Late Items Agenda of Council - Monday, 25 March 2024

Council 25 March 2024 Item 12.6

REPORTS TO COUNCIL - FOR NOTATION

ITEM NUMBER 12.6

SUBJECT Improving the Governance and Performance of Council and Advisory Committee Meetings (Options for Committee Structures at the City of Parramatta)

REFERENCE F2022/03176 - D09226671

REPORT OF Chief Governance & Risk Officer

CSP THEME: Accessible and Fair

briefing date: 6 March 2024

PURPOSE:

This report has been prepared for the information and consideration of Council in accordance with the 20 November 2023 resolution of Council:

RESOLVED: Councillor Garrard and Councillor Prociv

(a) That Council endorse the proposed Council Meeting Schedule for the 2024 calendar year, as attached to this report.

(b) That the CEO investigate options and submit a report to Council before 31 March 2024 to improve the governance and performance of Council and Committee meetings including options for Advisory and Standing Committees beyond the next Local Government Elections in September 2024.

and having regard to the current governance context of the Office of Local Government (OLG) review of the structure, cycle and legislated purpose of Council meetings, Committee meetings and Councillor workshops/briefings.

RECOMMENDATION

(a) That Council note the preferred option recommended by staff (Option 4) for any revised Council and Committee meeting structure and cycle, as detailed in this report.

(b) That Council note the Chief Executive Officer will submit a report to Council after the September 2024 Local Government elections that contains the preferred option for consideration by the newly elected Council.

BACKGROUND

1. At the 20 November 2023 Council meeting, Council resolved;

(a) That Council endorse the proposed Council Meeting Schedule for the 2024 calendar year, as attached to this report.

2. At the recent Local Government Professionals Governance Conference (11-13 March 2024), the OLG advised that it is, at the request of the Minister for Local Government, reviewing the structure, cycle and legislated purpose of Council meetings, Committee meetings and Councillor workshops/briefings.

LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT

3. Council Committees (Section 355 Committees / Standing Committees)

i. Under Section 355 of the Local Government Act 1993 (‘the Act’), Councils can establish committees to oversee specific functions, projects or programs. These committees report back to the Council on these matters.

ii. A Council committee is one where all the members of the committee are Councillors, and meetings are conducted in accordance with the meeting rules prescribed under the Act and the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021 (‘the Regulations’).

4. Advisory Committees

i. Advisory Committees are different to Council committees, as membership can include non-Councillors.

5. Committees required by legislation (Statutory Committees)

i. There are several committees that are required under legislation:

· Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee: is required under 428A of the Local Government Act 1993.

· Floodplain Risk Management Committee: is required by the NSW Flood Risk Management Manual and the Flood Prone Land Policy in accordance with Section 733 of the Local Government Act 1993.

· Local Emergency Management Committee: is required by Section 28 of the State Emergency & Rescue Management Act 1989 (nil Councillor involvement).

· Local Planning Panel’s: are required under Part 2 of the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979.

· Traffic Committee: is required by the Delegation to Councils -Regulation of Traffic under the Transport Administration Act 1988 for functions delegation to Council under the Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) Act 1999.; Roads Act.; and Road Transport (Safety and Traffic Management) Regulation 1999.

6. Other mandatory committees

· General Manager Performance Review Panel: is required under the ‘Guidelines for the Appointment and Oversight of General Managers’ issued under Section 23 of the Local Government Act 1993 (Section 223 and 334 also apply)

CURRENT CITY OF PARRAMATTA MEETING CYCLE AND STRUCTURE

7. Statutory Committees

i. City of Parramatta currently has five (5) Statutory Committees:

· Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee

o Fees payable to independent members

· Floodplain Risk Management Committee

· Local Emergency Management Committee

o No Councillor members

· Local Planning Panel

o No Councillor members

o Fees payable to independent members

· Parramatta Traffic Committee

ii. Council’s Statutory Committees have various business paper formats/styles and publication deadlines.

8. CEO Performance Review Panel

i. City of Parramatta currently has a CEO Performance Review Panel.

o Lord Mayor, Deputy Lord Mayor and 3 councillors. No external members.

