023, pursuant to section 428(5) of the Local Government Act 1993.

Carried

13.2 Power of Attorney

Resolved OCM 319/23

Moved: Cr Jacob Cass

Seconded: Cr Marg Applebee

That Council:

1. Appoint Council's General Manager, Mr Kent Boyd, and Director Customer, Corporate Services and Economy, Mr Anthony McGrath as an Attorneys of Council in accordance with the proposed Power of Attorney appended at Attachment 1 to this report.

2. Authorise the execution of the proposed Power of Attorney under the Seal of Council, pursuant to clause 400 of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021.

3. Revoke the existing Power of Attorney as from the date of execution of the proposed Power of Attorney.

4. Register the proposed Power of Attorney with Land Registry Services.

Carried

13.3 Adoption of Draft Financial Assistance Policy

Resolved OCM 320/23

Moved: Cr George Pratt

Seconded: Cr William Jayet

That Council:

1. Adopt the Draft Financial Assistance Policy for inclusion in Council's Policy Register and publication on the council website.

Carried

At this stage being 3:11 pm Jaco Barnard, Chief Financial Officer left the room.

13.4 Request to Use Trundle Town Improvement Funds - Berryman Oval - Skate Park Shade and Synthetic Turf Projects

Resolved OCM 321/23

Moved: Cr William Jayet

Seconded: Cr Marg Applebee

That Council:

1. Receive and note the correspondence from the Trundle Progress Association appended as Annexure A

2. Endorse the allocation of up to $9,000 from the Trundle Town Improvement Fund to support the provision of a shade structure at the skate park on the Berryman Oval precinct in Trundle.

3. Endorse the use of $2,800 from the Trundle Town Improvement Fund towards to cost to replace the synthetic grass on the Berryman Oval concrete wicket.

Carried

At this stage being 3:17 pm Jaco Barnard, Chief Financial Officer returned to the room.

13.5 Section 356 Request for Finanical Assistance - Peak Hill and District Times.

Resolved OCM 322/23

Moved: Cr Louise O'Leary

Seconded: Cr William Jayet

That Council:

1. Receive and note the correspondence from the Peak Hill Community Consultative Committee included as Annexure A

2. Provide public notice of its intention to provide up to $10,000 in financial assistance to the Peak Hill CTC to support the Peak Hill and District Times newspaper.

3. Pursuant to section 356 of the Local Government Act 1993, approve the provision of up to $10,000 to the Peak Hill CTC in financial assistance from the Peak Hill Town Improvement Fund, subject to no submissions being received.

4. Authorise an allocation of funds from the Peak Hill Town Improvement fund towards the sponsorship of the Peak Hill and District Times newspaper through requests made by the Peak Hill CTC.

Carried

13.6 Section 356 Request for Financial Assistance - Parkes Ministers Association - Christmas Carols

Resolved OCM 323/23

Moved: Cr William Jayet

Seconded: Cr Marg Applebee

That Council:

1. Receive and note the correspondence from the Parkes Ministers Association, appended at Annexure A.

2. Provide public notice of its intention to provide $1,900.00 in financial assistance and in-kind support to the Parkes Ministers Association, as detailed in this report, to support the delivery of the 2023 Christmas Carols.

3. Pursuant to section 356 of the Local Government Act 1993, approve the provision of $1,900.00 to the Parkes Ministers Association, subject to no submissions being received.

Carried

14 Reports of the Director Infrastructure and Sustainability

14.1 Major Projects and Current Works Report - Infrastructure and Strategic Futures

Resolved OCM 324/23

Moved: Cr George Pratt

Seconded: Cr Jacob Cass

That Council:

1. Receive and note the Infrastructure and Strategic Futures Major Projects and Current Works Report for November 2023, appended at Annexure A.

Carried

15 Reports of the Director Operations

15.1 Major Projects and Current Works - Operations

Resolved OCM 325/23

Moved: Cr Marg Applebee

Seconded: Cr Daniel Weber

That Council:

1. Receive and note the Operations Major Projects and Current Works Report for October 2023, appended at Annexure A.

Carried

At this stage being 3:47 pm the Mayor adjourned the meeting for afternoon tea.

The meeting resumed at 4:04 pm.

15.2 Road Closure - Baker Street, Parkes between Cheney and McGlynn Sports Fields

Resolved OCM 326/23

Moved: Cr Louise O'Leary

Seconded: Cr William Jayet

That:

1. Council endorse the closure of council road, Baker Street, Parkes - between Cheney and McGlynn Sports Fields.

2. That if required, the seal of Council be affixed to the documentation to facilitate the closure.

Carried

15.3 Acquisition of Land for Road Purposes

Resolved OCM 327/23

Moved: Cr George Pratt

Seconded: Cr Daniel Weber

That:

1. Council agree to the purchase of land from respective landowners to facilitate the boundary adjustments/road alignment for McGrane Way and the Bogan Way.

2. The General Manager and Director Operations be authorised to negotiate the purchase price of the land based on a market valuation.

3. The seal of Council be affixed to documentation as required to facilitate the process of road closures, sale, transfer and/or resumption.

Carried

15.4 Licence of former Works Depot at Peak Hill

Resolved OCM 328/23

Moved: Cr Louise O'Leary

Seconded: Cr William Jayet

That:

1. Council approve the issuing of a short term licence to NSW Fire and Rescue for the occupation of the former Peak Hill Works Depot site subject to the NSW Fire and Rescue maintaining the grounds and allowing shared access with the Peak Hill Leisure Arts and Craft Group.

Carried

At this stage being 4:23 pm Councillor George Pratt left the meeting.

At this stage being 4:25 pm Councillor George Pratt returned to the meeting.

15.5 Parkes Aquatic Facility - Swim Club Request for Assistance

Resolved OCM 329/23

Moved: Cr William Jayet

Seconded: Cr Marg Applebee

That Council:

1. Not accede to the request for alterations to the Swim Club access for Friday night usage from 6pm and that Council liaise with Belgravia to apply a variation to the existing contract to enable late night operations to cater for the Club trials to commence from 7pm.

Carried

16 Reports of the Director Planning and Community Services

16.1 October 2023 Building Statistics Report

Resolved OCM 330/23

Moved: Cr George Pratt

Seconded: Cr Daniel Weber

That:

1. Receive and note the October 2023 Building Statistics Report.

Carried

16.2 Parkes Liveability Strategy

Resolved OCM 331/23

Moved: Cr Marg Applebee

Seconded: Cr Jacob Cass

That:

1. Council resolve to publicly exhibit the Draft Liveability Strategy and Engagement Reports in accordance with the Parkes Shire Community Engagement Strategy.

Carried

16.3 DA2023/0076 - Subdivision - 31- 43 Saleyards Road, Parkes

Resolved OCM 332/23

Moved: Cr Marg Applebee

Seconded: Cr Jacob Cass

That:

1. Determine to approve DA 2023/0076 subject to the conditions contained in the attached Development Assessment Report.

In Favour: Crs Neil Westcott, Marg Applebee, Ken Keith OAM, William Jayet, Jacob Cass, Ken McGrath, Louise O'Leary, George Pratt and Daniel Weber

Against: Nil

carried 9/0

17 Notices of Motion/Questions with Notice

17.1 Cr Kenny McGrath Regarding Assistance by Council to Facilitate a Permenant Veterinarian Practice in Parkes

Resolved OCM 333/23

Moved: Cr Ken McGrath

Seconded: Cr Marg Applebee

That Council:

1. Receive and note the response to the Question with Notice submitted by Cr Kenny McGrath, as detailed in this report.

2. Waive all DA Fees and charges for any DA that includes a Veterinary Practice up to 12 months in accord with Council's Financial Assistance Policy under Section 356 of the Local Government Act.

3. Continue to seek and apply for an appropriate grant program that could be used to support the attraction and retention of a veterinary service.

4. Develop of a program with input from existing regional veterinary practitioners, to incentivise the establishment of a veterinary practice in a regional community.

5. Send a delegation to the Minister for Regional NSW to pitch that program for funding support and to offer Parkes as a pilot site.

6. Consider the development and subsidisation of community focussed programs such as micro chipping and desexing.

Carried

18 Confidential Matters

Resolved OCM 334/23

Moved: Cr William Jayet

Seconded: Cr George Pratt

That Ordinary Council Meeting:

1. Moves into Closed Session to deal with the matters below, which are classified as confidential under section 10A(2) of the Local Government Act 1993 for the reasons specified:

18.1 Design & Construction of Play Space Incorporating Water Play (Kelly Reserve) - PSC2023/040

This matter is considered to be confidential under Section 10A(2) - a and d(i) of the Local Government Act, and the Council is satisfied that discussion of this matter in an open meeting would, on balance, be contrary to the public interest as it deals with personnel matters concerning particular individuals (other than councillors) and commercial information of a confidential nature that would, if disclosed prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied it.

Further it is considered that discussions of this matter in open Council would, on balance, be contrary to the public interest as it would prejudice Council's ability to secure the optimum outcome for the community.

18.2 Construction of Culverts - Stage 2 Baldry-Peak Hill Road (PSC2023/092)

This matter is considered to be confidential under Section 10A(2) - d(i) of the Local Government Act, and the Council is satisfied that discussion of this matter in an open meeting would, on balance, be contrary to the public interest as it deals with commercial information of a confidential nature that would, if disclosed prejudice the commercial position of the person who supplied it.

18.3 Sprayed Bituminous Surfacing (PSC2023/036)

This matter is considered to be confidential under Section 10A(2) - a of the Local Government Act, and the Council is satisfied that discussion of this matter in an open meeting would, on balance, be contrary to the public interest as it deals with personnel matters concerning particular individuals (other than councillors).

18.4 Purchase of Water

18.5 Building Better Regions Fund - Lachlan River Pre-Treatment Plant Earthworks Package - PSC2023065

This matter is considered to be confidential under Section 10A(2) - d(ii) of the Local Government Act, and the Council is satisfied that discussion of this matter in an open meeting would, on balance, be contrary to the public interest as it deals with information that would, if disclosed, confer a commercial advantage on a competitor of the council.

