Agenda of Council - 26 September 2011

Council 26 September 2011 Item 9.1

ECONOMY AND DEVELOPMENT

ITEM NUMBER 9.1

SUBJECT 27A, 31, 33 & 35 Louis Street, Granville (Woodville Ward)

DESCRIPTION Construction of a 2-storey affordable housing development consisting of 44 dwellings over a basement carpark

REFERENCE DA/111/2011 - 4 March 2011

APPLICANT/S Designcorp Australia Pty Limited

OWNERS Finiqs Pty Limited & Pingola Pty Ltd

REPORT OF Manager Development Services

DATE OF REPORT 2 September 2011

REASON FOR REFERRAL TO COUNCIL

This application has been brought to Council for determination due to the number of submissions received and the nature of the development (affordable rental housing under the Affordable Rental Housing SEPP).

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The application seeks approval for the demolition of 3 dwelling houses, tree removal and construction of 7 x 2-storey residential flat buildings (RFB) comprising 44 dwellings over basement car parking for 44 vehicles, under the provisions of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Affordable Rental Housing) 2009.

The proposal was submitted to Council as infill housing development prior to the amendments that were made to the policy by the State Government on 20 May 2011. The application has been assessed against the provisions of the unamended SEPP as the savings clause applies. An assessment of the proposal against the amended SEPP has also been provided in the S79C report for comparison purposes.

The subject site is currently zoned Residential 2A under Parramatta LEP 2001 and the proposed residential flat buildings are prohibited if not for the Affordable Rental Housing SEPP. The Draft Parramatta LEP 2011 will up zone the site to R3 Medium Density Residential, however RFB developments remain prohibited development.

The proposal has been assessed against the character of the local area and the scale of the development is inconsistent with the character of the location. In addition, the design of the proposal raises concerns regarding solar access to the living areas of the proposed dwellings which is a significant assessment criteria within the SEPP.

The design of the RFB development involves several significant variations to Parramatta DCP 2005, including building separation, boundary setbacks and visual privacy provisions. Furthermore, the subject site is partially flood affected and adjoins a stormwater channel containing Duck Creek. A rear portion of the site is flood affected and has been identified in the development application for flood storage. Due to the significant planning issues that have not been or cannot be resolved, it would suggest that this development may be an overdevelopment of the site.

The development application was advertised and notified to adjoining residents in accordance with the Notification DCP and 3 submissions and a petition signed by 33 persons were received. The main issues that have been raised in the submissions are traffic, car parking, privacy, loss of solar access and waste management. These issues have been fully considered in the Section 79C report attached.

Given the proposed development involves several significant variations to the planning controls in the Affordable Rental Housing SEPP and Parramatta DCP 2005 and those variations will result in a number of severe amenity issues for surrounding and future residents, the application cannot be supported. Accordingly, the application is recommended for refusal.

It is noted that the applicant has lodged a Class 1 appeal (deemed refusal) in the Land and Environment Court.

RECOMMENDATION

(a) That Development Application No. 111/2011 for demolition, tree removal and construction of affordable housing development containing 44 dwellings on land at 27A, 31, 33 and 35 Louis Street, Granville be REFUSED for the following reasons:

1. The proposed development is prohibited under the SEPP (Affordable Rental Housing) 2009, as the proposal is for Residential Flat Buildings in a Residential 2(a) zone under the LEP 2001 which prohibits residential flat buildings.

2. The proposed development fails to satisfy the character test provisions under the SEPP (Affordable Rental Housing) 2009, as the proposal results in a physical impact on surrounding properties and is not in harmony with the current single dwelling built form character of the street.

3. The proposed development fails to satisfy the design requirements under clause 15 of the SEPP (Affordable Rental Housing) 2009.

4. The proposed development is contrary to the aims and objectives of the Residential 2(a) zone, as the proposal is for residential flat buildings which are prohibited within the zone.

5. The proposed development is contrary to the aims and objectives of the R3 Medium Density Zone, as the proposal is for residential flat buildings which are prohibited within the proposed R3 Medium Density zone of the Draft LEP 2010.

6. The proposed development fails to provide sufficient solar access to living rooms and private open spaces for a minimum of 3 hours between 9am and 3pm in mid-winter to 70 percent of the proposed dwellings.

7. The proposed building separation of the development fails to comply with the Parramatta DCP 2005. The current building separation between habitable rooms of the units is 5-7m instead of the required 12 metres between habitable rooms.

8. The building provides insufficient setbacks, amenity, privacy and poor building design resulting in unacceptably poor amenity impacts for future inhabitants. The designed layout of the development is primarily a function of the non compliance with design requirements in the Parramatta DCP 2005.

9. The proposed development fails to address the provision of the Parramatta Local Floodplain Risk Management Policy, in particular, in relation to evacuation and flood awareness issues.

10. The stormwater modelling submitted with the development application fails to clearly identify that the proposed flood storage will be effective for the full range of flood events up to the 1% Average Recurrence Interval event.

11. The development application has failed to provide adequate information that would enable a proper assessment of the impacts of the development, particularly an assessment of how the roof and surface stormwater from the site will be disposed.

12. The proposed development is not in the public interest.

(b) Further, that the objectors and head petitioner be advised of Council’s decision.

Troy Loveday

Senior Development Assessment Officer

Development Assessment Services

Attachments:

1 View	Section 79C report	64 Pages
2 View	Locality Map	1 Page
3 View	Architectural plans	10 Pages
4	Confidential internal floor plans	2 Pages

Drawing N^o

Dated

Site Plan by Hans Waldmann & Associates

October 2003

Floor Plans (Basement & Ground Floor) by Hans Waldmann & Associates, Amendment A

15 June 2003

Elevations and sections Amended Plan Nos. 2133 CC-05-E to 2133 CC-08-E inclusive by Inside Out Design group Pty Ltd

24 March 2006

Landscape Plan by Precinct Landscapes

3 August 2004

Landscape Works Plan

10 November 2004

Stormwater Concept Plan by MM Farah, Sheets 1 & 2

27 May 2003

Document(s)

Dated

Statement of Environmental Effects by Jacob Yammine

Schedule of Finishes by Hans Waldmann & Associates

Undated

Waste Management Plans by Hans Waldmann & Associates

Arborist Report by MacKay Tree Management

9 July 2004

Council 26 September 2011 Item 9.6

ECONOMY AND DEVELOPMENT

ITEM NUMBER 9.6

SUBJECT Further Report -46 Hassall Street, Parramatta (Lot 11 Sec 3 DP 192710) (Elizabeth Macarthur Ward)

DESCRIPTION Construction of a Boarding House

REFERENCE DA/870/2010 - 29 October 2010

APPLICANT/S Nigel White

OWNERS B & K Patel

REPORT OF Manager Development Services

DATE OF REPORT

5 September 2011

REASON FOR REFERRAL TO COUNCIL

The application is referred to Council as it proposes a Boarding House and due to the number of submissions received.

FURTHER REPORT

At the Development Council Meeting held on 11 July 2011 Council considered a report that recommended a deferred commencement approval be granted and resolved the following:

That the application be deferred to allow the applicant to hold further discussions with staff in relation to incorporating 3 off street parking spaces within the design and to further address the outstanding issues as outlined in the proposed deferred commencement e.g. social impact assessment and on site management.

In accordance with this resolution a meeting was held with the applicant’s representative on Friday 29 July 2011 and the matters identified were discussed.

The recommended deferred commencement conditions contained in the previous report required:

· The preparation of a revised plan of management that included management and supervision of the site through the provision of a live in on site manager;

· The preparation of a flood management plan for the site;

· Further investigations to be undertaken to ascertain whether the site is contaminated and requires remediation; and

· The submission of revised architectural plans to reduce overlooking opportunities towards adjoining properties.

This report now discusses each issue.

Carparking

At the time the development application was lodged the ARHSEPP did not require off street carparking to be provided. The plans submitted with the application provided a hard stand area that allowed for the parking of four bicycles and four motorbikes was provided.

On 20 May 2011 the ARHSEPP was amended such that the parking requirements for the development would be three carparking spaces.

The applicant has submitted two options to Council to provide additional carparking spaces for the site. Option 1 provides two hard stand car spaces at the front of the site. Option 2 provides three hard stand spaces.

Option 1 is the preferred option as the provision of three hard stand spaces at the front of the site would substantially reduce opportunities for landscaping and result in a streetscape appearance that is inconsistent with that of adjoining residential properties. The provision of two off street parking spaces will reduce reliance on on-street parking whilst allowing opportunities for landscaping to be provided and is thus the preferred option.

Plan of Management

Condition 1 of the deferred commencement stated:

1. A revised plan of management shall be submitted to Council’s Community Crime Prevention Officer for approval which addresses:

(a) fees for residency;

(b) management and supervision through a live in on-site manager

(c)communal kitchen usage, the provision of meals or resident provision of meals;

(d) noise inside the boarding house and in adjacent private open space areas;

(e) use of communal space and facilities;

(f) parking for cars/ motorbikes;

(g) cleanliness and maintenance of the property and grounds; and

(h) house rules (covering issues such as access to rooms, keeping shared facilities clean and tidy, visitors, pets, quiet enjoyment, consumption of alcohol, visitors, parties etc).

(i) consequences for tenants of breaching house rules the issues of resident behaviour or dealing with difficult tenants, house rules or in what circumstances a tenant's lease may be terminated due to adverse behaviour;

(j)On-Site Managers must be over 18 years of age.

(k) Occupiers of adjacent properties are to be provided with a 24 hour telephone number for a principal (for example owner or manager) so they can contact the premises.

(l) incorporates a fire safety evacuation plan containing step by step written instructions which detail necessary actions for evacuation in case of a fire emergency. The plan should have the following:

• Evacuation routes detailing paths of travel and the locations of the building’s exits

• Assembly point details (where occupants should gather)

• A detailed plan of action to be taken after activation of a fire alarm.

