Item 14.5 - Attachment 1

Meeting Notes from June and July 2008 Program Panels.

 

Meeting Notes of

June 2008

Program Panels

 

 

1.      Community Care and Culture & Leisure

Culture and Leisure Program Panel & Community Care Program Panel

Meeting Notes

Monday 16 June 2008 3.00pm to 4.30pm

Parramatta Town Hall Charles Byrne Meeting room

Councillor Attendance:

 

Yes/No/Apology

Time in

Time out

Cr Brown

Yes

3:00pm

4.30pm

Cr Barber

Yes

3.10pm

4.30pm

Cr Wearne

Yes

3:00pm

4.30pm

Cr Prudames

Apology

 

 

 

Staff in attendance: Tom O’Hanlon, Susan Gibbeson, Rebecca Grasso, James Smallhorn, Megan Dephoff

 

Apologies:                 Councillor Prudames, Amanda Kearney, Su Cram, Neile Robinson

 

Item

Issue/Question

Action – who and when

1.   Town Hall Tour

The meeting began with a tour of the Town Hall.

 

2.   Welcome & Apologies

New Staff:- James Smallhorn and Megan Dephoff. Megan Dephoff will become the program coordinator for Community Care Program.

 

3.   Review Notes from previous meeting

Notes from the previous meeting were reviewed.

 

4.   Discussion of meeting schedule until elections

The August meeting will be necessary in order to consider the Quarterly Review.

The September meetings have been cancelled by resolution of Council

July meeting discussed.

Coordinators to organise meetings of the Panels for July and August.

5.   Childcare

Discussion regarding the public response to the proposed increase in childcare fees.

There has been Councillor workshops on this issue and three options presented to Councillors. The Centres had been running at a deficit for two years. It was noted that changes in Child Care Rebate payments and National Competition Policy were influencing factors to the current situation.

 

6.   Any Other Business

The issue of providing trees for private residences was raised in the situation where privacy has been lost due to neighbouring developments.

 

George Kendall Reserve.

Noted that the building work is on schedule to be complete in last week of June.

Question regarding the source of funds for the equipment installed.

There being no further business, the meeting closed at 4.30pm.

J.Smallhorn to check when trees are being given away to residents.

 

 

R Grasso to provide the name of the officer who prepared the application for external funding and the grant provider.

7.   Next Meeting and venue

Monday, 21 July 2008 starting at 2:pm

Venue to be Lake Parramatta and that the meeting include a tour of the Dam Wall.

 

Following the tour meeting to commence at 3pm in location to be confirmed.

Program Coordinators to confirm agenda and venue for meeting

 

Meeting Notes of

JULY 2008

Program Panels

 

 

1.      Environment and Roads, Paths, Access and Flood Mitigation

 

 

2.      Community Care and Culture & Leisure

 

 

3.      City Leadership & Management

 

 Environmental &

Roads, Paths, Access and Flood Mitigation

Joint Panel Meeting

Meeting Notes of Monday 21 July 2008

4.45pm to 6.15pm, Level 6 Meeting Room, Admin Building

 

Present:    Clr Maureen Walsh

Clr Omar Jamal            arrived at 4:55pm

James Carey                Environmental Outcomes Manager

David Gray                    Senior Project Officer – Transport Planning

Phil Murphy                   Supervisor Natural Resources

Andy Ling                      Service Manager Civil Infrastructure

Neville Davis                 Service Manager Open Space & Natural Resources

Tim Dale                       Manager Civil Operations

Stephen Montgomery   Manager Strategic Asset Management

 

 

Apologies:     Clr Chris Worthington

Anthony Collins

 

 

ITEM

DISCUSSION

ACTION

1

Noxious Weeds

Phil Murphy presented information on the Noxious Weeds Program.

 

Concerns were raised that the Bushland and Noxious Weeds programs are not combined.  PM explained that the actual work may be carried out at the same time however there are two programs with differing funding sources and legislative requirements under the Noxious Weed Program.

 

James Carey gave a summary of a $1 million grant application being submitted by Parramatta City Council along with Auburn Council and the Sydney Catchment Authority to improve the Duck River corridor and develop broader biodiversity corridors.

None

2

Services highlights

Clr Walsh requested a brief service highlight for the last year for each service under the two programs.

 

James Carey – Environmental Awareness at Jubilee Hall Childcare Centre has involved installation of solar hot water and a rainwater tanks along with awareness campaigns from centre staff to parents and children.

 

Neville Davis – A 100,000ltr water storage tank was installed at Boronia Park to collect surface & sub soil drainage from the playing field & reuse both rain & irrigation water for irrigation of the playing field. This $100,000 project included a $46,000  Federal Government Community Water Grant. The new amenities building at Everley Park North, South Granville included energy saving fittings eg skylights & auto sensing lighting & urinals. NSW Sport & Recreation grant funding has been used to extend the system for remote control operation to the floodlights at 6 remaining sportsgrounds. Federal Government Community Water Grants allocated for 11 playing fields to incorporate the remote control operation of floodlights for the irrigation system.

 

Tim Dale – 9 to 10km of new footpath has been installed as part of the PAMP and approximately $5m has been spent on roads (including kerb & guttering).

 

Andy Ling – A sheet summarising work for 2007/08 by Ward was circulated as per a previous Clr request.

 

Phil Murphy – The drainage line at Mobbs Lane was refurbished.  It was required due to additional stormwater being collected from additional development.