18.6 Lake Endeavour Telecommunications Infrastructure Tender Evaluation

18.7 Lake Endeavour Floating Walkway - PSC2023/097

2. Exclude the media and public from the meeting on the basis that the business to be considered is classified as confidential, pursuant to 10A(1), 10(2) and 10A(3) of the Local Government Act 1993.

3. Withhold reports and correspondence relevant to the subject business be withheld from the media and public as provided by section 11(2) of the Local Government Act 1993.

4. Make public resolutions made by the Council in Closed Session after the conclusion of the Closed Session, and record such resolutions in the minutes of the Council meeting.

Carried

At this stage being 4:35 pm Andrew Francis, Director Infrastructure and Strategic Futures left the meeting.

At 4:36 pm, the Meeting went into Closed Session.

At this stage being 4:36 pm Jaco Barnard, Chief Financial Officer left the meeting.

At this stage being 4:38 pm Andrew Francis, Director Infrastructure and Strategic Futures returned to the meeting.

At this stage being 4:41 pm Jaco Barnard, Chief Financial Officer returned to the meeting.

At 5:23 pm, the Council in Closed Session returned to Open Session.

18.1 Design & Construction of Play Space Incorporating Water Play (Kelly Reserve) - PSC2023/040

Resolved OCM 335/23

Moved: Cr William Jayet

Seconded: Cr Jacob Cass

That:

1. Award the tender for Design and Construction of Play Space Incorporating Water Play – Contract PSC2023/040 to Moduplay Pty Ltd option 1 for the lump sum price of $1,127,023.49 excluding GST.

Carried

18.2 Construction of Culverts - Stage 2 Baldry-Peak Hill Road (PSC2023/092)

Resolved OCM 336/23

Moved: Cr George Pratt

Seconded: Cr Jacob Cass

That:

1. Award the tender for the Construction of Culverts - Stage 2 Baldry - Peak Hill Road - Contract No. PSC2023/092 to Dearnu Constructions Pty Ltd for the lump sum price of $494,686.50 excluding GST

Carried

At this stage being 4:51 pm Councillor Jacob Cass left the room.

18.3 Sprayed Bituminous Surfacing (PSC2023/036)

Resolved OCM 337/23

Moved: Cr Marg Applebee

Seconded: Cr Daniel Weber

That Council:

1. Award the Sprayed Bituminous Surfacing Services Panel tender (PSC2023/036) to companies outlined in Table 1 of this report be appointed as panel members for the provision of Sprayed Bituminous surfacing services for a period of two years from
1 December 2023 to 1 December 2025.

2. Allow the Director of Operations the delegated Authority to extend the Contract options, if desired, as per the tender documents for two periods of one year each, with a maximum ending date of 1 December 2027.

3. The General Manager and Director Operations be authorised to take any necessary action to implement the decision including entering associated contracts and negotiations.

Carried

At this stage being 4:52 pm Councillor Jacob Cass returned to the room.

At this stage being 4:55 pm Ben Howard, Director Operations left the room.

At this stage being 4:56 pm Ben Howard, Director Operations returned to the room.

18.4 Purchase of Water

Resolved OCM 338/23

Moved: Cr Ken Keith OAM

Seconded: Cr Jacob Cass

That Council:

1. Resolve to purchase the surface water access licence in accordance with this report and appropriate due diligence checks.

2. That the necessary documentation to facilitate the purchase and transfer of the water access licence be signed under the seal of Council as required.

3. That the GM and Director Infrastructure be empowered to negotiate future water purchases up to a limit of $2M should they arise, based on the time-sensitive nature of such negotiations.

Carried

18.5 Building Better Regions Fund - Lachlan River Pre-Treatment Plant Earthworks Package - PSC2023065

Resolved OCM 339/23

Moved: Cr William Jayet

Seconded: Cr Marg Applebee

That Council:

1. Receive the confidential report, Building Better Regions Fund LRPTP Earthworks Package PSC2023065 (Confidential Report) in relation to request for tender process PSC2023/065 (RFT process); and

2. Endorses the recommendation in the Confidential Report accepting the tender submission lodged by Steve Magill Earthmoving for the value of $2,339,038.57 following the execution of the contract.

Carried

At this stage being 5:07 pm Jaco Barnard, Chief Financial Officer left the room.

At this stage being 5:09 pm Jaco Barnard, Chief Financial officer returned to the room.

18.6 Lake Endeavour Telecommunications Infrastructure Tender Evaluation

Resolved OCM 340/23

Moved: Cr Jacob Cass

Seconded: Cr Marg Applebee

That Council:

1. Award the Lake Endeavour Telecommunications Infrastructure tender to Network Design and Construction Ltd (Telstra) for a value of $600,100 excluding GST.

2. Contributes an additional $250,000 towards the project from the Water Fund Reserve.

Carried

18.7 Lake Endeavour Floating Walkway - PSC2023/097

Resolved OCM 341/23

Moved: Cr Marg Applebee

Seconded: Cr Jacob Cass

That Council:

1. Award the tender for the Lake Endeavour Floating Walkway PSC2023/097 to Boab Industries Pty Ltd for the lump sum amount of $352,058.50 excluding GST.

Carried

19 Report of Confidential Resolutions

In accordance with clauses 14.22 and 14.23 of Council's Code of Meeting Practice, resolutions passed during a meeting, or a part of a meeting that is closed to the public must be made public by the Chairperson as soon as practicable. Such resolutions must be recorded in the publicly available minutes of the meeting.

Motion

That Ordinary Council Meeting:

1. Resume in Open Session and note the Mayor’s report on Confidential Resolutions.

20 Conclusion of Meeting

The meeting concluded at 5:27 pm.

This is the final page of the minutes comprising 22 pages numbered 1 to 22 of the Ordinary Council Meeting held on Tuesday, 21 November 2023 and confirmed on Tuesday, 19 December 2023.

Cr Neil Westcott

MAYOR

Ordinary Council Meeting Agenda

19 December 2023

9 Mayoral Minute(s)

9.1 Meetings, Functions and Events Attended by Mayor and Councillors

IP&R Linkage: Pillar: Leadership

Goal: Our local government is open, accountable, and representative.

Strategy: Advocate and provide strong representation for our community at the regional, state, and federal levels.

Author: Cr Neil Westcott

Annexures: Nil

Motion

That Council:

1. Note the report on the Meetings functions and events attended in an official capacity, by the Mayor and Councillors during the period 21 November 2023 through to 19 December 2023.

Report

Table 1: lists the Meetings, functions and events attended by the Mayor and Councillors during the period 17 October 2023 through to 21 November 2023.

Table 1: Meetings, Functions and Events attended by Mayor and Councillors

Date

Function

Saturday

18 November 2023

Country Sounds at the Pavilion

5:00 - 9:10 pm

Mayor to make a speech 2-3 minutes from 5:50 pm

Mayor NC Westcott, Deputy Mayor ME Applebee and Councillor WP Jayet

Apology: Cr GW Pratt

Monday

20 November 2023

Road Safety Steering Committee

Councillor GW Pratt

Tuesday

21 November 2023

Ordinary Council Meeting

Council Chambers

Parkes Shire Administration centre

All Councillors and Executive Staff

Apology: Councillor GS Wilson

Tuesday

21 November 2023

Business & Economy Advisory Committee meeting

Mayor NC Westcott, Councillors DR Weber, WP Jayet and JP Cass

Tuesday

21 November 2023

Destination & Major Events Advisory Committee Meeting

Mayor NC Westcott, Deputy Mayor ME Applebee, Councillors KJ Keith and WP Jayet

Wednesday

22 November 2023

Parkes Arts Advisory Council Meeting

Mayor NC Westcott, Deputy Mayor ME Applebee, Councillors WP Jayet and KJ Keith

Wednesday - Thursday

22 - 23 November 2023

JO Board Dinner and Board Meeting at NSW Parliament House

General Manager Kent Boyd, Mayor NC Westcott and Councillor KJ Keith

Thursday

23 November 2023

Life Education AGM & General Meeting

Councillor KJ Keith

Thursday

23 November 2023

Trundle & District Progress Association Meeting

Mayor NC Westcott & Deputy Mayor ME Applebee

Friday

24 November 2023

Country Mayor's Association AGM & Meeting

Sydney

Councillor KJ Keith

Apologies: Mayor NC Westcott & General Manager Kent Boyd

Friday

24 November 2023

Skillset AGM in Bathurst

Apology: Mayor NC Westcott & General Manager Kent Boyd

Attended: Alan Ward as Council's representative

Saturday

25 November 2023

Official Opening of the Lachlan Shire Tourism Precinct

Mayor NC Westcott

Sunday

26 November 2023

School of Dance

Deputy Mayor ME Applebee and Councillor WP Jayet

Monday

27 November 2023

Central West Mayor meeting with NSW Reconstruction Authority

Mayor NC Westcott

Monday

27 November 2023

Peak Hill Community Consultative Committee Meeting

Mayor NC Westcott and Councillor LA O'Leary

Wednesday

29 November 2023

Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee Meeting

Deputy Mayor ME Applebee and Councillor JP Cass

Thursday

30 November

Newell Highway Taskforce Meeting in Canberra

Councillor KJ Keith - Chair of NHTF

Thursday

30 November 2023

PEF Portfolio Holder Dinner & Festival Run-through

Mayor NC Westcott

Friday

1 December 2023

Henry Parkes Museum - 150th Anniversary of the Renaming of Bushman's to Section 355 Parkes Sports Council

General Manager Kent Boyd, Mayor NC Westcott, Deputy Mayor ME Applebee, Councillors KJ Keith, WP Jayet, GW Pratt,

Apology: Cr JP Cass, DR Weber, GS Wilson

Friday

1 December 2023

Meals on Wheels Christmas Party

Mayor NC Westcott

Saturday

2 December 2023

Who is Parkes - Photography Exhibition to commemorate the 150 year Anniversary naming of Parkes

Mayor NC Westcott, Deputy Mayor ME Applebee, Councillor WP Jayet, Andrew Francis & Logan Hignett

Apology: General Manager Kent Boyd, Councillors JP Cass & LA O'Leary

Tuesday

4 December 2023

Parkes High School - Term 4 Recognition Assembly

Mayor NC Westcott (Apology)