9. Advisory Committees

i. City of Parramatta currently has fifteen (15) Advisory Committees:

· Access Advisory Committee

· Active Transport Advisory Committee

· Citizen of the Year Committee

· Environment Advisory Committee

· Finance Committee

o No external members

· First Nations Advisory Committee

· Grants Committee

o No external members

· Heritage Advisory Committee

· Major Projects Advisory Committee

o No Councillor members

· Parramatta Traffic Engineering Advisory Committee

· PLR Stage 2 Advisory Committee

· Policy Review Committee

o No external members

· Public Art and Heritage Interpretation Committee

· Riverside Theatres Advisory Committee

· Smart City Advisory Committee

ii. Council’s Advisory Committees have various business paper formats/styles and publication deadlines.

10. External Committees / Panels

i. City of Parramatta currently participates in seven (7) external entities (Committees, Panels, Boards, etc):

· CivicRisk Mutual

· NSW Public Libraries Association

· Parramatta Legal and Justice Expansion Coalition

· Parramatta Light Rail Business Reference Group

· Parramatta River Catchment Group

· Sydney Central City Planning Panel (Regional Planning Panel)

· Western Sydney Academy of Sport

11. Council Meetings

i. Council meetings are held on the second and fourth Mondays of each calendar month, except for:

· January where no Council meetings are held; and

· December where they may only be one (1) Council meeting held, or if two (2) Council meetings are held, on consecutive Mondays.

ii. For each Council meeting there are three (3) business paper publications.

12. Councillor Workshop/Briefings

i. Councillor workshops/briefings are held on the first and third Mondays of each calendar month.

ii. Councillor workshops/briefings can also be held on:

· the first and third Wednesdays of each calendar month; and

· the second and fourth Wednesdays of each calendar month.

iii. For each Councillor Workshop/Briefing evening, there are up to three (3) sessions, each requiring a Briefing Note and a Presentation.

13. Standing Committees

i. The City of Parramatta does not currently have any Standing Committees.

14. Current Council and Committee Meetings Calendar (2024)

i. Attachment 1 is the ‘Council and Committee Meetings Calendar’ for 2024 and it depicts amongst other things, Committee meetings, Council meetings, Councillor workshops, ward briefings and business paper publication dates.

ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT MEETING CYCLE AND STRUCTURE

15. The following observations are made on Council’s current Committee structure:

a. Inconsistent Terms of Reference, some Committee meetings minutes and/or recommendations are reported to Council and others not.

b. The frequency of meetings vary with some meeting on a monthly basis, quarterly or once a year.

c. The Terms of Reference lack detail on scope, direction and purpose of a Committee.

d. Reports are presentation heavy (mostly power point slides) with limited information provided to the Committee.

e. Little or no public participation so there is no transparency on what are being discussed. Meetings are no webcast, not accessible to members of the public.

f. Some Committees experience a lack of quorum.

g. The Committees work in isolation resulting in conflicting priorities and inconsistency in Committee recommendations.

16. In a year, Councillors can spend an average of 120 hours attending Advisory Committee meetings and an additional 100 hours attending Council meetings. This calculation does not account for pre-meeting reading and preparation.

17. Council staff publish close to 60 separate agenda documents for Advisory Committee meetings and on average there are approximately four (4) staff who actively contribute to the production of each of those agendas. Additionally, each meeting is attended by up to eight (8) staff members with an additional 2 hours on post-meeting administration.

18. This calculation excludes the significant resourcing requirements for the fortnightly Council meetings.

OPTIONS

19. Council could improve the governance and performance of the current Council and Committee meeting structure and cycle. Five (5) options for the consideration of Council are shown below:

OPTION 1: Status Quo

Council can choose to make no changes to the current Council and Committee structure and cycle.

OPTION 2: Status Quo with Improvements to current Advisory Committee

Council can choose to make no changes to the current Council and Committee structure and cycle.

However, improvements could be made to the governance of the current Advisory Committees (including but not limited to improvements to the business papers (reports and agendas), technology, and general running of the Committees).

OPTION 3: Establishment of Standing Committees (with 1 Council meeting per month)

Council could endorse the dissolution of the current Advisory Committees and adopt the establishment of four (4) new Standing Committees.

The four (4) proposed Standing Committees would generally align with the current structure, programs and operations of Council, and they are:

1. Assets and Infrastructure – (Executive Director, City Assets & Operations)

2. Customer, Community and Culture – (Executive Director, Community & Culture and Executive Director, Experience & Identity)

3. Finance and Governance - (Executive Director, Finance and Information)

4. Planning, Development and Environment – (Executive Director, Planning and Design)

Attachment 2 outlines the alignment of the current Advisory Committees to the proposed Standing Committee structure.

