Feedback from hundreds of Highlanders has shaped council’s goals for the future.
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A list of seven “strategic priorities” outlines council’s commitments over its next four year term.
Council group manager corporate and community Nick O’Connor said the priorities were driven by close consultation with the community and councillors.
“They’re informed by what the community has said it wants,” he said.
The priorities are on public exhibition as part of a collection of draft council documents relating to community plans and budgets.
The documents provide a comprehensive look at council’s future planning, from short to long-term. Documents on exhibition include the 2017/18 budget and fees and charges schedule.
Council’s strategic priorities are included in the 2017/18 draft delivery program and operational plan.
Council general manager Ann Prendergast said several community engagement activities were held, including workshops, surveys and meetings, to include the community’s vision for the shire in these documents.
“When council put these documents together we asked our community how and where they’d like to see our shire in the years ahead,” she said.
Several points emerged as being of significance to a large number of people in the community, particularly infrastructure projects including the repair of Mittagong Pool and upgrade of Bowral Memorial Hall.
The key priorities, which include responsible financial management, infrastructure delivery and improved services, were developed based on this insight. Other priorities include improving community assets, protecting the natural environment, business transformation and community wellbeing.
Now that the priorities, and other documents, are on exhibition, Ms Prendergast has called on residents to consider these goals and how they fit with each resident’s vision for the shire.
“Are they consistent with the vision they have for our Shire or are there other areas they’d like to see Council and our community focus on?”
Draft documents are on public exhibition until May 28 and can be viewed at www.yoursaywingecarribee.com.au, or at council’s libraries and Moss Vale Civic Centre. Submissions can be made via email at mail@wsc.nsw.gov.au, online at www.yoursaywingecarribee.com.au or in writing addressed to the General Manager at Wingecarribee Shire Council - PO Box 141, Moss Vale, NSW 2577 before midnight, May 28.
Council’s seven strategic priorities are:
- Responsible financial management: council recognises it has a responsibility to carefully manage the community’s funds and assets. This means we will prudently allocate monies to ensure a balanced budget is maintained in both the short and long-term.
- Improving our community assets: Improving the standard of our community assets like roads, buildings, drainage and parks should remain a key focus of Council. This means investing more money into asset renewal and maintenance to meet the long-term expectation of our community.
- Protecting our natural environment: Council is committed to protecting our unique environment via our Environment Levy and ensuring projects and programs are implemented that protect and enhance our natural environment.
- Delivery of significant infrastructure projects: Council is committed to delivering key infrastructure projects including the repair of the Mittagong Pool, the redevelopment of Bowral Memorial Hall, rectification of Council’s Civic Centre, upgrades to our Sewer Treatment Plants and the construction of Bowral’s Station Street Project and the Berrima Road Deviation.
- Better service alignment and delivery: To ensure we deliver services which are in-line with community expectations, Council will undertake a comprehensive review of all Council services. A detailed business analysis and community engagement program will be undertaken as part of this review.
- Business transformation: council recognises that the community has an expectation that we interact with them using a variety of modern and efficient technologies that help cut red tape.
- Community wellbeing: council is committed to promoting and supporting initiatives that enhance our community’s wellbeing. We’ll work with State and Federal partners as well as local community organisations to ensure community services and employment opportunities are encouraged and enhanced.
Victoria Lee
The Canberra Times Journalist, Producer
The Canberra Times Journalist, Producer