Councillor WP Jayet to attend to present the Awards

Tuesday

4 December 2023

St Patricks School Trundle

Thank you morning tea

Invited: Mayor NC Westcott (apology)

Kerryn Jones attended as Council's representative

Tuesday

4 December 2023

Australia Day Committee Meeting

Mayor NC Westcott, Deputy Mayor ME Applebee, Councillors WP Jayet, KJ Keith and LA O'Leary

Monday - Tuesday

4 - 5 December 2023

Councillor Training Days

General Manager Kent Boyd, Directors and Councillors

Apologies: Councillor KM McGrath and LA O'Leary

Tuesday

5 December 2023

CNSWJO - Briefing session about imminent financial decisions

General Manager Kent Boyd & Mayor NC Westcott

Wednesday

6 December 2023

Stakeholders Engagement Forum - CSU North Orange Campus

Invited: Mayor NC Westcott (Apology)

Attended: Councillor KJ Keith

Wednesday

6 December 2023

MidLachlan - Parkes District Lachlan Command Meeting

Councillor DR Weber

Thursday

7 December 2023

Floodplain Risk Management Committee

2pm Committee Room

Deputy Mayor ME Applebee and Councillor GW Pratt

Thursday

7 December 2023

Bangala-la Preschool End of year Gathering -Special Invitation

Mayor NC Westcott and Deputy Mayor ME Applebee

Friday

8 December 2023

Mining & Energy Related Councils (MERC) AGM

General Manager Kent Boyd

Sunday

10 December

Carols in the Park

Public Function - Mayor NC Westcott

Monday

11 December

Parkes High School Awards Day

Mayor NC Westcott (Apology)

Councillor WP Jayet to attend to present the Awards

Monday

11 December 2023

Bogan Gate Memorial Hall Inc. Committee Meeting

Deputy Mayor ME Applebee and Councillor GW Pratt

Monday

11 December 2023

Community Safety Precinct Meetings

General Manager Kent Boyd, Mayor NC Westcott, Deputy Mayor ME Applebee

Apology: Councillor KJ Keith

Tuesday

12 December 2023

Lachlan Health Council meeting

Councillor ME Applebee

Tuesday

12 December 2023

Parkes Sports Council

Councillor LA O'Leary

Apology: Councillor KJ Keith

Wednesday

13 December 2023

Red Bend Catholic College Thanksgiving Mass and Assembly

Mayor NC Westcott (to present Year 10 Awards)

Friday

15 December 2023

CMOC - NPM VIP Visit

Mayor NC Westcott, Deputy Mayor ME Applebee, General Manager

Kent Boyd

Friday

15 December 2023

Lachlan Shire Council Mayoral Christmas Party

Attended: Mayor NC Westcott

Monday

18 December 2023

Brolgan Road reopening event

Fulton Hogan compound via Woolstore Place

Mayor NC Westcott, Deputy Mayor ME Applebee, General Manager Kent Boyd, Councillor Ken Keith, Andrew Francis & Ben Howard

Monday

18 December 2023

RGDC Executive update - with Troy Anderson & Emma Ridley

Mayor NC Westcott, Deputy Mayor ME Applebee and General Manager Kent Boyd

Monday

18 December 2023

Evolution Mining Civic Reception

General Manager Kent Boyd, Mayor NC Westcott, Deputy Mayor ME Applebee

Tuesday

19 December 2023

Community, Access & Liveability Advisory Committee Meeting

Mayor NC Westcott, Deputy Mayor ME Applebee, Councillors KJ Keith and WP Jayet

Tuesday

19 December 2023

Parkes Bypass update by Transport NSW / Georgiou

Invited All Councillors, General Manager & Directors

Mayor NC Westcott, Deputy Mayor ME Applebee, Ben Howard, Anthony McGrath, Brendan Hayes, Andrew Francis, Councillors KM McGrath, WP Jayet and DR Weber

Cr Neil Westcott

Mayor

Ordinary Council Meeting Agenda

19 December 2023

9.3 Central NSW Joint Organisation Board meeting

IP&R Linkage: Pillar: Leadership

Goal: Our local government is open, accountable, and representative.

Strategy: Advocate and provide strong representation for our community at the regional, state, and federal levels.

Author: Cr Neil Westcott

Annexures: Nil

Motion

That Council:

1. Note the report from the Mayor on the Central NSW Joint Organisation (CNSWJO) Board meeting held 23 November.

2. Note the round table discussion with the Premier, Treasurer, State Ministers and their representative's and local MPs; and

3. Note return on investment from Council fees to the CNSWJO is 9.46:1.

Report

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The Central NSW Joint Organisation (CNSWJO) Board met 23 November at Parliament House, Sydney.

The Board, with coordination from the Office of the Member for Orange Phil Donato MP and support with the Member for Barwon Roy Butler MP, held a roundtable with the Premier, Treasurer and various Ministers. It was clear from the day that both Phil Donato and Roy Butler enjoy strong support from the minority Minns government.

The Board spoke with the following State Representatives:

· The Hon. Chris Minns, Premier, Member of the Legislative Assembly and Member for Kogarah;

· The Hon. Daniel Mookhey, MLC, Treasurer;

· The Hon. Penny Sharpe, MLC Minister for Climate Change, Minister for Energy, Minister for the Environment, Minister for Heritage, Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council;

· The Hon. Rose Jackson, MLC, Minister for Water, Minister for Housing, Minister for Homelessness, Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Youth, and Minister for the North Coast; and

· The Hon. Jenny Aitchison, Minister for Regional Transport and Roads and Member for Maitland.

The Board also heard a presentation from Ernest and Young on the Business Case for the Priority Investments in the Nexus Between Emissions Reduction and Energy Security in Central NSW.

The consistent themes on the day were:

· The impending drought;

· Mental Health;

· Energy Transition;

· Housing; and

· Natural disasters and their funding.

Follow-up actions from the round table of the region’s behalf were:

· The Hon. Penny Sharpe - welcomed spending more time with CNSWJO representatives early in the New Year on the Ernst and Young Business Case on the Nexus Between Net Zero and Energy Security;

· The Premier - Disaster funding;

· The Treasurer – the NW Government Population Projections Review and water & sewer disaster funding;

· The Hon. Rose Jackson - priority water projects and preparedness for the upcoming drought; and

· The Hon. Jenny Aitchison - challenges of freight from the rewiring of NSW construction task.

Highlights from the Board meeting follow where the full agenda is available at Business Papers & Agendas - Central Joint Organisation (nsw.gov.au)

Audited Accounts and Annual Statement

The Audited Accounts and Annual Statement were adopted.

The Joint Organisation’s net operating result for the year ended 30 June 2023 was $182,000.

To review the Audited Accounts and Annual Statement please go to: News & Publications - Central Joint Organisation (nsw.gov.au)

Board and GMAC Meeting dates for 2024

The following dates for GMAC and Board meetings for 2024 be:

Board	29 February	30 May	29 August	28 November
Location	Lachlan	State Parliament	Federal Parliament	Lithgow
GMAC	1 February	2 May	25 July	31 October
Location	Orange	Oberon	Parkes	Orange

Portfolio Mayors

Cr Ruth Fagan, Mayor of Cowra has taken on the role of Portfolio Mayoral role for Regional Prosperity and Councillor Jess Jennings has taken up the Portfolio Mayoral roles for Energy, Transport and Water.

Advocacy

Between meetings the Board has an opt-in sub-committee of Mayors to oversee advocacy. The Board resolved to ask this committee to progress:

· advocacy for a Safe Swift and Secure Link between Sydney and Central NSW; and

· oversight of advocacy for on the renewable energy transition and council financial sustainability.

The Board also resolved to:

· develop a media campaign on Council sustainability; and

· provide a letter of support for Cr J Jennings for his fact-finding visit to the United States.

Cr Jennings, Mayor of Bathurst is a strong supporter of tunnelling options and is visiting the United States with a view to looking at tunnelling and other transport innovations that might apply to this region.

The following submissions were endorsed by the Board:

· AEMC on Enhancing Community Engagement in Transmission Building;

· the Inquiry into the implementation of recommendations relating to workforce issues, workplace culture and funding considerations for remote, rural and regional health; and

· IPART Water NSW Operating License Review;

· the Inquiry into the performance of the Regional Investment Activation Fund and the Regional Job Creation Fund.

· Water Infrastructure NSW 91 Proposed New Indicators for LWUs; and

· the Planning system and the Impacts of Climate Change on the Environment and Communities.

· the Inquiry into Protecting Local Water Utilities from Privatisation

All submissions are available on the CNSWJO website at https://www.centraljo.nsw.gov.au/submissions/

Policy Lab

In September all Councillors of the region were invited to attend a Policy Lab Workshop at the Charles Sturt University campus in Orange. Please request Terms of reference and any other reports from this initiative which was inspired by a request from Councillors in the region at an event on August 2022 for more opportunities to get together and influence policy.

Policy on local government democracy and social media was developed for Board consideration. A report from the event was provided to all attendees and informed the Board resolve to adopt policy, update advocacy plans and receive advice on programming in both local government reform and social media. The report from Policy Lab#1 is an attachment.

Preparation is underway for the next Policy Lab which will be on Productive Water. All Councilors will be welcome to attend.

Disaster Risk Reduction Fund Program

GHD commenced the needs analysis on disaster risk reduction by distributing a survey through CNSWJO to collect data. All member Councils have provided their responses. Currently, the data is undergoing evaluation, and individual Council meetings are being held to ensure clarity and to gather any missing details.

Transport

CNSWJO members contributed to the research by the Grattan Institute coordinated by ALGA which was published recently. This work found the nation’s local road network is in a dangerous state of disrepair and called for an extra $1 billion a year to fix and maintain them.

Subsequently, the federal government has announced Roads to Recovery funding for local councils will increase to $1 billion a year, along with a $40 billion boost to the Black Spot program and measures to remove administrative burdens from roads funding.

Regional Water

Reported was the progress of the following projects in the water portfolio:

· Project to transition local water utility strategic planning into the Integrated Planning and Reporting (IP&R) framework;

· Regional Water Loss Management project;

· Renegotiation of the agreement with Smart Water for water efficiency collateral;

· Regional asset management assessments using the National Asset Management Assessment Framework (NAMAF).