The escape plan should be posted in obvious locations in common areas and behind each bedroom door.

The applicant has prepared a revised plan of management for the site that includes the provision of an on-site manager. The plan of management has been reviewed by Council’s Community Crime Prevention Officer who advises that the revised plan of management is satisfactory subject to additional requirements being added regarding quiet hours, notification requirements for change of management and the preparation of an emergency management plan. Given this, the deferred commencement condition has been updated and a number of points removed from the previous condition, as they have now been satisfied.

It is also noted that the current plan of management submitted with the amended information indicates that the premises would be occupied by 19 persons. As the plans that were notified to surrounding landowners and the previous report to Council indicated that the proposal is for 13 self contained accommodation suites providing accommodation for 17 residents, conditions are recommended to restrict the number of boarders to a maximum of 17 persons.

Flood Management

Condition 2 of the deferred commencement stated:

A flood management plan management addressing the criteria contained within Council’s Local Floodplain Risk Management Policy 2006 and specifically section 8 is required to be prepared as well as associated engineering models and engineering/architectural plans shall be submitted to Council’s Supervisor Catchment Management for approval which satisfactorily addresses:

· The impact of the development on flooding elsewhere to be considered having regard to three factors listed below:

I. loss of flood storage;

II. changes in flood levels, flows and velocities caused by alterations to flood flows; and

III. the cumulative impact of multiple potential developments in the vicinity.

· The minimum surface level of open spaces or carports shall be as high as practical but no lower than 0.1m below the 100 year ARI flood level.

· The level of the driveway providing access between the road and parking spaces shall be no lower than 0.2m below the 100 year ARI flood level.

· The applicant is to demonstrate the development is consistent with any relevant flood evacuation strategy or similar plan.

· The reliable access for pedestrians and vehicles is required from the site to an area of refuge above the Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) level, either on site (second story) or off site.

The applicant has not submitted a flood management plan and has requested that the condition be retained as a deferred commencement condition due to the fact that the site is only affected by the Probable Maximum Flood event and not a 1:100 ARI event or a 1:20 ARI event. The request of the applicant is reasonable given that the site is not impacted by a 1:100 ARI or 1:20 ARI events.

Contamination

Condition 3 of the deferred commencement stated:

3) Submission of a Detailed Site Investigation Report in accordance with the requirements of SEPP 55 that:

· Defines the nature, extent and degree of any contamination;

· Outlines whether the site is suitable for the proposed development with or without the need for a remedial action plan.

If the site does require remediation in accordance with SEPP 55 a Remedial Action Plan is required to be prepared to the satisfaction of an EPA accredited site auditor and a validation report is required to be submitted from a EPA accredited site auditor that confirms that the site is suitable for use as a boarding house

The applicant has not submitted the detailed site investigation report due to the time that it would take to prepare such a report and has also suggested that the site is unlikely to be contaminated. It is agreed that the site is unlikely to be contaminated and that the work required to prepare the detailed site investigation would be lengthy. Given this it is considered appropriate that the deferred commencement consent remain to ensure that the possible site contamination is thoroughly investigated and if necessary the site remediated prior to an operative consent being issued.

Architectural Plans

Condition 4 of the deferred commencement stated:

4) Submission of revised architectural plans that indicate that the stairway that provides access to and from the upper floor is completely enclosed from the ground level to the first floor on all sides and that non openable windows containing opaque glass replace louvers on the first floor external walkway.

The applicant has submitted plans that enclose the first floor external walkway and the staircase from the ground floor. As the plans do not indicate that the first floor external walkways windows will be non openable a condition will be added to the recommended conditions requiring this to be illustrated on plans submitted with the construction certificate.

The applicant has responded to the matters raised in Council’s deferral. Additional parking has been provided, the management plan revised and privacy issues addressed. Due to the low risk of flooding and low likely hood of the site being contaminated it is considered reasonable for the contamination report and flooding report to be submitted prior to an operative consent being issued.

Accordingly the application is recommended for a deferred commencement approval subject to revised conditions contained in Attachment 3.

RECOMMENDATION

(a) That Council as the consent authority grant a deferred commencement development consent to Development Application No. 870/2010 for the construction of a boarding house on land at 46 Hassall Street, Parramatta subject to the conditions contained within Attachment 3.

(b) Further that the persons who lodged an individual submission and the head petitioner be advised of Council’s determination of the application.

Brad Delapierre

Team Leader –Development Assessment Team

Attachments:

1 View	Previous Council Report	59 Pages
2 View	Revised Architecural Plans	3 Pages
3 View	Recommended conditions of development consent	18 Pages
4	Confidential Internal Residential Floor Plans	2 Pages

Council 26 September 2011 Item 9.12

ECONOMY AND DEVELOPMENT

ITEM NUMBER 9.12

SUBJECT Major Events Spring and Summer Program 2011/2012

REFERENCE F2004/09860 - D02097741

REPORT OF Service Manager.Major Events

PURPOSE:

To confirm the strategic objectives for major events, and the assessment process and evaluation criteria of external events proposals.

To seek approval for the upcoming Major Events Program, confirming enhancements discussed at the Councillor workshop of 10 August 2011.

RECOMMENDATION

a) That two additional strategic objectives for Major Events be adopted by Council:

i. Support and enhance tourism initiatives: to attract first time visitors, to influence the visitor experience (Enhance Visitation)

ii. Promote Parramatta as a positive and vibrant city of events: a great place to live, work and play (Change Reputation)

b) That requests for support by Council from external event providers be assessed as outlined in this report and applying the categories of Sponsorship, Capacity Building, Donations and Strategic Outcomes and Partnerships.

c) That the Major Events Spring and Summer program for 2011/12 be delivered with modifications to the program including the Christmas Concert, Christmas Lights competition, and New Years Eve celebration and Australia Day event as outlined in this report.

d) Further that, as part of Council’s quarterly review and reporting process, Councillors be provided with a report on events held in the preceding three months, including an evaluation of the performance of each event against agreed measures and a list of proposed activities for the proceeding three months.

BACKGROUND

1. Spring heralds the beginning of the primary Major Events season for Parramatta. From October 2011 to February 2012 Council will directly manage five major events - Loy Krathong, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Australia Day and Lunar New Year. Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Australia Day are discussed in this report. The Major Events calendar can be found in ATTACHMENT 1.

2. In the 2011/12 spring / summer season Council will also partner with external organisations to deliver significant events including the Crave Sydney International Food Festival (October) and the Sydney Festival (January). Council’s partnership with the Sydney Festival for 2012 is the subject of a separate report to Council.

3. Council will also see the delivery of Parramasala in October/November through its formal involvement in the Parramasala Company.

4. During the same period, Council’s Major Events team will also provide assistance and guidance to numerous external organisations running events in the City of Parramatta.

5. Civic Events are not considered in the context of this report.

6. A Councillor workshop to discuss Major Events was held on Wednesday 10 August 2011. Suggestions and feedback from that discussion and other consultation on Major Events have been incorporated in this report.

7. At the workshop, Major Events staff presented:

a. A review of the July 2011 event program including Winterlight, River Foreshore School Holiday Program, NAIDOC Week, and the International Society of Arboriculture conference

b. The existing five strategic objectives for Major Events and two proposed new objectives

c. Analysis of reasons for Council to invest in external events

d. A snapshot of the upcoming Council Major Event program

e. A snapshot of the current event proposals received from external organisations

8. Following the workshop, a memorandum was sent to Councillors on 18 August (ATTACHMENT 2) summarising the discussions held and seeking Councillor feedback on proposed changes to events scheduled for the 2011/12 spring and summer season. No additional feedback has been received at the time of drafting this report.

REPORT

9. Adopted by Council in 2006, the Strategic Objectives for Major Events are;

a. Engage people to be active in the life of the city (Engagement/Involvement)

b. Demonstrate and deliver a diversity of life understandings and perspectives (Celebrate Diversity)

c. Celebrate and promote urban form and the natural environment through innovative use of place and space (Creative use of Place)

d. Encourage local creative enterprise (Local Creativity)

e. Boost the local economy - day and night (Support Local Business)

10. The following additional Strategic Objectives are proposed;

a. Support and enhance tourism initiatives: to attract first time visitors, to influence the visitor experience. (Enhance Visitation)

This objective focuses events on increasing visitation to Parramatta, and aligns with the Visitor Strategy for Parramatta adopted by Council at its meeting of 27 June 2011

b. Promote Parramatta as a positive and vibrant city of events: a great place to live, work and play. (Change Perceptions)

This objective aligns with a Council strategy to promote positive perceptions of the city.

11. 2011/12 Spring and Summer Major Events Program

a. Christmas Events

At the workshop of 10 August 2011, Councillors discussed the Christmas program and subsequently the following changes are proposed:

i. That one major Christmas concert be held on the forecourt of the Town Hall in place of the three suburban concerts.

In 2009 and 2010, smaller suburban Christmas concerts were tried but consistently achieved very low patronage. It appears that Council is competing in a market flooded with community Christmas events staged by schools, church groups, child care centres and other community organisations. It is therefore recommended that as a point of differentiation it will be more effective for Council to deliver a large Christmas concert coinciding with the lighting of the Christmas tree outside the Town Hall.

ii. That Council does not proceed with the Christmas Lights competition.

There was a low level of participation in the 2010 competition (23 entries), and it is suspected that this is largely due to the same type of competition run at a regional level by the Parramatta Advertiser. Other factors may include rising electricity costs and environmental concerns.

b. New Years Eve

In 2011 the New Years Eve (NYE) event was successfully moved from Prince Alfred Park to the river foreshore. Prince Alfred Park had reached its capacity as a venue for this event. Parramatta NYE is evolving from a local community event to a significant regional attraction. It now provides a viable alternative to travelling into the Sydney CBD for families in Greater Sydney.

