Tag: government sector

Media Release: Council motions supported at MAV State Meeting

Posted on by alex

Six out of the eight motions tabled by Maroondah City Council were carried at the 26 May Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) State Council meeting.

The successful motions related to improving information technology for customer service, general valuations, unfunded superannuation liability, road reserves owned by VicRoads, Tax deductibility for election expenses and building and planning fees.

Councillor Alex Makin, Council’s representative on the MAV, said the State Council Meeting provided an opportunity for each member council in Victoria to submit motions which have significance on a state level for all Victorian municipalities.

“The motions presented are viewed as being of significance across the Victorian Local Government sector, including the Maroondah community,” Cr Makin said.

“Council has a proven record of leading the way in highlighting issues faced by the Victorian Local Government sector. This is reflected by the favourable response to previous motions submitted by Maroondah and passed, often with unanimous support, at the MAV State Council Meeting,” Cr Makin said.

“At its meeting of Monday 18 April, Council approved eight motions to be submitted to the MAV State Council meeting which was held on Thursday 26 May,” Cr Makin said.

“The motions were developed by Council following interaction with the community in the form of various forums, consultation and strategies,” Cr Makin said.

Of the eight motions presented by Council, six were carried.

The motions carried included:

  • That the MAV State Council calls of the State Government to remove the requirement for Local Government to have superannuation cash backed, given the inconsistency between the three tiers of government and given that both state and federal governments carry these amounts on their balance sheets as unfunded liabilities.
  • That the Municipal Association Of Victoria State Council calls on the State government to extend the frequency of general valuations from two to three years.
  • That the MAV State Council calls on the State Government to abolish the prescribed Statutory Annual Increments for both planning and building fees and enable Councils to set their own fees.
  • That the MAV State Council calls on VicRoads to review current funding allocated for the maintenance of arterial roads and associated infrastructure, roadsides and central medians, and if necessary advocate for increased levels of funding.
  • That the MAV convene a working party comprising of Councillors and Information Technology Officers to explore the technological opportunities to provide a one stop shop customer service approach for Local Government communities.
  • That the MAV State Council writes to the Australian Tax Office seeking an urgent review of the current ceiling of $1000 for election expenses that can be claimed by candidates for Council elections.

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Maroondah Journal: Council burden may increase

Posted on by alex

Local government has extensive reporting requirements to a myriad of State Government departments and agencies.  Recently however, the State Government has requested that the Essential Services Commission consider additional indicators and reporting requirements for local government.

The draft report from the Essential Services Commission has suggested an additional 65 indicators, which would cost up to an additional $40,000 in Council’s budget.

The Maroondah Journal has reported on the impact these indicators would have on local Government:

Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin said the proposal would “add nothing” to Maroondah in terms of service delivery or extracting the best value from ratepayers’ dollars.

“While Maroondah appreciates the necessity and benefits of compliance, it’s come to a stage where enough is enough, as costs spiral out of control.”

The City of Melbourne in conjunction with Councils across the state has developed an alternative framework to the recommendations made by the Essential Services Commission. Maroondah City Council is currently considering supporting this alternative, as it would provide a measurable and relevant set of indicators for the local government sector.

“If the council is forced to work within the Essential Services Commission’s proposed reported framework then money to enable compliance would have to be sourced from Maroondah’s budget,” Mr Makin said. “These funds could be better directed to providing vital infrastructure projects and services for the Maroondah community.”

It is important that any performance indicators are relevant and measurable across the sector and it is hoped that the Essential Services Commission will revise its recommendations in response to the feedback from local government.