It also provides advice on finalised, current and upcoming consultative processes including:

· Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal WaterNSW Operating License Review;

· Joint Select Committee on Protecting Local Water Utilities from Privatisation;

· DPE Water Review of Performance Monitoring Indicators for Local Water Utilities;

· DPE Water third consultation on the draft Lachlan Regional Water Strategy; and

· DPE Water consultation on Harmonisation of Water Restrictions.

Following a presentation by Water Infrastructure NSW on the Wyangala Dam wall raising project Final Business Case, advice is provided on discussion within region on the next steps for advocacy to Government including endorsement by the Board of advocacy collateral on the region’s Priority Water Infrastructure Projects.

Energy

Both the Board and Minister Penny Sharp were provided with advice from Ernst and Young on the fully funded Business Case for priority projects for investment in the nexus between energy security and emissions reduction.

The Board endorsed the business case ‘placemat’ and approved a regional application by CNSWJO for interested member councils for the Community Energy Upgrades Fund.

It was resolve that the Board advocate to

· the NSW OECC to extend the JONZA program to ensure embedment and efficient implementation of activities that support the region’s net zero aspirations into the future; and

· the EPA and the OECC for support and funding to progress activities that will assist councils in reducing emissions from landfill.

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Cr Neil Westcott

Mayor

Value to members

A snapshot of the value to members of the various activities undertaken by the JO for their members in the context of the CNSWJO Strategic Plan follows.

Where a majority of the staffing resource of the JO goes to providing support for the operations of Councils and supporting Councils with the sustainability challenge, it is notable that the CNSWJO program for 2022/2023 had a return of investment for every dollar members spend on fees of 9.46:1.

VALUE FOR MEMBERS	FY 2019/ 2020	FY 2020/ 2021	FY 2021/ 2022	FY 2022/ 2023	FYTD 2023/ 2024
SUBMISSIONS	20	23	16	13	12
PLANS, STRATEGIES AND COLLATERAL	26	12	3	9	26
GRANTS SEEKING	3	3	1	9	1
GRANT FUNDING AWARDED	$215k	$736k	$738k	$2.05m	$567k
COMPLIANCE	13	9	11	16
DATA	6	3	1	14	12
COST SAVINGS	$1.87m	$2.2m	$2.1m	$4.2m	$1.5m
REPRESENTATION AND OPPORTUNITIES COUNCILS HAVE BEEN AFFORDED	147	159	210	143	77
MEDIA INCLUDING SOCIAL MEDIA	13	18	25	32	13
PR VALUE OF TOURISM	$1.5m	$2.4m	$1.9m	$1.4m
MEDIA PR VALUE	35	102	101	51	13

Savings

The following table shows the savings achieved by member Councils through aggregated procurement and programming. An explanation of the meaning of each column has been reported previously and is available on request.

Please request advice from previous years where costs savings continue to grow every year.

The cost to members is calculated on a percentage of each CNSWJO staff member and their corresponding workload on procurement and contract management. This figure is updated quarterly in line with the cost savings.

Spend and Cost Savings

The table following reflects the spend by members for the 22/23 financial year:

The table following reflects the savings by members for the 22/23 financial year. It is noteworthy the savings achieved through the electricity contract have been calculated and included, where the previous report did not include these. As such, there is an additional $2.3m in savings shown for the last financial year. Further details can be found in the Energy Report. See pie graph over the page.

The table below reflects the spend by members for the 23/24 financial year as of 15 November 2023:

The table below reflects the savings by members for the 23/24 financial year as of 15 November 2023:

Please contact Ms Jennifer Bennett, Executive Officer, 0428690935, with any queries regarding this advice or in her absence Acting Executive Officer, Kate Barker, 0428 604 513

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Cr Neil Westcott

Mayor

Attachments

1. Minutes of the CNSWJO Board meeting 23 November 2023

2. Report from Policy Lab#1

Minutes of the CNSWJO Board Meeting 23 November 2023 held in Sydney

Minutes of the CNSWJO Board Meeting 23 November 2023 held in Sydney

In Attendance*

Cr J Jennings	Bathurst Regional Council	Cr J Hamling	Orange City Council
Cr D Somervaille	Blayney Shire Council	Cr M Statham	Lithgow City Council
Cr K Beatty	Cabonne Council	Cr M Kellam	Oberon Council
Cr R Fagan	Cowra Shire Council	Cr N Westcott	Parkes Shire Council
Cr P Miller OAM	Forbes Shire Council	Cr P Best	Weddin Shire Council
Cr P Phillips	Lachlan Shire Council

Mr D Sherley	Bathurst Regional Council	Mr G Rhodes	CTW
Mr B Byrnes	Cabonne Council	Ms K Annis-Brown	OLG
Mr P Devery	Cowra Shire Council	Ms O West	Regional NSW
Mr S Loane OAM	Forbes Shire Council	Ms J Bennett	CNSWJO
Mr G Tory	Lachlan Shire Council	Ms M Macpherson	CNSWJO
Mr R Gurney	Lithgow City Council	Ms K Barker	CNSWJO
Mr G Wallace	Oberon Council	Ms C Griffin	CNSWJO
Mr D Waddell	Orange City Council
Mr K Boyd PSM	Parkes Shire Council
Ms N Vu	Weddin Shire Council

*Voting members in bold

Meeting opened at 9.00am by Chair Cr Kevin Beatty

1. Welcome

Cr Beatty noted this was the 10^th visit to NSW Parliament by the region and thanked both Mr Phil Donato, Member for Orange and Roy Butler, Member for Barwon, for their supporting in hosting this meeting.

2. Acknowledgement of Country

Acknowledgment to Country

3. Apologies applications for a leave of absence by Joint Voting representatives

Cr S Ferguson, Cr C Bembrick, Mr M Dicker, Cr A McGibbon, Mr C Butler and Mr T Johnson.

Resolved Cr J Hamling/Cr P Miller

That the apologies for the Central NSW Joint Organisation Board meeting 23 November 2023 listed above be accepted.

4. Conflicts of Interest

Resolved Cr P Miller/Cr J Hamling

Nil declared

5. Speakers

1. Ernst & Young

Presentation on the Business Case for the Priority Investments in the Nexus Between Emissions Reduction and Energy Security in Central NSW

Resolved Cr M Kellam/Cr J Jennings

That items 8L and 8K be brought forward.

Priority Seven: Transition to a sustainable, secure and affordable energy future

8l Just Transition to a Renewable Energy Future Report

Resolved Cr J Jennings/Cr P Miller

That the Board note the Just Transition to a Renewable Energy Future Report and;

1. call on the NSW Government to, as a matter of urgency;

a. provide a whole of government approach to the logistics of the infrastructure effort to rewire regional NSW;

b. review the State Significant Development Process particularly with regard to

i. cumulative impacts;

ii. its applicability to the large-scale infrastructure effort in rewiring NSW;

iii. timeframes for the post consultation period;

iv. additional compulsory pre consultation requirements

v. a fit for purpose mandated planning agreement policy and process; and

c. identify all cumulative impacts of rewiring of regional NSW including transport and housing;

d. note development outside the Renewable Energy Zone and Energy Co remit is also substantial;

e. provide just compensation to communities for these impacts where this compensation includes consideration of the ongoing, cumulative impacts of poor processes to date;

f. direct NSW Government agencies and State-Owned Corporations to develop and implement policy that better engage and inform community on State Significant Development;

g. provide assurance for energy security for the communities of Central NSW through the next decade of transition and beyond;

h. ensure that there is sufficient water for urban communities leading into the next drought and that they have priority over the energy transition effort; and

I. develop and implement policy that allows for optimal outcomes for agriculture co-located with large scale renewable energy generation;

i. royalties on power generation from renewable energy productions go to all affected communities including those responsible for and impacted by the transport task;

j. freight impacts for the Central NSW region be urgently assessed;

2. advocate for more funding for distributed energy generation, including seeking support for roll-out in the Central NSW region from Essential Energy, Endeavour Energy and Iberdrola;

3. advocate for incentivising domestic battery uptake in region, to help both support the energy transition and energy security;

4. note in particular the advice regarding windfarm projects in Forestry Corporation softwood forests in Bathurst, Lithgow, Oberon and Orange;

5. update the advocacy policy and the CNSWJO Risk Management Plan in line with the resolve above; and

6. ask the Advocacy Subcommittee of Mayors to monitor the situation closely and act in the interest of the region between Board meetings with an ongoing focus on supporting communities through this difficult period including seeking recompense and energy security.

10:50 Crs Westcott and Miller left the meeting to attend Question Time

8k Energy Report

Resolved Cr M Kellam/Cr J Jennings

That the Board note the Energy Program Report and;

1. note the progress of the business case on the nexus between energy security and emissions reduction and

a. note the draft business case document and the appendices;

b. endorse option 3 of the business case as the recommended option;

c. endorse the business case ‘placemat’;

2. advocate to the NSW OECC to extend the JONZA program to ensure embedment and efficient implementation of activities that support the region’s net zero aspirations into the future;

3. advocate to the EPA and the OECC for support and funding to progress activities that will assist councils in reducing emissions from landfill;

4. approve a regional application by CNSWJO for interested member councils for the Community Energy Upgrades Fund;

5. note the estimated cost savings of $2.37m for members between January to June 2023 under the large sites and streetlighting electricity contract;

6. note the AER’s draft determination in relation to Essential Energy’s pricing proposal for public lighting was not approved and note the importance of the ongoing work that the Southern Lights Group continues to conduct on behalf of members, where it was the only submission received in relation to public lighting; and

7. make a submission to the Renewable Energy Framework consultation.

11:50 Crs Westcott and Miller returned from Question time

Speaker: The Hon. Penny Sharpe, MLC, Minister for Climate Change, Minister for Energy

Minister for the Environment, Minister for Heritage and Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council

Action/s: Minister Sharpe welcomed spending more time early in the New Year on the Ernst and Young Business Case. CNSWJO staff to follow-up.

Speaker: The Hon. Chris Minns, MP

Premier, Member of the Legislative Assembly, Member for Kogarah

Action/s: Follow-up to be provided on disaster funding.

Speaker: The Hon. Daniel Mookhey, MLC, Treasurer

Action/s: Follow up on population projections review and water & sewer disaster funding.