Unfortunately, the change in location and success of the event significantly increases costs with actual expenditure for the 2010 event being $167,000 and additional costs foreshadowed for 2011 including traffic management, risk management, site logistics, lighting, barge stage, screen, and increased launch sites for fireworks that would see a similar event cost $200,000. Currently, the budget for the NYE event remains at $75,000 and a much smaller event is proposed to keep within Council’s budget.

Alternatively, Council may consider allocating additional funds in the September Quarterly Review to support a NYE event of a similar scale to 2010.

c. Australia Day

Councillors reiterated a number of concerns regarding the 2011 Australia Day event. Overall, the event was a success with thousands of people enjoying Aerial Carnivale in the morning and the concert and fireworks in the evening, however there were a number of issues regarding operational arrangements. The recommendations below were formed in response to negative feedback gathered through event surveys, written complaints, feedback from Councillors, and from two Australia Day focus groups held in August. The main issues related to access to the venue, poor signage and way finding, fencing, and the concert venue (the long paddock). Key discussion points in the workshop were:

i. That the Crescent is the preferred venue for the evening concert

ii. That investment in signage, way finding and security needs to be reviewed and improved for the 2012 event

iii. That minimal fencing should be used at the site

iv. That the citizenship ceremony should be held at an indoor venue.

The proposed changes to the Australia Day event to improve the visitor experience and ensure that appropriate risk management, security and way finding are provided will result in additional costs of approximately $65,000. Reductions will need to be made in the allocation to other Major Events such as Winterlights if the Australia Day activities proceed without additional sponsorship or budget adjustment as these requirements cannot be met from within the existing Australia Day budget.

It is proposed to establish an Australia Day Reference Group to provide Council with a regular forum to consult with key stakeholders such as the Parramatta Park Trust, the RTA and the NSW Police in the planning for the Australia Day 2012 event. Hosted by the Lord Mayor or their nominee, the Reference Group will have the status of an advisory group, with Council’s delegated staff retaining overall responsibility relating to the event.

12. Reasons to support/invest in events produced by external parties

As Parramatta stakes its claim as a premier location for events, Council is receiving an increasing number of requests for support. Some event organisers are simply seeking letters of support, but many also request direct funding, infrastructure, event advice, discounted venue hire and cross-promotion.

a. At the Councillor workshop the following two suggestions were made:

i. that external event organisers requested support be required to submit a business plan for the proposed event; and

ii. that Council should provide seed funding but not ongoing funding for external events unless there were compelling strategic reasons to do so.

b. An articulated basis for assessing Council’s potential assistance/investment in external events is required. The following categories for assessment are proposed:

i. Sponsorship – this is a business/marketing decision, where the benefits arising from the sponsor’s role at least equal the value of cash provided.

ii. Capacity building – where events can demonstrate a way to become self-sufficient in the future; using seed funding to assist the organiser to get the event up and running.

iii. Donations – there will always be occasions when Council should be compassionate and “good citizens”, offering encouragement and support to non-profit organizations and community members. Such decisions are political in character and should be taken via appropriate Council processes.

iv. Strategic outcomes and partnerships – the proposed event delivers on Major Events strategic objectives and these partnerships benefit Council, our strategic partners, and the City.

c. It is proposed that the Major Events section will apply the above categories for external events along with analysis of possible resourcing implications (both people and financial) when submitting proposals to Council’s Executive Team. External event proposals that are considered to have merit but do not meet the assessment criteria and/or exceed existing resource capabilities will be referred to Council for consideration.

13 Evaluation of Events and reporting to Council

Due to time constraints at the Councillor Workshop on 10 August 2011, the draft evaluation criteria was not discussed, however the information below was distributed in the Councillor Information pack on 18 August 2011.

a. Council will continue to collect simple measures such as crowd counts

b. Audience surveys also provide valuable insight into visitor experiences of our events

c. The proposed outcome measures below will assist in providing Council with a more sophisticated analysis of the impact Major Events have on the City and its people;

i. Economic

· Direct audience attendance, visitation

· ‘Economic Value-Add’ post-event survey (including expenditure and bed night data)

· Pre and Post Event Trend Data flowing from Parramatta as an economic/employment destination questions in the ‘Parramatta Baseline Perceptions’ survey

ii. Social and Community

· Community engagement and participation

· Improved wellbeing measures

· Amount of community generated social media

· Pre and Post Event Social Trend Data flowing from Community Engagement questions in the ‘Parramatta Baseline Perceptions’ survey

· Comparison with longitudinal results for Council’s Events-related ‘Community Impact Surveys’

iii. Strategic Marketing

· Media monitors

· Increased awareness – recognition of Parramatta as a leisure destination, increased media focus

· Pre and Post Event Perception Data flowing from perception (parking, safety, amenity, friendliness, channel, destination awareness) questions in the ‘Parramatta Baseline Perceptions’ survey

d. It is proposed that these outcome measures be tested in selected events over the spring/summer season and that a report containing the results be presented to Council as part of the quarterly review and reporting process.

CONSULTATION

14. Major Events staff conduct a review post each event and this includes the analysis of visitor surveys, event planning, and consultation with internal and external stakeholders. Information gathered through these reviews is then considered in the planning for the next year’s event.

15. A Councillor workshop to discuss Major Events was held on Wednesday 10 August 2011. The workshop was chaired by the Lord Mayor Councillor John Chedid, and was attended by nine Councillors plus Council staff. Suggestions and ideas raised at the workshop have been incorporated into the recommendations of this report.

16. In regards to New Years Eve, post event consultation revealed a high level of satisfaction with the event at its new venue on the river foreshores. However, there are known risks for ingress and egress from the site, and in recent discussions with the Parramatta Local Area Command it was made clear that significant increased investment was required to address risk management requirements for this year’s event.

17. In regards to Australia Day a significant amount of consultation has occurred following this year’s event. This has included:

a. A cross-functional team review with representatives from City Strategy, City Culture Tourism & Recreation, Civic Events, Communications & Marketing and City Services

b. Focus Groups – a representative sample of 24 people selected from the Residents Panel participated in two facilitated focus groups

c. A Councillor workshop on 10^th August 2011.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS AND TIMING

18. Should Councillors decide not to continue with the Christmas lights competition, the $7,000 currently allocated as a project within Council’s Delivery Plan will not be required.

19. There are substantial pressures, however, on the budgets for other events such as New Year’s Eve and Australia Day celebrations.

20. In particular, the current budget allocation for NYE is based on the expenditure on the 2009 event at Prince Alfred Park. In 2010, the event was relocated to the river foreshore and incurred expenditure of $167,000, with a budget adjustment made at the March 2011 quarterly review. With additional risk management requirement, it is estimated that a similar event would require a further $33,000 for 2011, with a total budget of $200,000. A much smaller event will be held unless additional resources are again allocated to the NYE event.

21. Similarly, the proposed improvements to Australia Day celebrations have cost implications that will need to be carefully managed. Reductions will need to be made in the allocation to other Major Events such as Winterlights if the Australia Day activities proceed without additional sponsorship or budget adjustment as these requirements cannot be met from within the existing Australia Day budget.

22. Due to the lead times for procurement – including bookings of acts and events infrastructure - it is important that the total budget for both events is clarified as soon as possible and the total Major Events budget will be considered in deliberations for the September quarterly review.

23. The inclusion of an increased event budgets in ongoing operational budgets will also be requested through Council’s Delivery Plan and Management process for 2012/13.

24. All major events delivered by Council require a planning and delivery cycle that crosses financial years and in a number of cases have a planning and delivery cycle that is longer than 12-months. It is critical that the budget for major events is confirmed well in advance to enable planning and ordering to occur with confidence and delivery on time and to specification.

Kevin Brennan

Service Manager Major Events

Attachments:

1 View	Major Events Calendar 2011-2012	2 Pages
2 View	Councillor Workshop Memo - Major Events	2 Pages

REFERENCE MATERIAL

Council 26 September 2011 Item 9.13

ECONOMY AND DEVELOPMENT

ITEM NUMBER 9.13

SUBJECT Sydney Festival 2012

REFERENCE F2011/02296 - D02094152

REPORT OF Manager City Culture, Tourism and Recreation

PURPOSE:

To seek Councils support to enter into negotiations with Sydney Festival to develop an enhanced Sydney Festival engagement for Parramatta.

RECOMMENDATION

(a) That Council receive and note the information contained within this report;

(b) That Council endorse the draft Memorandum of Understanding between Sydney Festival and the Council for the purpose of delivering an enhanced Sydney Festival engagement for Parramatta;

(c) That Council give in-principle commitment to the direct cash investment by Council in the Festival as detailed in the body of this report; and

(d) Further, that Council delegates to the Chief Executive Officer authority to negotiate and enter into (on behalf of the Council) a binding sponsorship in terms of the MOU between Sydney Festival and the Council.

BACKGROUND

1. Council has sponsored the delivery of Sydney Festival events in Parramatta for a number of years. The direct sponsorship provided has been $150,000 annually. This has been supported on occasion by complimentary programming through various Council programs including Riverside Theatre Productions, the Major Events program and Arts and Cultural projects and programs. A small proportion of the direct sponsorship returns to Council through revenue from events at the Riverside Theatres.

2. The annual investment by Sydney Festival in Parramatta-based activities has grown to approximately $375,000 in the past couple of years (in addition to the $150,000 provided through Council sponsorship).

3. On 8^th June 2011, the Lord Mayor and Chief Executive Officer accompanied the Sydney Festival Executive to meet with the Premier of NSW, the Hon Barry O’Farrell, MP, to discuss opportunities for the Sydney Festival in Parramatta. The confidential discussions articulated support from 3 parties – Sydney Festival, the NSW State Government and Parramatta Council.