 

4

Other Business

Montgomery St, Granville – Andy Ling circulated proposed options to address the turning issue for refuse vehicles in this cul-de-sac street.  Option 1 – creating a hammer-head turning area with new kerb and guttering.  Option 2 – strengthening residential driveways to accommodate the refuse vehicles which is what they currently use to turn.  Agreement that Option 1 was preferred.  Andy Ling agreed to obtain cost estimates.  The funding source has not yet been identified.  Andy Ling will update Clrs at the next meeting.

Andy Ling

5

Next meeting

Monday 18th August 2008, Level 6 Meeting Room.

 

 

Culture and Leisure Program Panel & Community Care Program Panel

Meeting Notes

Monday 21 July 2008 2.00pm to 3.30pm

Lake Parramatta Reserve

Councillor Attendance:

 

Yes/No/Apology

Time in

Time out

Cr Brown

Yes

2:00pm

3:00pm

Cr Barber

Yes

2.00pm

3:00pm

Cr Wearne

Yes

2:00pm

3:00pm

Cr Prudames

Apology

 

 

 

Staff in attendance: Tim Dale, Neville Davis (for Tom O’Hanlon), Nick Wright (for Rebecca Grasso), Megan Dephoff, Su Cram, Susan Gibbeson, Neile Robinson and Bruce Tucker (for the site visit)

 

Apologies:                 Councillor Prudames, Rebecca Grasso, Tom O’Hanlon, Amanda Kearney, Lisa Giacomelli (for Vikki King), Robert Love

 

Item

Issue/Question

Action – who and when

8.   Welcome & Apologies

 

 

9.   Review Notes from previous meeting

Notes from the previous meeting were reviewed.

 

10. Update Way-finding Project

Parramatta Park Trust has been consulted and is on board. 3 prototype maps will be tested in August. Options are also being considered for ongoing maintenance.

It was suggested that UWS and Rosehill could be considered in the future. It was also suggested to tie in with the shuttle bus.

 

Manager City Culture, Tourism &  Recreation to update at August program panel and to liaise with shuttle bus project

11. Any Other Business

There being no further business the formal part of the meeting closed at 2:30pm to be followed by a site visit.

 

 

12. Tour Lake Parramatta Dam

An informative talk on the history and current works on the Lake Parramatta Dam wall was presented and a tour of the site conducted by Council’s Project Manager for the works.

 

 

13. Next Meeting and venue

Monday, 18 August starting at 3pm

Venue is L6 Darcy Street

Agenda: June Quarterly Review and update on Way-finding project.

Program Coordinators to confirm agenda and venue for meeting

 

City Leadership and Management Program Panel –

Boardroom, Level 12

Darcy St

21 July 2008

5:30pm – 6:45pm

 

Attendance: Lord Mayor Paul Barber (PB), , Councillor Andrew Wilson (AW) Steve Kerr (SK), Jenny Fett (JF), Michael Quirk (MQ), Jane Worthy (JW), Robert Clarke (RC), Stephen Montgomery (SM).

 

1.         Welcome and apologies

 

Apologies:      Councillor Paul Garrard, Geoff King, Dianne Lucas,  Sue Coleman, Darren Wood, Tim Franey

 

2.         Review notes from previous meeting and any business arising

 

There was no City Leadership and Management Panel meeting in June, it being replaced by a Civic Place briefing.

 

3.         Strategic Asset Plan Progress report – Robert Clarke

 

This item occupied approximately 45 minutes of the meeting.

 

The Purpose of the plan is to provide a strategy for assets that will inform Council on the most cost effective use of assets over the long term (25 years) to support service delivery within available resources and a prudent risk profile.

 

A project plan on how the plan will be developed (with costs) was circulated and agreed across all stake holders in Council. The plan is being developed internally with little consultant input.

 

The development of the plan is being steered by a project board chaired by Stephen Kerr.

 

A core Strategic Asset Management Plan uses available information. Core Strategic Asset Management Plans highlight business improvement initiatives and gaps in information so that an advanced Strategic Asset Management Plan can be developed.

 

The Department of Local Government is intending to mandate Councils to develop a long term community strategic plan, strategic asset management plan and long term financial plan.

 

PCC has developed to date:

          - an asset management framework of how Council manages its assets.

- a roles and responsibilities document - who does what to manage assets.

- a community strategic plan – Parramatta Twenty25.

 

Asset managers (people who are in the best position to manage an asset) have been developing the asset strategies for approximately 20 groups of assets. e.g. roads, bridges, storm water drains, open space parkland, operation buildings etc.

 

The draft plan is due to be completed in October and will include cost schedules on the acquisitions / refurbishments and maintenance for our existing assets into the long term.

 

One particular project challenge is to communicate the scope, complexity and challenge of the task in preparing the Strategic Asset Plan and communicating it to the organisation and community.

 

Clr Wilson made some comments regarding this item.  In summary, these included the need for Council to take a firm time line and costs of asset related projects, particularly in the area of negotiating our contracts better to reduce budget overruns.

 

It was also noted that the Audit Committee looking at this issue at its next meeting on 31 July and that the Manager of Commercial Risk was reviewing our standard contract.  Clr Wilson stated that we needed a good contract framework but also good contract management, including probity management.  Clr Wilson also suggested we need to do random audits across the business and that perhaps UWS students could assist.

 

4.         IPART  Review - Stephen Kerr

 

IPART is conducting a review of the regulatory framework for setting of rates and charges for Local Government services in NSW. IPART is to investigate and make recommendations on an appropriate framework that facilitates the effective and efficient provision of Local Government services. IPART is to also consider its role in setting of Local Government rates and charges.

 

WSROC is intending to make a submission to IPART on this issue, as well as seeking an extension on the timeframe for submission (JF to keep the Councilors informed).

 

5.         Other Business

None.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Geoff King

Coordinator

City Leadership & Management