6. Minutes

6a. Noting of the Minutes of the CNSWJO GMAC Meeting 26 October in Forbes

Resolved Cr R Fagan/Cr P Miller

That the Central NSW Joint Organisation Board confirm the Minutes of the CNSWJO GAMC Meeting 23 October 2023 held in Forbes

6b. Confirmation of the Minutes of the CNSWJO Board Meeting 23 August held in Sydney

Resolved Cr P Miller/Cr R Fagan

That the Central NSW Joint Organisation Board confirm the Minutes of the CNSWJO Board Meeting 23 August 2023 held in Sydney

7. Business Arising from the Minutes – Matters in Progress

Resolved Cr P Miller/Cr M Kellam

That the Central NSW Joint Organisation Board note the Matters in Progress, making deletions as suggested.

8. Reports on Statement of Regional Strategic Priority

Priority One: Inter-Council Co-operation

a. Financial Report

Resolved Cr M Kellam/Cr P Miller

That the Board note the Financial Report.

b. Adoption of the Audited Financial Statements for the year ended 30 June 2023

Resolved Cr J Hamling/Cr M Kellam

That the Board note the Compliance Report

c. Annual Compliance and CNSWJO Meeting dates for 2024

Resolved Cr N Westcott/Cr P Miller

That the Board note the Compliance report and;

1. note the Calendar of Compliance and Reporting-Requirements update;

2. endorse the 2023 Annual Performance Statement and place it on the website;

3. note the advice from the Chair and Executive Officer that this is summarised in the Annual Performance Statement;

4. note the report to on code of conduct complaint statistics;

5. note the Pecuniary Interest Returns under clause 4.21 of the Model Code of Conduct;

6. determine the dates for GMAC and Board meetings for 2024 be:

Board	29 February	30 May	29 August	28 November
Location	Lachlan	State Parliament	Federal Parliament	Lithgow
GMAC	1 February	2 May	25 July	31 October
Location	Orange	Oberon	Parkes	Orange

d. Policy and Procedure Annual Review

Resolved Cr P Miller/Cr M Statham

That the Board note the CNSWJO Policy Procedure Annual Review report and adopt the updated Policy and Procedure Manual noting it includes;

1. a new policy on the JO making applications through competitive grants processes;

2. policy aligning with Modern Slavery Legislation;

3. inclusion in the Charter an annual fee for the Chair of $10K;

4. changes to the credit card use to allow for increased programming; and

5. updates associated with policy in procurement adopted in May of this year

e. The CNSWJO Governance and Advocacy Report

Resolved Cr P Phillips/Cr M Kellam

That the Board note the Governance and Advocacy Report and;

1. nominate Portfolio Mayors as follows:

a. Cr J Jennings to Energy, Water and Transport; and

b. Cr R Fagan to Regional Prosperity; and

2. note that a report will be received from the Rural Doctors’ Network workshop in Forbes 31 October and encourage members to take up the “State of Play” opportunity in the interim;

3. endorse the activities of the Opt in Advocacy Subcommittee of Mayors, that being;

a. developing a media campaign on Council sustainability;

b. progressing advocacy for a Safe Swift and Secure Link between Sydney and Central NSW; and

c. providing oversight of advocacy for on the renewable energy transition and council financial sustainability;

4. provide a letter of support for Cr J Jennings for his fact finding visit to the United States;

5. develop policy on the need for national strategy for the Safe Swift and Secure Link between Sydney and Central NSW;

6. adopt the response to the Inquiry into the performance of the Regional Investment Activation Fund and the Regional Job Creation Fund; and

7. endorse the following submissions that have been lodged to:

a. AEMC on Enhancing Community Engagement in Transmission Building;

b. the Inquiry into the implementation of recommendations relating to workforce issues, workplace culture and funding considerations for remote, rural and regional health; and

c. IPART Water NSW Operating Licence Review;

d. Water Infrastructure NSW 91 Proposed New Indicators for LWUs; and

e. The Planning system and the Impacts of Climate Change on the Environment and Communities.

f. the Inquiry into Protecting Local Water Utilities from privatisation

f. Report from Policy Labs for dissemination to attendees

Resolved Cr J Hamling/Cr R Fagan

That the Board note the Report from Policy Lab#1 with Charles Sturt University adopt policy, update advocacy plans and receive advice on programming for;

1. reframing the rhetoric – speak about local government in terms of capability, opportunity etc;

2. encouraging a ‘big conversation’ about expanding regional collaboration – consider a more authoritative regional board (representing member councils) that’s better placed to advise/negotiate with state and federal agencies;

3. using a regional strategy to build trust in/respect for local government and improve its status in the overall system of government while not glossing over the difficult issues for example financial sustainability;

4. removing red tape barriers to more regional action while avoiding raising amalgamations;

5. leveraging available resources and talent more effectively;

6. reviewing financial sustainability, addressing ‘spatial fiscal imbalance’ particularly between Western Sydney and Central NSW where this is to include a review Federal Assistance Grants system and distribution of other grants to improve equity; avoid competitive grants;

7. expanding self-regulation (eg in planning, environment, water) – Audit Risk and Improvement Committees could be useful but must have effective local representation;

8. supporting the primary democratic role of councillors;

9. providing more background information on election candidates;

10. exploring opportunities for improving candidacy;

11. optimising the Integrated Planning & Reporting framework including as a basis for enhanced community engagement and making the cycle a better fit for newly elected councils;

12. rejecting

a. mandatory popular election of mayors or wards;

b. amalgamations

c. changes that might increase oversight and

d. changing the councillor-executive relationship at least in the short term pending needed changes; and regarding social media;

13. the Board provide the advice on social media to Council as a proforma report; and

14. that this advice include;

a. canvassing the idea of a shared resource in social media support; and

b. consideration of Councils’ other regulatory obligations relevant to social media under the Local Government Act, Work Health and Safety Act and other material legislation and

15. the Mayoral Board report to Councils include advice from this report

g. Regional Procurement and Contracts

Resolved Cr P Miller/Cr N Wescott

That the Board note the report on Procurement and Contract Management and that it;

1. note the use of delegations under the procurement policy between Board meetings;

2. note the procurement activity report since the last meeting;

3. approve a 12-month extension of the Supply of Linemarking Services Contract;

4. approve to seek a variation to the current TLD1_2021 Safety Compliance Training Contract for Admire Workplace Safety, enabling the delivery of Traffic Control Training Services under the TLD1_2021 Contract; and

5. approve the additional procurement processes added to the CNSWJO regional procurement plan for 2023/2024.

h. Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF) Program report

Resolved Cr P Miller/Cr M Kellam

That the Board note the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund Program report and note;

1. the progress on the needs analysis currently underway;

2. the progress on the Regional Resilience Program working groups;

a. including the commencement of a collaborative procurement for the technology deliverable;

3. the update and upcoming commencement of the Transport for NSW Customer Resilience Journey Plans project; and

4. the progress of the ‘Fix Me’ project

Priority Five: Transport and Infrastructure

i. Transport Advocacy

Resolved Cr J Hamling/Cr J Jennings

That the Board note the Transport report and adopt the ‘plan on a page’ for the recently adopted CNSWJO Regional Transport Technical Committee Strategy 2023-2028.

Priority Six: Regional Water Security and Productive Water

j. Regional Water Report

Resolved Cr J Jennings/Cr P Best

That the Board note the Regional Water Report and

1. endorses the Priority Water Infrastructure brochure; and

2. notes the renegotiation of the agreement with Smart Water for the provision water efficiency collateral for member councils.

9. Quarterly Review of the Central NSW JO Strategic Plan and Statement of Regional Strategic Priority 2022-2025

Resolved Cr M Kellam/Cr J Jennings

That the Board note the Quarterly Review of the Central NSW JO Strategic Plan and Statement of Regional Strategic Priority 2022-2025; and

1. note that Councils have been sent their PlaceMats for the pre-Community Strategic Plan consultation period;

2. receive a report from State agency consultations to inform Community Strategic Plans and in the interim circulate this to members for feedback;

3. note costs saving of $4.2m and ROI of 9.4:1 for members in the 2022/2023 financial year;

4. progress an application to the Round Two EOI for the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund to be developed by the sponsoring General Managers under the hand of the Chair;

5. employ a new staff member under the auspices of the Chair to

a. provide continuity of service during a maternity leave period and

b. provide a greater level of operational support to the water priority;

6. note that a briefing is being sought for members regarding budgetary implications of 4 and 5 above and work arrangements of the Executive Officer give her family commitments where the Chair will make his final decisions based on member feedback; and

7. a full report on the Executive Officer transition will be provided to the Board in February in the context if the overall budget going forward.

10. Late reports – Regional NSW will circulate reports for members in due course

11. Matters raised by Members and attendees

OLG advised there is a JO review and an IP&R leading practice program in progress.

12. Speakers to the next meeting.

Saul Griffith or suitable alternative, Alistair Lunn and Ant Hayes from TfNSW

13. Next meetings:

GMAC: 1 February 2024 – Orange.

Board: 29 February 2024 – Lachlan

Speaker: The Hon. Rose Jackson, MLC, Minister for Water, Minister for Housing, Minister for Homelessness, Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Youth, and Minister for the North Coast

Action/s: The region will continue to provide follow-up on priority water projects and preparedness for the upcoming drought.

Speaker: The Hon. Jenny Aitchison, Member for Maitland and Minister for Regional Transport and Roads

Action/s: Follow-up on the challenges of freight from the rewiring of NSW construction task will be provided.

14. Meeting closed 4:40pm

Page 7 is the last page of the Central NSW Joint Organisation meeting 23 November 2023 at Sydney

Central NSW Joint Organisation Policy Lab Workshop

28 September 2023 Report to attendees

Attendees

Facilitators

Professor Mark Evans, CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Adjunct Professor Graham Sansom, University of Technology Sydney

Professor Gerry Stoker, Chair in Governance at the University of Southampton.