4. On 13^th July 2011, Premier O’Farrell, announced a funding boost to Sydney Festival, dedicating an additional $500,000 to the Festival in Parramatta, conditional upon an increase in the investment by Sydney Festival to $500,000 and an increased investment by Parramatta City Council.

REPORT

5. The Sydney Festival proposal for 2012 seeks to expand the Parramatta program to a 10-day event within the broader Festival. It would commence with a large-scale free public event on opening weekend and would close with the popular Festival Inside Out performance in Parramatta Park. The week between would be activated with a denser program of events focussed on the Riverside Theatres and the adjacent river foreshore, Prince Alfred Park and Church Street precincts.

6. Significant research and thought has gone into forming a high quality program for Parramatta that considers the key markets for the City. The Parramatta program is proposed to be launched on Monday 31 October, two days before the broader Sydney Festival program launch.

7. The increased investment in the Parramatta program will ensure a dense, high quality program, and a greatly enhanced Parramatta-specific marketing campaign that will not just promote the Festival, but strategically market the City.

8. It is proposed that the program for 2012 will be funded by increased commitments from the 3 parties: a new investment of $500,000 from the State Government, additional funding by Sydney Festival, bringing their investment to $500,000 and an additional investment by Council, increasing the cash sponsorship from $150,000 to $500,000.

9. It was initially proposed that the additional investment by Council would be an increase in the existing cash sponsorship from $150,000 to $250,000 and a further in-kind commitment valued up to $250,000 to present the large-scale free public event on the opening weekend. Given the short lead-time available and Council’s existing commitment to Major Events over summer, it is not feasible for Council to resource the production and presentation of another large-scale free public event on the opening weekend. It is therefore proposed to increase the cash sponsorship to a total of $500,000 as Council’s capped contribution to the agreement.

10. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Sydney Festival and the Council has been drafted (Attachment 1). The draft document outlines the strategic objectives of the Festival in Parramatta, the relationship between the two organisations and forms the basis for the development of a legally binding sponsorship agreement. Council endorsement of the MOU is sought as well as the delegation of authority to the Chief Executive Officer to negotiate and enter into a binding sponsorship in terms of the MOU between Sydney Festival and the Council.

11. The opportunities presented by Sydney Festival align with Council’s strategic objectives for Major Events and the potential outcomes are greatly enhanced by the increased funding pledges. The proposed increased funding contribution by Council leverages 3 times the investment in the direct production and marketing on an enhanced festival in Parramatta. More significantly though, it has the potential to greatly enhance the secondary and tertiary economic outcomes and strategic marketing opportunities presented.

12. Since the Sydney Festival announcement, Council has been approached by two peak organisations that are based in Parramatta – Information and Cultural Exchange (ICE) and Western Sydney Dance Action, (recently renamed as FORM Dance) - seeking partnerships to deliver locally developed and produced program content as part of the Festival in Parramatta in 2012. Details of these two proposals are included as Attachments 2 and 3. These proposals will be further developed along with other complementary programming opportunities involving Riverside Theatres and Council’s other cultural programs and, where appropriate, referred to Sydney Festival for consideration.

13. To ensure that the opportunities that Sydney Festival presents for the Council and the City are fully explored and Council’s responsibilities are delivered using a “whole of Council approach”, a cross-functional team will be formalised.

CONSULTATION

14. The confidential nature of the initial discussions prevented broader communication of this opportunity. Details were provided to Councillors in a memorandum from the Chief Executive Officer dated 20 July 2010.

15. The matter was also discussed at the Councillor Workshop on Major Events held on Wednesday 10 August 2011.

16. A number of discussions have been held between Council Officers and the Sydney Festival Executive regarding the enhanced relationship, development of the MOU and also with Marketing, Programming and Production staff from Sydney Festival. Preliminary discussions regarding complementary Festival activities have also been held with local stakeholders such as ICE and FORM Dance.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

17. The current Sydney Festival sponsorship of $150,000 is funded through Parking Meter revenue. It is proposed that the additional expenditure of $350,000 outlined in this report will be funded from the same source.

18. A formal request for the financial investment by Council in the Festival will be submitted to Council as part of the September 2011 quarterly budget review process. If Council resolves to support the Sydney Festival proposal without increasing funding for Major Events, significant programming changes would be required in 2012 such as the discontinuation of Council’s Lunar New Year and Winterlight events.

Attachments:

1 View	DRAFT MOU between Sydney Festival and Council	12 Pages
2 View	Proposal from ICE	2 Pages
3 View	Proposal from WSDA	3 Pages

REFERENCE MATERIAL

Council 26 September 2011 Item 9.17

ECONOMY AND DEVELOPMENT

ITEM NUMBER 9.17

SUBJECT Riverside Advisory Board

REFERENCE F2007/00388 - D02097650

REPORT OF Director Riverside Theatre

PURPOSE:

The Riverside Advisory Board makes recommendations to Council in setting the strategic direction for the successful operation of Riverside Theatres. This report seeks Council’s adoption of revised Terms of Reference for the Riverside Theatres Advisory Board. It also seeks the extension of the term of the fourth Advisory Board to 31 December, 2011 and informs Council of the proposed recruitment of the fifth Advisory Board.

RECOMMENDATION

(a) That Council adopt the revised Terms of Reference for the Riverside Theatres Advisory Board.

(b) That the current terms of the community (general) members of the fourth Riverside Theatres Advisory Board be extended to 31 December, 2011.

(d) Further, that Council receives and notes the timetable for the recruitment and appointment of the fifth Riverside Advisory Board.

BACKGROUND

1. In 2001, Council resolved to appoint a s.355 Advisory Board to Riverside Theatres that would meet regularly to review the Theatres performance and provide advice to Council on strategic directions.

2. The fourth Board was appointed in August 2009. Board Members included Councillors Scott Lloyd, Michael McDermott and Andrew Wilson, Ms Sue Coleman (representing the CEO) as well as a number of community (general) representatives.

3. The community (general) representatives appointed in August 2009 for a two year term included:

i. Mr Justin Ankus (Music & Arts Experience) - 2^nd term

ii. Mr John Cox (Community) - 2^nd term

iii. Mr Owen Eckford (Management, Financial, Legal & Marketing) - 1^st term

iv. Mr David Low (Management, Financial, Legal & Marketing) - 2^nd term

v. Ms Julianne May (Community) - 2^nd term

vi. Mr Peter Stewart (Management, Financial, Legal & Marketing) –

extended 4^th term

vii. Ms Jane Witter (Community) - 2^nd term

viii. Mr Jeremy Wright (Arts Experience, Management, Financial, Legal &

Marketing) - 3^rdterm

4. Mr Peter Stewart, Mr David Low and Mr John Cox have since resigned from the Advisory Board. As a fifth Advisory Board is now due for appointment, the Board considers the current vacancies should remain vacant until the conclusion of the term of the fourth Advisory Board.

5. There are two remaining scheduled Advisory Board meetings in 2011 (October and December). The Advisory Board considers there is merit in the fourth Advisory Board continuing to the end of 2011 to conclude the calendar year and to allow for a fifth Advisory Board to commence from the beginning of 2012.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

6. The original Terms of Reference Council adopted for the Advisory Board generally remain relevant. Minor changes are proposed to reflect changes over the last decade such as the number of Councillors and community representatives and to align with the Core Terms of Reference for Advisory Committees which Council adopted in June 2009.

Original Terms of Reference (2001)

Roles, Functions and Duties

7. The Riverside Theatres Advisory Board is s.355 Committee of Parramatta City Council under the Local Government Act 1993. Under s.355 a function of Council may be exercised by a Committee. Powers and authorities can then be delegated to the Committee under s.377 of the Act to carry out powers and duties of the Council.

8. The Committee consists of a small strategic “Board” that makes recommendations to Council in setting the strategic direction for the successful operation of Riverside Theatres.

9. The Board provides Riverside Theatres’ management and Council with advice on:

i. the raising of external funds from state and federal governments and the private sector;

ii. the Theatres’ business plans, annual budgets, revenue and expenditure programs; and

iii. the Theatres’ annual program of activities including community and professional usage.

10. The Board reports to Council informally through the Director of Riverside Theatres and the Committee’s Chair and formally through the Services Committee.

Membership

11. Membership of the Advisory Board shall include:

i. Two (2) Parramatta City Councillors (increased by Council to three (3) on 7 October, 2008)

ii. General Manager, Parramatta City Council or nominee

iii. Two (2) members with theatre and arts expertise

iv. Three (3) members with management, financial, legal & marketing expertise

v. One (1) community representative (Increased by Council to two (2) on 8 October 2001 and to three (3) on 3 May 2004)

Expressions of interest for general membership of the Board are sought through public advertisement.

12. Membership of the Advisory Board is for a period of two years. Members may be appointed for up to three consecutive terms.

13. The Chair is elected by the Board and shall not be a Councillor or Council staff member. The Chair is elected for a two-year term.

14. The Theatre’s Director is the Board’s Executive Officer.

REVISED TERMS OF REFERENCE
Primary Purpose

15. The Committee consists of a small strategic “Board”

i. that makes recommendations to Council in setting the strategic direction for the successful operation of Riverside Theatres;

ii. that provides Council with strategic advice on desirable future outcomes for Riverside Theatres;

iii. that acts as a sounding board for Riverside Theatres’ staff on operational, programming and marketing matters; and

iv. that advocates for Riverside Theatres as the primary performing arts centre in western Sydney.

Roles and Responsibilities

16. The Board provides Riverside Theatres’ management and Council with advice on:

i. engagement of the community in the activities of the Theatres;

ii. the Theatres’ strategic and business plans;

iii. the raising of external funds from state and federal governments and the private sector;

iv. the potential development of Riverside Theatres and the surrounding precinct to maximise opportunities for the performing arts and associated activities;

v. the Theatres’ annual program of activities including community and professional usage.

