Tag: infrastructure projects

Ringwood Croquet Club – Celebration of court works

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The Ringwood Croquet Club is part of the Jubilee Park Sporting Precinct and offers both social and competitive croquet.  This afternoon I attended the Club to join the celebrations of their court resurfacing works and kitchen renovations.

The Club  undertook these court renovations through Council’s third/third/third grants program, which provides funding for infrastructure projects on Council land.  The third/third/third program shares the costs of these projects between the Club and Council with the final third being offered as a loan or through Government or other agencies.

The new court surfaces use a summer grass that requires less water than the previous surface.  In addition the Croquet Club has installed water tanks reducing their dependence on mains water and improving the sustainability of the Club.  It is encouraging to see the Ringwood Croquet Club supporting water conservation initiatives and having such a strong commitment to sustainability.

Maroondah Journal: Council burden may increase

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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.

Maroondah Leader: Council burden may increase

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The Essential Services Commission is currently considering a range of indicators for the local government sector.  While accountability should be encouraged, the Commission has proposed an additional 65 indicators on top of the 100 already reported by local government.

The Maroondah Leader has reported on the additional $40,000 cost burden this would create for the City of Maroondah:

Maroondah Mayor Alex Makin said the council appreciated the importance of complying with reporting demands, but said “these funds could be better directed to providing vital infrastructure projects and services.”.

Local government reports to at least 17 different State Government departments and agencies, and it is unclear as to what benefit will be received through the creation of additional indicators.

Media Release: Proposed reporting framework a drain on Council funds

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The City of Maroondah will be forced to find up to $40,000 more in its annual Budget if new reporting requirements are introduced by the State Government.

The proposed requirements, released in a recent draft report by the Essential Services Commission (ESC), would leave Council to bear the administrative costs of annually reporting on an additional 65 performance indicators.

Mayor of Maroondah, Cr Alex Makin, said Council’s concerns were shared by the Municipal Association of Victoria.

“What we’re seeing is a proposal that would add nothing to Maroondah in terms of service delivery or extracting the best value from the ratepayer’s dollar,” Cr Makin said.

“While the City of Maroondah appreciates the necessity of compliance with reporting demands, it’s come to a stage where enough is enough as costs threaten to spiral out of control,” Cr Makin said.

According to the MAV, the ESC has identified more than 100 separate reporting demands already imposed on local government by at least 17 different State Government departments and agencies.

“If Council is forced to work within the ESC’s proposed reporting framework, money to enable compliance must be sourced from Maroondah’s Budget. These funds could be better directed to providing vital infrastructure projects and services for the Maroondah community,” Cr Makin said.

For more information on the proposed reporting framework, phone the MAV on 9667 5555.

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