Panel Members

The Hon. Stephen Lawrence, MLC

Cr Kevin Beatty, Mayor of Cabonne Council and Chair of CNSWJO Cr Bill West, immediate past Mayor, Councillor Cowra Council

Cr Gerrald Power, Deputy Mayor Orange City Council

Ms Noreen Vu, General Manager Weddin Shire Council

Bathurst Regional Council

Cr Beb Fry, Deputy Mayor

Mr Darren Sturgiss, Acting General Manager

Mr Garry Styles, Consultant

Blayney Shire Council

Cr John Newstead

Cr Michelle Prysejones

Cr Bruce Reynolds

Cabonne Council

Cr Kevin Beatty, Mayor Cr Andrew Rawson

Cr Kathryn O’Ryan

Mr Brad Byrnes, General Manager

Cowra Shire Council

Cr Bill West

Cr Cheryl Downing Cr Nikki Kiss, OAM

Lachlan Shire Council

Cr John Medcalf, OAM

Mr Greg Tory, General Manager

Lithgow City Council

Cr Maree Statham Cr Darryl Goodwin

Mr Craig Butler, General Manager

Oberon Council

Cr Andrew McKibbin Cr Lauren Trembath Cr Helen Hayden

Cr Gary Wallace, General Manger

Orange City Council

Cr Gerrald Power, Deputy Mayor Mr Dave Waddell CEO

Parkes Shire Council

Cr Neil Westcott, Mayor

Cr Marg Applebee, Deputy Mayor Cr Ken Keith, OAM

Weddin Shire Council

Cr Glenda Howell Cr Jason Kenah

Ms Noreen Vu, General Manager

Central Tablelands Water

Mr Gavin Rhodes, General Manager

Key Stakeholders

Ms Oliva West, Director, Regional Development Central West

CSU

Ms Julia Andrews, Director of External Engagement, Orange & Bathurst Office of Engagement and Enterprise

Susan Barnes, Community Relations Officer, Orange Office of Engagement and Enterprise

Ms Amber Marks, Business Development Manager

Ms Samantha Beresford, Head of Government Relations and Regional Engagement Office of Engagement and Enterprise

Ms Jessica McLaughlin, Assistant Media Officer, Office of the Vice-Chancellor Ms Trease Clarke, Senior Media Officer, Office of the Vice-Chancellor

Mr Craig Murphy, Senior Project Officer, Digital Innovations, Office of Engagement and Enterprise

Mr Brenton Cox, Photographer

CNSWJO

Ms Jennifer Bennett, Executive Officer

Ms Meredith Macpherson, Water Utilities Alliance Program Manager Ms Kate Barker, Net Zero and Operational Program Manager

Ms Carolyn Griffin, Project Officer Ms Grace Quinton, Project Officer

Ms Verity Page, Executive Support Officer

Ordinary Council Meeting Agenda

19 December 2023

10.2 Country Mayors Association Meeting

IP&R Linkage: Pillar: Leadership

Goal: Our local government is open, accountable, and representative.

Strategy: Advocate and provide strong representation for our community at the regional, state, and federal levels.

Author: Ken Keith OAM, Councillor

Authoriser: Kent Boyd PSM, General Manager

Annexures: Nil

Recommendation

That Council:

1. Receive and note the information regarding the Country Mayor's Association Meeting held in Sydney on 24 November 2023.

ISSUES AND COMMENTARY

I represented Mayor Cr Westcott at the Country Mayors Association meeting in Sydney on 24 November 2023.

I also had to represent Jamie during the CMA meeting and went out to and address the National meeting of local government Ministers from around Australia. The Federal Minister Kristy McBain chaired the meeting where I spoke on the CMA and our advocacy for equity for rural and regional Australia.

Friday, November 24 Country Mayors Association of NSW held our AGM and General meeting, this event was again strongly supported by our members of Parliament from all political persuasions, more than 120 people were in attendance.

The meeting was held in the Theatrette at Parliament House, Sydney and the agenda was full of guest presenters, these included the Federal Minister for Local Government and Regional Development the Hon Kristy McBain, Premier of NSW the Hon Chris Minns, Minister for skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education the Hon Steven Whan, Minister for Water, Housing, Homelessness, Mental Health, Youth and the North Coast the Hon Rose Jackson, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Natural Resources the Hon Dugald Saunders, Shadow Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations the Hon Damien Tudehope and Shadow Minister for Water and Crown Lands the Hon Steph Cooke.

Federal Minister for Regional Development and Local Government and Territories The Hon Kristy McBain

The Minister outlined the doubling of funds for Roads to Recovery from $500million to $1billion, the commitment to Black Spots from $100million to $150million and the Renewing Bridges Program and the Community Infrastructure Program being combined with a budget of $1billion.

Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education The Hon Steve Whan

There is a lot of work to be done in skills and a lot of opportunities in reskilling as well as training school leavers. TAFE has had a tough decade but the government is working with TAFE to be more pertinent to their communities. Australia wide 213,000 people need to gain skills over the next 7 years. The National Skills Agreement with the Commonwealth is a five year agreement which gives certainty to TAFE and a VET review is being undertaken.

Closing the Gap is a high priority. Equality and access will provide opportunities for rural NSW. There is a large backlog of maintenance works of TAFE’s and additional funds are being allocated. A strategic look at what TAFE’s skills are and what is to be provided to their communities is being undertaken.

Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education The Hon Steve Whan

Minister for Water, Housing, Homelessness, Mental Health, Youth and the North Coast The Hon Jose Jackson

The government is working on drought preparedness and what they can do as they don’t want to do things on the eleventh hour. The Minister has been touring NSW to make sure communities are aware of the possibilities of drought in 2024.

Free places for water technicians have been announced and Water NSW has been working with local authorities in respect of dams. The Government wants to replenish funding for water fund projects. Some projects approved in 2019 and subsequent years have not been started. These need to get going and if councils are having problems preventing work starting such as conditions let’s talk about it and negotiate. Mental Health will be challenging and people will struggle as we move into drier conditions. Housing is a priority for the Government and we know that the regionals are important. There is a dedicated fund for regional housing and we are looking at social housing modules for short term housing solutions.

Shadow Minister for Regional NSW, Agriculture and Natural Resources The Hon Dugald Saunders

With multiculturism we can do better with the State and Commonwealth working together. Immigrant families could get a visa to stay with family members and there would not be any need for additional housing. It was very disappointing to see the Federal Government quitting projects of importance such as the Great Western Highway and other important projects. The State Government needs to direct more funding to regional NSW. The Resources for Regions needs to be allocated extra resources. Councils have spent large amounts of money for funding applications. The Opposition will fight for the programs introduced by the Coalition Government that have been abandoned to be reintroduced.

Shadow Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations The Hon Damien Tudehope

The Country Mayors Association is a united advocacy group and the opposition appreciates its input. As a previous Minister for small business during the drought periods in 2019-2021 he travelled extensively in regional and rural NSW and worked with the communities. Drought has a continuing affect on small communities due to lack of spending. As a government they invested heavily in regional NSW as a way of creating jobs and renewing the economy. In the last two weeks the Federal Government has shown it has little idea on how to stimulate the economy announcing the cutting of funding drastically of projects that will affect local government. How does the State Government plan when the Commonwealth does not involve them in the discussions. This will have a continuing impact on local communities. Regional NSW will be left behind and regional communities should not have an unfair reduction because of this.

A lot of work is being done with renewable energy zones but communities are not being consulted.

Shadow Minister for Water and Crown Lands The Hon Steph Cooke

The Shadow Ministers plan was to bring forward projects and concerns with the new Minister with the hope that the Labor Government would pick up where the coalition finished but that has not happened. The Sydney and Hunter Water Act needs amendments to it and the coalition is making representations to the Inquiry. The Coalition is also making representations to the Water Initiative. The Murray Darling Basin Plan has been rewritten to give the Commonwealth more scope to buy back water. The Wyangala Dam wall raising has been axed that would have provided water security and flood mitigation. The Safe and Secure Water Program is a major failure for the regions. With Regional Water Strategies the robustness of the strategies are in doubt. There is a fear that the Government doesn’t understand that water is important for growth and security. The Coalition would like to work with Country Mayors members to identify what are the top three water security areas of each council.

President of LGNSW – Darriea Turley AM

Chairman of Country Mayors Association of NSW – Jamie Chaffey

Outgoing CMA Executive member Cr John Medcalf OAM

Outgoing CMA Secretariat Allan Burgess

Thank you, Allan, for your 14 years of Service to the Country Mayors Association of NSW

A signature on a white background

Description automatically generated

Ken Keith OAM

COUNCILLOR

Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee Meeting Minutes

29 November 2023

Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee Meeting

Minutes

Wednesday 29 November 2023

Minutes of the Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee Meeting

Held on Wednesday, 29 November 2023 at the

Parkes Council Chamber, 2 Cecile Street, Parkes

Present:

Mr Stephen Horne Chairperson

Mr Tony Harb Member

Dr Meredith Caelli Member

Cr Jacob Cass Councillor (non-voting)

Cr Marg Applebee Councillor (non-voting)

Council Officers in Attendance:

Mr Kent Boyd General Manager

Mr Anthony McGrath Executive Manager Corporate Services

Mr Jaco Barnard Chief Financial Officer

Mrs Nikki Bevan Acting Manager Governance, Risk and Corporate Performance

Mr Luke Nash Financial Accountant

Miss Georgia Smith Business Services Trainee (Minutes Secretary)

Guests:

Mr Paul Quealey Lambourne Partners (Internal Auditor)

Mr Patrick Williams Manager People, Safety and Culture

Mr Andrew Francis Director Infrastructure and Strategic Futures

NOTES

The Committee attended via audio-visual link.

The meeting commenced at 9.00 am with a 10 minute in-camera session with the Committee and the External Auditor, followed by a 10 minute session with the General Manager. The External Auditor left the meeting at the conclusion of the in-camera session.

No additional items came from in-camera sessions.

The Director Customer, Corporate Services and Economy, Chief Financial Officer, Financial Accountant, Acting Manager Governance, Risk and Corporate Performance and Business Services Trainee attended the meeting from 9.30 am.

The meeting commenced at 9.34 am and concluded at 11.32 am.