Membership

17. Membership of the Advisory Board shall include:

i. Three (3) Parramatta City Councillors

ii. Chief Executive Officer of Parramatta City Council or nominee

iii. Two (2) members with performing or general arts expertise

iv. Three (3) members with management, financial, legal or marketing expertise

v. Three (3) community representatives

Expressions of interest for community (general) membership of the Board are sought through public advertisement.

18. Community (general) membership of the Advisory Board shall be for a period of two years. Members may be appointed for up to three consecutive terms.

19. Councillor membership of the Board shall be for the period of each elected Council.

20. The Chair is elected by the Board and shall not be a Councillor or Council staff member. The Chair is elected for a two-year term.

21. The Theatre’s Director is the Board’s Executive Officer.

Frequency of Meetings

22. The Advisory Board shall meet bi-monthly or at other times as the committee determines.

CONSULTATION AND TIMING

23. The formation of the fifth Riverside Advisory Board and potential changes to the Boards terms of reference were discussed at its most recent meeting and at a subsequent sub-committee meeting held for that purpose on 22^nd August 2011.

24. The proposed timetable for the recruitment and appointment of the members of the fifth Riverside Advisory Board is as follows:

i. Public advertisement for expressions of interest - week commencing 2 October, 2011

ii. Expressions of interest close - week commencing 16 October, 2011

iii. Interviews of short-listed expressions of interest - week commencing 30 October, 2011

iv. Recommendations to Council for appointment of fifth Advisory Board - December, 2011 Council Meeting

v. First meeting of the fifth Advisory Board - February, 2012

FINANCIAL IMPLICATION FOR COUNCIL

25. There are no financial implications for Council.

Robert Love

Director, Riverside Theatre

Attachments:

There are no attachments for this report.

REFERENCE MATERIAL

Council 26 September 2011 Item 10.3

ENVIRONMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE

ITEM NUMBER 10.3

SUBJECT Parramatta City Centre Car Parking Strategy

REFERENCE F2011/02758 - D02095600

REPORT OF Senior Project Officer - Transport Planning

PURPOSE:

For Council to adopt the Parramatta City Centre Car Parking Strategy as a reference document and allocate the necessary budgets to start the implement of the recommendations in 2011/12.

RECOMMENDATION

(a) That Council adopts the Parramatta City Centre Car Parking Strategy (Attachment 1) as a reference document.

(b) Further, that Council allocates $100,000 (Development Contributions Plan) funding in 2011/12 to begin implementing the recommendations of the Strategy (Attachment 2).

BACKGROUND

1. This Report is in response to a Council resolution (12247) on 28 March 2011 that “a report be prepared in relation to the management of Council’s car parks for consideration at the Council Meeting to be held in June 2011”.

2. Council adopted the Integrated Transport Plan for Parramatta City Centre in 2010 which recommended that selected city centre car parks be closed and relocated in the city edge.

3. The Car Parking Strategy has been prepared with the objective of better utilising and managing the existing car parking facilities within Parramatta city centre and relocating all day parking from the city centre core to the edge of city centre. This will allow the city centre to grow with limited impact from traffic congestion due to parking.

4. There are an estimated 26,967 parking spaces in the city centre of which 1,363 are on-street (parking meters), 10,273 are public off-street (of which Council controls 3,797) and 15,331 private off-street. There are an estimated average 2,049 vacant spaces in the public off-street car parks at their peak period.

ISSUES/OPTIONS/CONSEQUENCES

5. The Car Parking Strategy (Attachment 1) has reviewed the existing car parking operations. It finds that the on-street parking meters on the whole work well with a few minor adjustments recommended to improve the supply of short stay spaces. The key finding for on-street parking is that a Parking Meter Renewal Plan is required to plan the replacement of the parking meters.

6. The existing parking meters, especially those in the city centre core are approaching the end of their economic life. There is an opportunity to replace them with the latest technology to make them more user-friendly including bigger screens, increased range of payment options and parking space availability information including as a mobile device “App”. Increases in operational efficiency are also expected to be achieved as a result of replacing the parking meters.

7. The attractiveness of Council’s off-street parking, in particular the multistorey car parks needs improving to increase their utilisation with an estimated vacancy of 900 spaces. The recommendations are to improve the car park signs, vehicle and pedestrian access, pedestrian and visual amenity as well as allocating the most convenient spaces (on the lower decks) to short stay visitors. There are also recommended changes to the off-street parking fees through a harmonisation of the fees.

8. There is evidence of significant vacancies in private car parks (office) and it is recommended that the planning controls are reviewed with a view to permitting their use by the public to increase the supply of short stay spaces available.

9. Council’s multistorey car parks contribute to the generation of traffic congestion at peak times in the city centre core. They also occupy prime development that could contribute to the future growth of the city. All day commuter parking needs to be relocated from the city centre core to the fringe. It is recommended that a “Council Car Park Redevelopment Plan” be prepared to detail how Council can close several city centre car parks and construct new multistorey car parks at Macquarie Street and Fennell Street.

10. A detailed list of the recommendation is provided in the Parramatta City Centre Car Parking Strategy (Attachment 1). A summary of these recommendations including the cost and timing is provided in Attachment 2.

11. The financial implications in 2011/12 of the strategy are $100,000 (Development Contributions Plan) for:

· Design of car park signs

· Outline design of pedestrian and vehicle access improvements (laneways around Wentworth Street and Erby Place car parks).

· Design of pedestrian (internal) and visual (external) amenity improvements (Wentworth Street, Erby Place and Hunter Street car parks).

12. The financial implication for 2012/13 onwards is dependent on the designs prepared in 2011/12 but is estimated to be $1.5m.

13. The Parking Meter Renewal Plan and Council Car Park Redevelopment Plan will be prepared by Council. The recommendations of both plans will identify the financial implications.

CONSULTATION & TIMING

14. The Integrated Transport Plan was publically exhibited during 2010. This plan includes the recommendation to close selected city centre car parks and relocate commuter car park to the city edge.

15. A summary of Councillor consultation is as follows:

a. A draft copy of the Parking Strategy was provided to Councillors (Memo 1 September 2011).

b. A Councillor Workshop was held on 24 August 2011 and included the draft Car Parking Strategy.

c. A draft copy of the executive summary of the Car Parking Strategy was provided to Councillors (Memo 19 August 2011).

d. Councillors were provided with an update on the development of the Car Parking Strategy (Memo 9 June 2011).

David Gray

Manager, Transport Planning

Attachments:

1 View	Parramatta Parking Strategy September 2011	53 Pages
2 View	Summary recommendations of the City Centre Parking Strategy including timing and cost	1 Page

REFERENCE MATERIAL

Integrated Transport Plan for Parramatta City Centre 2009/10 – 2014/15

Council 26 September 2011 Item 12.1

GOVERNANCE AND CORPORATE

ITEM NUMBER 12.1

SUBJECT Local Government Elections - Possibility of Conducting Future Elections In-House

REFERENCE F2004/08772 - D02009266

REPORT OF Group Manager- Corporate

PURPOSE:

To seek a decision as to whether Council wishes to conduct future local government elections, constitutional referendums and polls in house.

RECOMMENDATION

That Council advise the NSW Electoral Commission by 30 November 2011 that it wishes the Commission to conduct the 2012 Local Government Election subject to negotiating a satisfactory agreement.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Council has received advice of the Minister for Local Government’s intention to return to Council’s the responsibility for the conduct of local government elections. Councils, however, may engage the NSW Electoral Commission to conduct their elections, such option to be exercised by 30 November 2011 for the 2012 election.

Correspondence and subsequent discussions with the NSW Electoral Commission have made it clear that the Commission cannot and will not act as a safety net or provide assistance to those Councils choosing to run or outsource their own election with an alternative provider, if available.

The Commission has also noted that elections are run on a not-for-profit basis by the Commission and has commented that Councils may find it difficult to locate a returning officer and assistant returning officer with the necessary skills, impartiality and integrity to run a large scale metropolitan election. As no profit is available in conducting such elections, it is unlikely that Electoral Commissions from other states would be interested in assisting.

Historically, Council elections have not been run using a Council officer (ie Town Clerk) as a returning officer since 1991. After 1991, either independent returning officers were appointed by the State Electoral Office or, as in 2008, the election was carried out by the Electoral Commission on a full cost recovery basis.

Accordingly, Council no longer possesses the necessary skills to run a complex election. There are substantial requirements in relation to the appointment of an appropriately skilled Returning Officer, Assistant Returning Officer and Polling Place Staff, preparation of appropriate election forms, ballot papers, election manuals and miscellaneous resource materials (such as stationary, voting screens and ballot boxes), hiring and resourcing of appropriate polling places, conduct of appropriate nomination and candidate seminars, adherence to changing legislative requirements, security issues associated with ballot paper storage and printing and importantly, real issues associated with the development and usage of appropriate vote counting technology.

The NSW Electoral Commission have advised Council that it is willing to conduct the election on Council’s behalf at a price similar to the cost of the 2008 election ($538,000), with some potential savings and subject to additional costs associated with CPI and wage increases.

It is noted that concerns were previously raised by Council in relation to the cost of the 2008 election, however, the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters – 2008 Local Government Election engaged PKF Accountants to conduct an independent review of costs and charges for that election and concluded that “nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the costs passed onto Local Government in relation to the 2008 Local Government Elections are unreasonable.”

It should be noted that funding in the amount of $343,000 was costed to the election reserve account for the conduct of the 2004 election. At that time, Returning Officers were appointed by the State Electoral Office with the election conducted form Council premises and supported by Council staff and resources. The true cost of this election to Council is not available and would likely be considerably more than the stipulated amount of $343,000 when considering ‘in kind’ support provided by staff.