Order Of Business

1 Opening of Meeting.. 4

2 Acknowledgement of Country.. 4

3 Apologies.. 4

4 Confirmation of Minutes.. 4

4.1 Minutes of the Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee Meeting held on 13 October 2023. 4

5 Disclosures of Interests.. 4

6 Late Business.. 4

7 Officers' Reports.. 5

7.1 Work Health Safety StateCover Self-Audit 5

7.2 External Audit - Work Health and Safety Management System ISO 45001:2018 Surveillance Audit 5

7.3 External Audit - Progress Report on the Implementation of External Audit Program Actions. 5

7.4 Internal Audit - Progress Report on the Implementation of Internal Audit Program Actions 5

7.5 Quarterly Budget Review as at 30 September 2023. 6

7.6 Investments & Borrowings Report as at 31 October 2023. 6

7.7 Endorsement of Annual Meeting Plan. 6

7.8 Major Projects and Current Works Report - Infrastructure and Strategic Futures. 7

8 Confidential Matters.. 7

9 Report of Confidential Resolutions.. 9

8.1 General Managers Report to ARIC - November 2023. 9

10 Conclusion of Meeting.. 9

1 Opening of Meeting

The Chairperson declared the Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee Meeting of Wednesday, 29 November 2023 open and welcomed Council Officials in attendance.

2 Acknowledgement of Country

The Chairperson read the following Acknowledgement of Country:

Parkes Shire Council acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Wiradjuri Country
and recognises and respects their cultural heritage, beliefs and continuing connection with
the lands and rivers of the Parkes Shire.

Council pays its respects to Elders past, present and emerging and extends this respect to
all First Nations peoples in the Parkes Shire.

3 Apologies

Leanne Smith, Intentus Chartered Accountants (External Auditor)

4 Confirmation of Minutes

4.1 Minutes of the Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee Meeting held on 13 October 2023

Resolved ARIC 039/23

That the receive and confirm the Minutes of the meeting held on Friday 13 October 2023 appended at Annexure A.

Carried

5 Disclosures of Interests

The Chairperson reminded Council Officials of their obligation under Council's Code of Conduct to disclose and manage any conflicts of interest they may have in matters being considered at the meeting, and invited Council Officials present to disclose any such interests.

Nil interests were disclosed.

6 Late Business

The Chairperson checked and confirmed that no late items of business had been submitted to the meeting.

7 Officers' Reports

7.1 Work Health Safety StateCover Self-Audit

Recommendation

That the Committee:

1. Receive and note the update provided on the 2023 StateCover Work Health and Safety Self-Audit Report and the 2023 StateCover WHS Action Plan received in October 2023, appended at Annexure A and Annexure B.

DISCUSSION:

The Committee discussed the following:

· The Committee raised concerns regarding certain aspects of the Work, Health and Safety audit completed last year that didn't look good.

· Director Customer, Corporate Services and Economy confirmed that this Audit is a self-audit, Council has several safety audits completed each year, Council is doing well in its Work, Health and Safety standards.

· Manager People, Safety and Culture confirmed there are 10 priority areas that Council focuses on such as keeping electrical tagging up to date, the costs for the tagging, monitoring hazardous noises, reviewing and testing this every 2 years, he confirmed Council has processes in place.

· The Committee asked Council what reporting management they follow. Manager People, Safety and Culture confirmed monthly reporting is taken to the Executive Leadership Team with details of incident reports created.

· The Committee requested to see more reports surrounding Council KPI's surrounding Council's metrics and financial metrics, they would also like to see WHS incident reports more often.

· Chief Financial Officer confirmed that Council is currently trying to embark on a process for a KPI system, currently confirming if it is compliant with Council's purchasing policy.

7.2 External Audit - Work Health and Safety Management System ISO 45001:2018 Surveillance Audit

Recommendation

That the Committee:

1. Receive and note the update provided on the SAI Global Work Health and Safety Management System ISO 45001:2018 Surveillance Audit undertaken in November 2023, appended at Annexure A.

DISCUSSION:

The Committee discussed the following:

· The General Manager informed the Committee that the Auditor commented and said the system is full of quality and is a great environment. The Auditor suggested 2 policies that may be included, such as modern slavery.

· The Committee requested Council to create a report for a future Committee meeting to talk about these policies.

Dr Meredith joined at 9.55 am.

7.3 External Audit - Progress Report on the Implementation of External Audit Program Actions

Recommendation

That the Committee:

1. Receive and note the update provided on the implementation of consolidated External Audit actions.

DISCUSSION:

The Committee discussed the following:

· The Committee informed Council they had a meeting with the External Auditor before the open meeting and confirmed Issue 4 is removed.

· Chief Financial Officer confirmed Issue 1 is a non-issue.

· Director Customer, Corporate Services and Economy informed the Committee that Council is aware of Issue 3, he informed the Committee that there is an upcoming Audit in regards to this Issue and he can agree, there is an upcoming Internal Audit surrounding Council's cyber security starting with a scope before Christmas.

· The Committee questioned if Council has a process for any out of date policies it may have.

· Director Customer, Corporate Services and Economy confirmed Council has recently created a Policy Dashboard that tracks any out of date policies with a red, amber and green rating to show which policies are out of date or soon to be.

· The Committee raised that Council should review its policies to confirm which policies are still relevant, if a policy doesn't change behaviours, why have it?

· The Committee recommended Council provides the Committee with a list of the new risk register, and ensure risk framework is completed before starting the register.

7.4 Internal Audit - Progress Report on the Implementation of Internal Audit Program Actions

Recommendation

That the Committee:

1. Receive and note the update provided on the implementation of consolidated Internal Audit Program agreed actions.

DISCUSSION:

The Committee discussed the following:

· The Committee recommended Council to resolve high risk outstanding actions, they asked Council to explain Governance actions, taking outstanding actions to Council's Executive Leadership Team each month. The Committee requested more details around implementing recommendations. If recommendations need extension or risk implementations need any updates, inform the Committee.

· The Committee requested 6 monthly KPI reporting.

7.5 Quarterly Budget Review as at 30 September 2023

Recommendation

That the Committee:

1. Receive and note the Quarterly Budget Review as at 30 September 2023

DISCUSSION:

The Committee discussed the following:

· The Committee commented that this report was a good overview, they also suggested quarterly financial reports to be tabled to Council.

7.6 Investments & Borrowings Report as at 31 October 2023

Recommendation

That the Committee:

1. Receive and note the Investments & Borrowings Report as at 31 October 2023

DISCUSSION:

The Committee discussed the following:

· The Committee questioned Council as to why they have loans costing up to 8%.

· Council informed the Committee that these loans were made quite some time ago and restricted funds don't allow prematurely ending these loans.

· The Committee questioned if Council is currently looking at investing in areas that are net zero. Council informed the Committee that it is not currently looking at investing in net zero quite yet.

· The General Manager also informed the Committee that there is no policy around net zero currently.

· Council informed the Committee that they are engaging with an independent advisor and have access to an online portal where they can view monthly investment reports and potential investments.

7.7 Endorsement of Annual Meeting Plan

Recommendation

That the Committee:

1. Endorse the ARIC meeting plan 2023-2025 and adopt the meeting plan for 2024.

DISCUSSION:

The Committee discussed the following:

· The Committee requested that Council bring fraud reports to the Committee, they also commented that the risk management framework has components that are not broad enough.

· The Committee requested that Council bring policies and risk registers to the Committee for discussion.

7.8 Major Projects and Current Works Report - Infrastructure and Strategic Futures

Recommendation

That the Committee:

1. Receive and note the information provided in the report and at the meeting.

DISCUSSION:

The Committee discussed the following:

· The Committee recommended Council use a red, amber and green rating.

· The Committee questioned how Council is with current potholes and roadworks.

· The General Manager answered that the roadworks and potholes are progressing well, Council is struggling with operators which has affected Council. Council has also received extra funding.

8 Confidential Matters

Recommendation

That the Committee:

1. Moves into Closed Session to deal with the matters below, which are classified as confidential under section 10A(2) of the Local Government Act 1993 for the reasons specified:

8.1 General Managers Report to ARIC - November 2023

3. Withhold reports and correspondence relevant to the subject business be withheld from the media and public as provided by section 11(2) of the Local Government Act 1993.

4. Make public resolutions made by the Council in Closed Session after the conclusion of the Closed Session, and record such resolutions in the minutes of the Council meeting.

Background, Issues and Commentary

In accordance with section 10A(2) of the Local Government Act 1993, Council may close part of its meeting to deal with business of the following kind:

(a) Personnel matters concerning particular individuals (other than councillors).

(b) Personal hardship of any resident or ratepayer.

(c) Information that would, if disclosed, confer a commercial advantage on a person with whom Council is conducting (or proposes to conduct) business.

(d) Commercial information of a confidential nature that would, if disclosed:

(i) Prejudice the commercial position of a person who supplied it: or

(ii) Confer a commercial advantage on a competitor of Council;

(iii) Reveal a trade secret.

(e) Information that would, if disclosed, prejudice the maintenance of law.

(f) Matters affecting the security of Council, Councillors, Council staff and Council property.

(g) Advice concerning litigation, or advice that would otherwise be privileged from production in legal proceedings on the grounds of legal professional privilege.

(h) Information concerning the nature and location of a place or an item of Aboriginal significance on community land.

(i) Alleged contraventions of any Code of Conduct requirements applicable under section 440.

It is my opinion that the business listed in the recommendation is of a kind referred to in section 10A(2) of the Local Government Act 1993 and, under the provisions of the Act and the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021, should be dealt with in a part of the meeting that is closed to members of the public and the media.

Pursuant to section 10A(4) of the Act and clauses 14.9–14.10 of Council's Code of Meeting Practice, members of the public may make representations to the meeting immediately after the motion to close part of the meeting is moved and seconded, as to whether that part of the meeting should be closed.

At 9.10 am, the Meeting went into Closed Session.

Motion

That the Committee:

1. Resume in Open Session and note the Chairperson’s report on Confidential Resolutions.

At 9.20 am, the Council in Closed Session returned to Open Session.

9 Report of Confidential Resolutions

8.1 General Managers Report to ARIC - November 2023

Recommendation

That the Committee:

1. That the information be received and noted.

DISCUSSION:

This report was discussed in-camera, no further questions for the General Manager.

10 Conclusion of Meeting

The meeting concluded at 11.32 am.