To provide a balanced view, Council has also held discussions with the Australian Electoral Company to run the election on Council’s behalf. This company has provided an indicative quote for a fully outsourced election which is in the vicinity of $50,000 cheaper than the likely cost to be charged by the Electoral Commission.

The Australian Electoral Company is also willing to conduct the election on a partially outsourced basis if Council desired. The Australian Electoral Company, however, has yet to conduct a major metropolitan election in NSW.

There may be advantages to bringing an election in house. These would include the possibility to outsource portions of the election, possible savings in accommodation costs, payroll costs, administration costs and expertise may be built within Council.

Similarly, it is considered that a number of disadvantages may exist. Councils choosing to conduct their own elections will receive no support from the Electoral Commission, there is a need for Councils to conduct elections with impartiality and at “arms length” and staff do not have the necessary experience to conduct an election. Further, there are possible costs and risks associated with development and usage of the relevant technology associated with vote counting.

It is critical to the reputation of Council that its election is run professionally with impartiality, integrity and efficiency and in this regard, the Electoral Commission has 90 years experience in conducting elections compared to Councils current lack of experience in this area.

When weighing up the intricacies of conducting an election including legislative changes, legal requirements, possible staff impacts, voting technology and counting, reporting and the need to maintain impartiality and integrity, the proposed recommendation is that Council appoint the NSW Electoral Commission to conduct the 2012 Local Government Election on Council’s behalf.

BACKGROUND

1. The Council is in receipt of correspondence from the NSW Electoral Commission dated 9 June 2011 advising of the Minister for Local Government’s intention to return to Councils the responsibility for the conduct of their elections. Council’s will, however, have the option to engage the NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC) to conduct their elections; such option must be exercised by 30 November 2011 for the 2012 election (per the Local Government (General) Amendment (Electoral Commissioner) Regulation 2011.

2. Changes to the Local Government Act 1993 (Sections 296, 296A and 296B) indicate that elections are to be administered by the general manager of the Council concerned. Council may, however, “enter into a contract or make arrangements with the Electoral Commissioner for the Electoral Commissioner to administer all elections (this section does not include elections for the Mayor and Deputy Mayor by Councillors) for the council for the purposes of this chapter.”

3. Further to (2) above, Council may resolve to enter into a contract with the Electoral Commission to administer such elections; such a resolution must be made, in future years, within 12 months after an ordinary election of councillors for the council’s area.

4. Appended as Attachment 1 are Sections 296A and 296B of the Local Government Act which relate to Elections administered by a general manager and elections administered by the Electoral Commissioner respectively.

HISTORY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS

5. Prior to 1987, councils conducted their respective elections independently.

6. In 1987, the State Electoral Office became involved in the conduct of Local Government Elections when the Local Government (Elections) Amendment Act 1987 transferred responsibility for Council elections from the then Town Clerk to the Electoral Commissioner.

7. From 1987 to 1991, elections were conducted using Town Clerks as Returning Officers but under the direction of the Electoral Commissioner.

8. From 1995 to 2004, independent Returning Officers were appointed by the State Electoral Office with elections generally conducted from Council Premises utilising council officers and resources to assist and support the Returning Officer. A true cost of elections carried out over this period was not available.

9. In 2008, following a review of local government elections pricing, the NSWEC conducted the September 2008 ordinary elections on a full cost recovery basis. The increase in costs caused a dramatic increase in complaints from Councils.

ACTION FOLLOWING THE 2008 ELECTION

10. In June 2009, the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW made a submission to the Inquiry into the 2008 Local Government Elections.

11. The Local Government and Shires Association submission, in summary, contended that:-

(i) The election process in all its facets must be totally transparent and that lack of transparency regarding both costs and conduct of the elections breaches all principles of good governance and accepted tenets of a modern democratic society.

(ii) The 2008 local government elections were not managed by the NSWEC to a standard that the residents and council of NSW both expect and deserve.

(iii) The costs charged by the NSWEC to conduct the elections were exorbitant, unjustifiable and significantly greater than basic cost recovery and;

(iv) The candidate specific issues need to be addressed by the NSWEC to ensure that they do not reoccur.

12. Parramatta City Council also made a submission to the Inquiry raising such issues as:-

· Excessive cost of election which has added pressure to Council’s ability to deliver services.

· Insufficient provision of ballot papers

· Incorrect information being provided to voters

· Inadequate training of electoral staff

· Understaffing of electoral booths

· Excessive amount of time to declare poll

· High cost of placing advertising

· Appropriateness of certain polling booths and their location

· Costs associated with need for candidates to register with an authority prior to accepting political donations.

13. Many of the above issues were also raised at the 2008 Annual Local Government Conference by other Councils and the Conference subsequently resolved, in part, to:-

§ Request an enquiry by the Electoral Commission into the length of time taken to determine local government elections:-

§ Request the Local Government Association to request the Federal Government to review the tax deductible allowance applicable to campaign expenses for candidates in local government elections to bring into line with State and Federal elections;

§ Ensure that all polling booths are created within the council area (special circumstances aside);

§ Seek an independent review in relation to the conduct and costing of the 2008 local government election;

§ Raise certain issues with the Electoral Commission such as recycling of ballot papers, education and advertising, declared institutions, delays in refunds of monies, training of relevant polling and booth staff and returning officers, scrutineering involvement, rigidity of names on ballot papers and incorrect electoral roles.

JOINT STANDING COMMITTTEE ON ELECTORAL MATTERS – 2008 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION

14. Further to the above, Council has obtained a report entitled “Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters – 2008 Local Government Elections dated June 2010.

15. The terms of reference for the Inquiry related to all matters associated with the relevant electoral laws in respect of the 2008 local government election and particularly in relation to the cost of the 2008 local government elections. It is noted that the Premier referred the conduct of this election to the Committee following concerns raised by the Local Government and Shires Association, as addressed above.

16. It should be noted that the Standing Committee engaged PKF Accountants to conduct an independent review of costs and charges to Councils for the election and concluded “that nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the costs passed onto Local Government in relation to the 2008 Local Government Elections are unreasonable.”

17. Further, whilst the Committee made 16 key recommendations to assist in conduct of future elections, the Committee also acknowledged that the Electoral Commission’s conduct of the 2008 local government elections provided a comprehensive, transparent and impartial service to Councils.

18. A copy of the Joint Committee’s 16 recommendations is appended to this report as Attachment 2.

19. The Government subsequently made a response to each of these recommendations via letter December 2010. A copy of the response is appended to this report as Attachment 3.

20. The Government response as mentioned above noted in response to Recommendation 7 that subject to cost considerations, the Electoral Commission would prepare a service charter for the conduct of the 2012 Local Government Elections. The Electoral Commission has prepared the Service Charter and a copy of the document is appended to this report as Attachment 4.

ISSUES/OPTIONS/CONSEQUENCES

21. There are a number of issues that would need to be considered should Council wish to conduct future elections in house. These issues would include, but not be limited to:-

Impartiality and Integrity

Elections must be conducted at arms length from the Lord Mayor and Councillors and should be seen to be as such.

It is noted that the NSW Electoral Commission has clearly stated that the NSWEC would not be available to act as a Returning Officer if not appointed, nor would Australian Electoral Commission staff have the necessary Local Government experience to conduct an election.

Appointment of Returning Officer and necessary Council Staff

As Council has not conducted elections in house for many years, the necessary skills to conduct an election have been lost.

It would be necessary for a Returning Officer with the necessary skills to be appointed, receive training and be supported by administrative staff many months prior to the election and a short period after the election date.

A substitute Returning Officer would also need to be appointed to ensure that the election could proceed smoothly in any unforeseen circumstances associated with the Returning Officer.

A Returning Officer’s duties may include, but not be limited to, setting up and decommissioning a temporary office, preparation of appropriate electoral manuals and guidelines, training of office staff and polling place managers, making arrangements for voting at polling places and declared institutions, preparation of ballot papers, issuing and processing postal and pre poll votes, dealing with enquiries and complaints from public and candidates, processing candidate nominations and how to vote materials, counting of votes and declaring the result of the election.

A sample timeframe leading up to an election which may give an indication on the time period for which a Commission appointed Returning Officer may include:-

Early August – close of rolls

Mid August – close of nominations

Registration of How to Vote materials – early September

Postal voting applications close – early September

Declared Institutions Voting commences – early September and concludes mid September.

Pre poll voting finishes – late September

Election Day – end of September

Election Count and Declaration of Poll

Preparation of Report to Parliament on conduct of election.

Clerical officers would also need to be appointed to assist in enquiries, pre poll and postal voting, visiting and negotiating with polling places and to assist in the recruitment of polling staff.

Polling Place Staff

The returning officer once appointed would also need to advertise, recruit and train polling staff, polling place managers, deputy polling place managers, ballot box guards, ward supervisors and scrutiny assistants.

At the 2008 election, Council had 46 polling places (the Parramatta Town Hall Acted as the Principal Polling Place with specified other booths acting as dual polling places) incorporating some 134 tables (500 – 600 votes per table) requiring in the vicinity of 250 staff.

Electoral Administration and Legal

Elections must be conducted in accordance with the relevant legislation. Alleged offences must be dealt with uniformly. Changes to the relevant acts are ongoing and are expected prior to the 2012 election to bring elections in line with recently held State Elections.

As mentioned, Council staff no longer have the experience to conduct a large metropolitan election, nor does it have the necessary resources to develop the necessary manuals, guidelines, technology systems and processes to ensure the conduct of a professional and efficient election. These concerns were reinforced (see meeting with Electoral Commission) when it was noted that no support will be provided by the Electoral Commission for those councils that resolve to conduct their own elections.

Elections may be subject to appeal to Administrative Decisions Tribunal.

Returning Officers require professional insurance and/or indemnification by Council.

It should also be noted that contracts or arrangements with the Electoral Commissioner for the administration of council elections, council polls or a constitutional referendum are exempt from the tender requirements under section 55(3)(p) of the LG Act.

Election Forms and Manuals

Conduct of an election requires the design, preparation and printing of various paraphernalia including electoral rolls, declaration envelopes, election official manuals, training manuals, ballot papers, including Braille papers (must be kept in secure environment) and advertising material.

The NSWEC will provide Council with the necessary amount of electoral rolls to enable conduct of the election.

There is likely savings available in printing of materials associated with the election in house. For example, Council was billed $50,170 for printing of ballot papers for the 2008 election. Paper and printing costs for an approximate 120,000 ballot papers in house would cost likely cost less than 10% of this amount (at 0.035 per impression and 0.015 per sheet of paper).

It should be noted that this issue was raised with the Electoral Commission who have agreed that the cost of ballot paper was excessive at the previous election.

A Council conducting its own election would need to ensure that ballot papers contained a security mark as required by the NSWEC.

It is considered savings may be realised in relation to printing of other election information required such as electoral brochures.

It should be noted that administrative costs may also be incurred in updating electoral rolls to reflect pre poll and postal voters prior to issue to polling booths.

Office Space – Returning Officer

Appropriate office space would be required to house the conduct of the election. Such office space should be accessible, within the Council area, located near public transport, of sufficient size, have 24 hour access, be secure, include storage space, be able to display signage and have counter/interview space.

Council were unable to provide office space for the 2008 Returning Officer and accordingly, the office was located at Shop 1, 28 Macquarie Street, Parramatta at a cost to Council of $50,190.

Nearly half of Returning Officers accommodation throughout NSW in the 2008 election was leased from Council’s in the 2008 election. An estimate was made to cover this accommodation although no charge was then made to the relevant Council.

Council’s Strategic Asset and Management Department has been asked to comment on the possible provision of office accommodation for the 2012 election and has advised that:-

“It is difficult to guarantee in house space that far out - the areas that are currently available are in Macquarie House and Connection Arcade, however with the vagaries of the Civic Place Development it is uncertain if either or both of these sites will be available at the time that the Electoral Commission requires the 400m2.

Notwithstanding, I expect that there is a reasonable chance that something appropriate could be provided at very little rental cost in either of these buildings plus incidentals - e.g. hire of furniture etc - say $20,000 in September next year.

Alternatively, and possibly as a fall back, I am sure that a short term lease could be found within the Parramatta CBD given the current high vacancy rate in B and C grade office space and also given the economical outlook at this time and as projected over the next 12 months. If this was the case the cost would be in the order of $30-40,000 plus incidentals - e.g. hire of furniture etc - say $20,000.

Grant advises that the quote from the Electoral Commission for the last election to provide similar sized space was in the order of $50,000.”

Miscellaneous Resource Materials

Council’s will also be responsible for preparation and despatch of all resource materials associated with the conduct of an election. This would include, but not be limited to stationery, ballot boxes and voting screens.

Communication and Information

Staff must be available to provide relevant and timely information to candidates, voters and media.

Appropriate print and news paper advertisements would need to be placed including information for NESB persons and Indigenous persons.

Council was charged in excess of $15,000 for the electoral information campaign conducted by the Electoral Commission for the 2008 election. A portion of this charge related to an extra brochure delivered to each householder as requested by Council.

Council possesses other avenues that may assist in the advertising of the election such as Lord Mayoral Columns and websites.

Nomination and Candidate Seminars

Council would be required to hold appropriate candidate seminars.

Registration is required of certain candidate election material.

Election Count

Election counts must be conducted according to the prescribed counting system being proportional representation. It is likely that some 100,000 votes will need to be counted and/or distributed in accordance with the proportional representation system and notified accordingly.

The EEC has made it very clear that NSWEC vote counting software will not be made available to any Council. Council will be totally responsible for all aspects of the count if it conducts its election in house and it will need to purchase appropriate software, if available, to enable the count to proceed.

Different from previous years, Local Government elections will now have “above and below the line” voting.

Post Election

Appropriate payment of electoral staff including superannuation payments.

Any election could be the subject of an appeal.

Council would be required to prepare a report to parliament on the conduct of the election. Perusal of the NSWEC document prepared for the 2008 election indicates that such issues to be addressed would include information on enrolment, polling booths, voter participation, voting methods used, candidates and successful candidates.

Council would be responsible for the ongoing storage and security of election materials.

Public Liability

Council’s Service Manager Commercial and Risk has advised that should Council bring future elections “in house”, Council’s insurance policies would cover the elections as a normal part of Council operations.

Payroll and Superannuation Requirements

Council would be responsible for ongoing issues associated with payments to election officials, including superannuation payments.

Non Voting Infringements

Any funds raised through infringements issued to non voters would be received by the NSW Treasury regardless of whether the NSWEC or Council conducted an election.

Risks

Appointment of a Returning Officer and substitute Returning Officer with the necessary level of expertise and integrity to conduct a large metropolitan election.

Reputational risk should Council conduct the election and fail to deliver and efficient and professional election.

Should Council appoint an external Returning Officer, it will be responsible for the purchase/operation of appropriate computer systems to support the conduct of an election together with appropriate vote counting software. Some risk is associated with the development and use of newly developed software should Council choose to conduct the election in house.

MEETING WITH ELECTORAL COMMISSION

22. At the request of the Electoral Commission, Council’s Chief Executive Officer and Group Manager Corporate Services met with Colin Barry, Electoral Commissioner and Greg Copson from the NSW Electoral Commission (EC) on 1 August 2011 to discuss a range of matters associated with assisting the Council to come to a decision as to whether it wishes to conduct their own election or engage the EC.

23. It should be noted that Council had previously raised concerns about the conduct of the 2008 election as outlined in paragraph 12 of this report.

24. The major points to arise from the Meeting with the Commission are listed below:

· New Electoral Guidelines are expected to be issued by the end of this year.

· Should Council choose not to appoint the Electoral Commission, the Commission will not be involved in any aspects of the election and will not act as an information provider or safety net.

· The Commission considers that the appointment of an external Returning Officer with the necessary experience, understanding of all legislation and the appropriate level of impartiality and integrity may prove a hurdle for Councils.

· Further legislative changes are expected prior to the conduct of the 2012 Local Government Election to bring such elections into line with State Elections.

· Councils conducting their own elections will need to devise their own guidelines, processes and handbooks. EC handbooks are created in association with their own computer systems and would not be applicable or be able to be followed using external systems.

· The EC will provide Councils that utilise an external provider with scannable rolls, voting screen templates and a ballot box ‘dye’. Rolls will be provided once nominations close.

· Council’s utilising an external provider would be required to arrange for printing, security and storage of its own ballot papers. It would also need to arrange for a ‘braille’ ballot paper. Council’s utilising the EC would not be able to arrange printing of its own ballot papers.

· The excessive cost of the printing ballot papers at the 2008 election had been noted and will be addressed.

· Should Council wish to appoint an external provider, the EC will not offer possible suggestions. The EC notes that much of the work associated with the conduct of an election such as preparation of handbooks, arrangements for ballot papers and polling places, recruitment of staff, nominations, advertising and dissemination of relevant information are carried out by the EC’s head office prior to the commencement of the EC appointed Returning Officer. Councils appointing an external provider should seriously consider bringing the Returning Officer on board early in 2012 to enable conduct of such works.

· Any queries relating to Election Funding regardless of the Returning Officer appointed will be handled by the Electoral Commission.

· All voting material will need to be registered and the process involved can be quite complicated.

· The counting of ballot papers is a big issue. Presently the Commission undertakes 2 rounds of counting and should a discrepancy exist, a reconciliation count is held. It would be difficult to duplicate such a count manually. The Commission has stressed that any Council appointing an external Returning Officer will receive no assistance from the Commission. The Commission has also noted Council’s concerns in relation to delays in declaring the polls. Opportunities may exist through further discussions with the EC to reduce the time taken for Parramatta.

· Any appeal in relation to a decision/election by the Administrative Decisions Tribunal will receive no input from the Commission in instances where an external Returning Officer is appointed.

· It is unlikely that Commissions from other states would be interested in quoting for the conduct of an election as elections are not run as a profit making venture.

· The Commission is aware of other organisations that could be approached to conduct an election (ie Australian Electoral Company) but will not comment on the capabilities or experience of such organisations to conduct a large metropolitan election.

· The cost of conducting the 2012 election on behalf of Council would likely be similar to 2008 costs subject to CPI and public sector wage increases minus a portion of monies associated with cheaper ballot paper printing. This issue was later addressed by the EC in its letter dated 5 August 2011.

· The Commission commented that at the last election, all costs such as advertising, wages and equipment and materials, rolls etc would be applicable whether the EC or an external provider conducted the election. The amount allocated to the expertise of the EC was $60,000.

· The Electoral Commission, Mr Barry, completed the meeting with an offer to meet with the Councillors of Parramatta City Council. This offer has previously been extended to Councillors via email.

25. The Electoral Commissioner subsequently forwarded correspondence to Council dated 5 August 2011. The correspondence indicates, in part, that:-

“The NSWEC does not make any profit, nor has it in the past, from the conduct of Local Government Elections. The NSWEC will invoice on a cost recovery basis the actual costs of the Local Government elections…

Councils wishing to estimate the 2012 invoice (assuming the same number of polling places and services) should consider four mark ups to the 2008 charge:-

1. Wage costs increasing in the public sector of 4 years x 4% cumulative (ie 17%)

2. Other operational costs increasing by 4 years CPI (estimated at 12.8% cumulative)

3. Number of electors being serviced eg a 2% increase in roll numbers will deliver a similar cost increase and

4. Some ‘economy of scale’ loss may be inevitable with a reduced number of councils electing to use NSWEC services for the 2012 Local government Elections. At this stage it is not possible to quantify any impact.”