Actions from the Meeting

Actions from meeting	Responsible Department
KPIs to be presented at each meeting - ELT Audit actions - Department KPIs (dashboard)	All departments
Net zero (climate change) path report - Any actions towards net zero to be reported	All departments
Risk Framework	DCCSE
Risk Appetite Statement	DCCSE
Calculate Imperium report	CFO
Traffic light project report	DISF
KPIs policy review	DCCSE

This is the final page of the minutes comprising 10 pages numbered 1 to 10 of the Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee Meeting held on Wednesday, 29 November 2023 and confirmed on Wednesday, 21 February 2024.

CHAIRPERSON

Ordinary Council Meeting Agenda

19 December 2023

13.5 Endorsement of 2024 Schedule of Ordinary Meetings

IP&R Linkage: Pillar: Leadership

Goal: Our local government is open, accountable, and representative.

Strategy: Provide open and transparent decision-making and undertake the civic duties of Council with professionalism and integrity.

Author: Nikki Bevan, Acting Manager Governance, Risk and Corporate Performance

Authoriser: Anthony McGrath, Director Customer, Corporate Services and Economy

Annexures: A. Councillor Calendar 2024 ⇩

Recommendation

That Council:

1. Adopt the draft Schedule of Ordinary Meetings for 2024, pursuant to section 365 of the Local Government Act 1993 and clause 3.1 of the Code of Meeting Practice.

2. Note that the General Manager will provide public notice of the time, date and location of each scheduled Ordinary Meeting to be held in 2024, pursuant to section 9 of the Local Government Act 1993 and clause 3.3 of the Code of Meeting Practice.

Background

Section 365 of the Local Government Act 1993 ("the Act") requires Council to meet at least 10 times each year, each time in a different month. Clause 3.1 of Council's Code of Meeting Practice ("Meeting Code") provides that Council shall, by resolution, set the frequency, time, date and place of its Ordinary Meetings.

Section 9 of the Act and clause 3.3 of Council's Meeting Code requires Council to give public notice of the times and places of its meetings. Clause 3.4 of Council's Meeting Code provides that the notice must be published on Council's website, and in such other manner that Council is satisfied is likely to bring notice of the meetings to the attention of as many people as possible.

ISSUES AND COMMENTARY

Under the Local Government Act 1993 ("the Act") and Code of Meeting Practice, Parkes Shire Council ("Council") must set, by resolution, the frequency, time, date and place of its Ordinary Meeting for the forthcoming 2024 calendar year. This report recommends that Council formally endorse the proposed 2024 Schedule of Ordinary Meetings.

Ordinary Meetings

The Table 1 below shows the draft Schedule of Ordinary Meetings for 2024 ("the Schedule"). It lists the dates, times and locations of the 12 Ordinary Meetings proposed to be held in 2024.

Table 1: Schedule of Ordinary Council Meetings
Month	Date	Time	Location
January	Tuesday, 23rd January	2.00pm	Council Chambers 2 Cecile Street, Parkes
February	Tuesday, 20 February	2.00pm	Council Chambers 2 Cecile Street, Parkes
March	Tuesday, 19th March	2.00pm	Council Chambers 2 Cecile Street, Parkes
April	Tuesday, 23rd April	2.00pm	Council Chambers 2 Cecile Street, Parkes
May	Tuesday, 21st May	2.00pm	Council Chambers 2 Cecile Street, Parkes
June	Tuesday, 18th June	2.00pm	Council Chambers 2 Cecile Street, Parkes
July	Tuesday, 23rd July	2.00pm	Council Chambers 2 Cecile Street, Parkes
August	Tuesday, 20th August	2.00pm	Council Chambers 2 Cecile Street, Parkes
September	Monday, 30th September	2.00pm	Council Chambers 2 Cecile Street, Parkes
October	Tuesday, 15th October	2.00pm	Council Chambers 2 Cecile Street, Parkes
November	Tuesday, 26th November	2.00pm	Council Chambers 2 Cecile Street, Parkes
December	Tuesday, 17th December	2.00pm	Council Chambers 2 Cecile Street, Parkes

Consistent with current practice, meetings have been scheduled for the third Tuesday of the month, noting the following five (5) exceptions:

· January Ordinary Meeting is scheduled to be held Tuesday, 23rd January (the fourth Tuesday of the month), to ensure appropriate time to prepare the Business Paper for the meeting, noting that the Elvis Festival will be held in the second week of January.

· April Ordinary Meeting is scheduled to be held Tuesday, 23rd April (the fourth Tuesday of the month), to ensure appropriate time to prepare the Business Paper for the meeting, due to other commitments.

· July Ordinary Meeting is scheduled to be held Tuesday 23rd July (the fourth Tuesday of the month), to avoid coinciding with the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) National General Assembly of Local Government which will be held 2-4th July 2024.

· September Ordinary Meeting is scheduled to be held Monday, 30th September (the 5th Monday of the month), to allow for conclusion of the Council election to be held on 14th September 2023 and the subsequent induction of new Councillors.

· November Ordinary Meeting is scheduled to be held Tuesday, 26th November (the fourth Tuesday of the month), to avoid coinciding with the Local Government New South Wales (LGNSW) Conference which will be held throughout the third week of the November and is traditionally attended by the General Manager, Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Councillors.

All meetings are proposed to commence at 2.00pm.

Historically, two Ordinary Meetings a year were held in the Shire villages on a rotational basis, however given the logistics and arrangements requirement to facilitate webcasting of the meeting, these meeting will no longer be held in the Shire villages.

Council will now conduct the Community Consultative Committee (CCC) meetings at the selected Villages, continuing on a rotational basis, with the opportunity for residents to attend these meetings. Given that meetings were held at Trundle and Peak Hill in 2023, the meetings will be held at Bogan Gate and Tullamore during 2024. The proposed dates for these meetings are:

· Bogan Gate - Tuesday 9th April 2024

· Tullamore - Tuesday 5th November 2024

As noted above, Council is required to give notice of the dates, times and locations of its Ordinary Meetings. Consistent with this requirement, the Schedule will be published to Council's website at www.parkes.nsw.gov.au following adoption.

Councillor Workshops

Consistent with current practice, Councillor Workshops are proposed to continue in the 2024 calendar year, with the Workshop generally occurring on the first Tuesday of the month (being two weeks prior to the Ordinary Meeting). As they are not decision-making forums, there is no requirement for the dates, times and locations of Councillor Workshops to be set by Council resolution.

Legislative and Policy Context

Council meetings serve as the formal decision-making forum of Council's governing body. All decisions and resolutions of Council must be made at a Council meeting, in accordance with the requirements of the Act and Meeting Code.

As detailed above, section 365 of the Act provides that Council must meet at least 10 times each year, each time in a different month. Council may, however, hold additional Ordinary Meetings, or Extraordinary Meetings, if and as required.

Section 367 of the Act provides that Council's General Manager must send to each Councillor, at least three days prior to each meeting, a notice specifying the time and location of the meeting as well as an agenda detailing the business proposed to be transacted at that meeting. A notice and agenda, including all business papers, may be given to Councillors in electronic form.

Additional requirements are imposed under the Meeting Code, which incorporates all mandatory provisions of the Model Code of Meeting Practice for Local Councils in NSW. As noted, the Meeting Code requires Council to set, by resolution, the dates, times and locations of its Ordinary Meetings and provide public notice of its Ordinary Meetings.

Financial Implications

There are no financial implications for Council associated with this report.

Risk Implications

As detailed above, Council is required to determine, by resolution, the dates, times and locations of its Ordinary Meetings. Endorsement of the draft Schedule will ensure Council meets it statutory requirement to set the frequency of its Ordinary Meetings.

Community Consultation

The General Manager will provide public notice of the time, date and location of each scheduled Ordinary Meeting to be held in 2024, pursuant to section 9 of the Local Government Act 1993 and clause 3.3 of the Code of Meeting Practice.

Wiradjuri language	English translation
Badhu yinganha yindyamarra-gu Wiradjuri mayiny bu Wiradjuri manhang	I give respect to Wiradjuri people and Wiradjuri soil.
Badhu gulbarra ngali Yama Wiradjuri ngurambang bu ngali garrariwibarra gu marambir Niiringal	I understand we are on Wiradjuri country and can work together to a better tomorrow.
Mandaang guwu	Thank you.

Obligations
Pecuniary Interests	A Councillor who has a pecuniary interest in any matter with which the Council is concerned, and who is present at a meeting of the Council at which the matter is being considered, must disclose the nature of the interest to the meeting. The Councillor must not be present at, or in sight of, the meeting: (a) At any time during which the matter is being considered or discussed, or (b) At any time during which the Council is voting on any question in relation to the matter.
Non-Pecuniary Conflicts of Interest	A Councillor who has a non-pecuniary conflict of interest in a matter, must disclose the relevant private interest in relation to the matter fully and on each occasion on which the non-pecuniary conflict of interest arises in relation to the matter.
Significant Non-Pecuniary Conflicts of Interest	A Councillor who has a significant non-pecuniary conflict of interest in relation to a matter under consideration at a Council meeting, must manage the conflict of interest as if they had a pecuniary interest in the matter.
Less than Significant Non-Pecuniary Interests	A Councillor who determines that they have a non-pecuniary conflict of interest in a matter that is not significant and does not require further action, when disclosing the interest must also explain why conflict of interest is not significant and does not require further action in the circumstances.

Table 1: Local Government Sector Conferences 2024
Conference	Date	Location
ALGA National Roads and Transport Congress	To Be Advised	Canberra
ALGWA State Conference	14 - 16 March 2024	MGSM - Macquarie Park
Australian Logistics Council Forum	22 May 2024	Melbourne, VIC
LGNSW Destination and Visitor Economy Conference	28-30 May 2024	Wagga Wagga NSW
IPWEA NSW Local Roads Congress	3 June 2024 (to be confirmed)	Parliament House Sydney, NSW
ALGA National General Assembly of Local Government	2-4 July 2024	National Convention Centre, Canberra, ACT
LGNSW Water Management Conference	23-25 July 2024	To be Advised
NSW Public Libraries Association Conference	12-15 November 2024	Coffs Harbour, NSW
LGNSW Annual Conference	17-19 November 2024	Tamworth, NSW