26. It should be noted that the Local Government Association of NSW has also sent a letter dated 10 August 2011 to Council noting that the NSW Electoral Commission is currently meeting all Councils to advise of each Council’s responsibilities should it decide not to use the services of the EC.

27. The Associations further advise that it is seeking an urgent meeting with the Premier to discuss the tone and conduct of the meetings and the attitude of the NSWEC with regards to the spirit of the legislation which allows Council to make a choice.

28. In addition, the Associations note that the Australian Electoral Company may be in a position to offer an alternative to the NSWEC. Staff had previously sought an indicative pricing from this particular company to gain a balanced view on costs associated with the provision of an election.

CONDUCT OF ELECTION WITH EXTERNAL PROVIDER – AUSTRALIAN ELECTORAL COMPANY

29. The Australian Election Company conducts Elections Australia Wide and has apparently conducted many successful local government and by-elections in Queensland. A copy of correspondence received from the Australian Election Company providing details on the company’s experience is appended to this report as Attachment 5.

30. The Australian Election Company has further advised:-

“We could conduct your Elections on a totally outsourced basis and you then would be in the position to conduct direct price comparisons; or we could negotiate with Council on a specific range of services to be provided, for example, in relation to provision of office accommodation during the course of the Election; furniture, telephones, photocopiers, etc. We acknowledge that there will be specific experience and material and personnel resources vested within some Council’s and perhaps that Councils might have some arrangements in place that might be more economical than Australian Election Company could negotiate or offer (perhaps statutory advertising in local newspapers); there will be a number of possibilities and arrangements potentially available.

Just to clarify a few points after speaking with some other Councils.

* Yes we will totally outsource.

* Yes we will partially outsource.

* Yes we have access to count software to conduct counts applying proportional representation (in fact our Technical Specialist developed the count systems used by most Australia Government Electoral Commissions).

* Yes we do supply cardboard voting equipment including ballot boxes, voting screens and plastic security seals.”

31. An indicative quotation dated 9 August 2011 has subsequently been received from the Australian Electoral Company and a copy is provided confidentially as Attachment 6. The indicative pricing suggests a fully outsourced cost with options given for various savings by carrying out certain works/providing certain facilities in house such as provision of returning officer’s office, advertising, security, printing and the like.

32. Councillors are reminded that the previous election conducted by the Electoral Commission cost approximately $538,000 and a 10% increase is expected to cover rises in CPI and staff costs for the 2012 election. It is possible with the expected reduction in ballot paper printing costs, the indicative pricing as provided may not be a great deal cheaper than the cost likely to be proposed by the EC.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

Advantages of Moving an Election In-House

33. Possible savings in relation to accommodation costs, project management costs, printing of materials, NSWEC administration costs, payroll costs, advertising costs and information technology costs. Expertise would also be built within Council.

Disadvantages of Moving an Election In-House

34. Lack of necessary expertise available, EC have made it clear that Councils who conduct their own elections will receive no support, availability of Returning Officer and substitute Returning Officer with the necessary level of impartiality, skills and integrity may be difficult to find, need to maintain impartiality, staff impacts through the necessary administrative support required to support the conduct of an election, no absolute proof that commission charged excessively for previous election, costs associated with developing the necessary IT systems to conduct an election and to carry out voting counting, risks associated with the ability of any external company to facilitate the conduct of a large metropolitan election and possible reputational reisks should such an election be less than professional and efficient.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATION FOR COUNCIL

35. Parramatta City Council was billed the sum of $538,600 for the conduct of the 2008 election by the Commission. A copy of the Final Expenses Invoice for 2008 is appended to this report as Attachment 7. The average cost per metropolitan council was $369,550.

36. The likely cost for the Electoral Commission to carry out the 2012 election is $538,000 plus CPI and staff wage increases as detailed in paragraph 32. Some savings are envisaged through the provision of accommodation for the returning officer and in relation to reduced costs for ballot paper printing. It is unlikely that the EC will negotiate further with respect to other duties being carried out in house.

37. The Australian Electoral Company has quoted an indicative pricing (per Attachment 6) for a fully outsourced election. The Australian Electoral Company has also indicated that it will undertake the election on a partially outsourced basis if Council so wishes.

CONSULTATION & TIMING

38. In the preparation of this report, advice has been sought from the Electoral Commission, Strategy Asset and Management, Finance, Marketing and Communications and Risk Management, the Electoral Commission, Local Government Associations and the Australian Election Company.

CONCLUSION

39. The Electoral Commission have made it very clear that it will not support Councils who choose to conduct their own elections.

40. Council does not possess the necessary skills or relevant technology to conduct an election and a ballot paper count. Whilst it is possible cost savings may be available should Council decide to undertake the election in house in certain areas such as printing and advertising, it is considered that the risks associated with the conduct of a large metropolitan election, without the necessary experience, would outweigh any possible savings that may result.

41. The Australian Electoral Company has provided a viable option for Council’s wishing to outsource the conduct of the election at a price approximately $50,000 cheaper but the Company has not conducted a large metropolitan election in NSW previously and the savings to be realised are not considered substantial when considering the importance of the conduct of an election.

42. The 2012 Local Government Elections will undoubtedly receive high community interest and very high media exposure. Council is currently positioning itself as the 2^nd CBD and any election conducted by staff or outsourced to an outside provider that proved to be less than successful, could damage the reputation of this Council with the community.

43. When weighing up the intricacies of conducting an election including legislative changes, legal requirements, possible staff impacts, voting technology and counting, reporting and the need to maintain impartiality and integrity and possible reputational risk, it is considered that it would be appropriate for the Council to appoint the NSW Electoral Commission to conduct the 2012 Local Government Election on Council’s behalf.

Greg Smith

Group Manager Corporate

Attachments:

1 View	Sections 296A and 296B of the Local Government Act	2 Pages
2 View	Recommendations made by the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters - 2008 Local Government Elections	5 Pages
3 View	Government Response to Joint Standing Committee Report on Electoral Matters	6 Pages
4 View	Electoral Commissions Service Charter for 2012 Local Government Election	12 Pages
5 View	Correspondence received from Australian Election Company	3 Pages
6	Quotation for Conduct of Election by Australian Electoral Company	28 Pages
7 View	Electoral Commission Costs for Conduct of 2008 election	1 Page

REFERENCE MATERIAL

Sue Coleman – Group Manager City Services			Assistant Minutes Clerk – Joy Bramham
Greg Smith – Group Manager Corporate			Minutes Clerk – Grant Davies
Sue Weatherley–Group Manager Outcomes & Development

Clr Paul Barber – Caroline Chisholm Ward			Clr Lorraine Wearne - Lachlan Macquarie Ward
Clr Mark Lack – Elizabeth Macarthur Ward			Clr Paul Garrard - Woodville Ward
Clr Glenn Elmore – Woodville Ward			Clr Scott Lloyd – Caroline Chisholm Ward
Clr Pierre Esber– Lachlan Macquarie Ward			Clr Andrew Wilson – Lachlan Macquarie Ward
Clr Prabir Maitra – Arthur Phillip Ward			Clr Andrew Bide – Caroline Chisholm Ward
Clr Julia Finn – Arthur Phillip Ward	Clr Michael McDermott, Deputy Lord Mayor - Elizabeth Macarthur Ward	Clr Antoine (Tony) Issa, OAM MP – Woodville Ward	Clr Chiang Lim– Arthur Phillip Ward

1 View	Section 79c Report	86 Pages
2 View	Locality Plan	1 Page
3 View	Architectural Plans	11 Pages
4 View	Social Impact Assessment	19 Pages
5 View	Rail Noise Impact Assessment	12 Pages
6 View	Prelimininary Contamination Assessment	42 Pages
7	Confidential Plans	5 Pages

1 View	Architectural Plans	19 Pages
2	Confidential Plans	16 Pages

1	Funding proposal outlining campaign objectives and deliverables	8 Pages
2	Concept design showing proposed branding and promotional agenda	33 Pages

1 View	Section 79C Assessment Report	56 Pages
2 View	Locality Plan	1 Page
3 View	Plans	12 Pages
4	Confidential Plans	6 Pages

1 View	Section 79C Report	39 Pages
2 View	Location Plan	1 Page
3 View	Plans	2 Pages
4 View	Shadow Diagrams	3 Pages
5	Confidential Plans	2 Pages

1 View	Section 79C and 96 Assessment Report	8 Pages
2 View	Localilty Plan	1 Page
3 View	Architecural Plans	2 Pages
4 View	Previous Section 79C Assessment Reports	6 Pages
5	Architectural plans confidential	2 Pages

1 View	Section 79C Report	89 Pages
2 View	Locality Plan	1 Page
3 View	Landscape and hydraulic plans	3 Pages
4 View	Housing type plan	1 Page
5	Confidential Floor Plans	2 Pages

1 View	Section 79 C report	30 Pages
2 View	Locational Plan	1 Page
3 View	Architectural plans	4 Pages
4 View	Strata plans	4 Pages
5	Confidential Architectural Plans	4 Pages

1 View	Air photo of subject site for road closure	1 Page
2 View	Road closure site plan	1 Page

1 View	Minutes of the Parramatta Cycleways Committee 7 June 2011	2 Pages
2 View	Minutes of the Parramatta Cycleways Committee 2 August 2011	2 Pages

1 View	Investments & Loans - Performance	1 Page
2 View	Summary of Investments Portfolio	2 Pages

1 View	Minutes of Meeting 12 May 2011	5 Pages
2 View	Minutes of Meeting 25 August 2011	6 Pages
3 View	Amended Audit Committee Charter	8 Pages