Attachment 3 outlines the type of reports that would be submitted to each of the proposed Standing Committees.

The only way for Council to achieve the efficiencies that are introduced with the establishment of Standing Committees, is for Council move to one (1) Council Meeting per month instead of the current fortnightly cycle.

It is not feasible to conduct fortnightly Council meetings and Standing Committee meetings.

If Council were to endorse the establishment of Standing Committees, they could be held on the second week of the month, with two (2) Committees commencing at 6.00pm and two (2) Committees commencing at 7.00pm. Alternatively they could be held on consecutive weeks.

OPTION 4: Establishment of Standing Committees (with 1 Council meeting per month and Working Parties/Community Reference Groups)

Council could endorse the dissolution of the current Advisory Committees and adopt the establishment of four (4) new Standing Committees, as outlined in Option 3.

Additionally, and to increase community participation, Council could introduce Working Parties and Community Reference Groups to operate in a similar way to the current Advisory Committees.

This is the preferred option recommended by staff.

This option improves the governance, performance and efficiencies for the management of Council meetings and Committee meetings whilst also offering an optimal community engagement framework.

Attachment 4 shows a sample Council and Committees Calendar for 2025 (4 Standing Committees on one night and 1 monthly Council Meeting).

OPTION 5: Establishment of Standing Committees (with 2 Council meetings per month and Working Parties/Community Reference Groups)

This option has been included following the feedback received from Councillors at the Councillor Workshop on 6 March 2024, however it is not recommended by staff as it is not viable to operate. It is likely to result in a less efficient Council and Committee meeting structure and cycle than currently exists.

Additionally, there is a likelihood of WHS risks due to the high volumes of work, conflicting agenda, NOM and QWN deadlines, overlap of Minute reporting, etc due to this option having a Standing Committee Meeting and two Council Meeting per month, including Working Parties, Community Reference Groups, ward briefings and workshops.

Attachment 5 shows the draft Council and Committees Calendar 2025 (4 Standing Committees on one night and 2 monthly Council Meetings).

CONSULTATION & TIMING

20. Councillor Consultation

i. Councillors were consulted at the Councillor Workshop / Briefing held on 6 March 2024.

ii. There was general agreement amongst the Councillors that a proposed change to the Council and Committee meeting structure and cycle is a matter for the incoming Council (following the September 2024 Local Government elections).

21. Community Consultation

Not required at this time.

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS FOR COUNCIL

22. There are no legal implications associated with this report.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS FOR COUNCIL

23. There are no unbudgeted financial implications for Council’s current budget.

Roxanne Thornton

Chief Governance & Risk Officer

John Angilley

Executive Director Finance & Information

Gail Connolly

Chief Executive Officer

Attachments:

1 ⇩	2024 Council and Committees Calendar (current model)
2 ⇩	Alignment of current Advisory Committees to proposed Standing Committees
3 ⇩	Example of reports that would feed into each proposed Standing Committee
4 ⇩	Draft Council and Committees Calendar 2025 (4 Standing Committees on one night and 1 monthly Council Meeting)
5 ⇩	Draft Council and Committees Calendar 2025 (4 Standing Committees on one night and 2 monthly Council Meeting)

Council 25 March 2024 Item 15.1

QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE

ITEM NUMBER 15.1

SUBJECT Gross Pollutant Traps

REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09340753

REPORT OF Councillor Kellie Darley

QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE:

GPTs play a key role in Council’s catchment management to support healthy waterways and offer a last line of defence to reduce pollutants, such as rubbish, from entering our creeks and river. In December 2022, an audit of Council’s Gross Pollutant Traps (GPTs) was completed and found (as reported to Council on 13^th June 2023) that only 2% of Council’s GPT were in good condition and didn’t require any works, 11% required maintenance work, 21% required minor works, 23% required major structural works and 43% needed to be completely replaced.

1. Where are the GPTs requiring replacement, major or minor works located? (i.e. a map of Council’s GPTs with the rectification category of each one)

Executive Director, City Assets and Operations response:

All GPTs require an annual rolling works schedule to ensure they achieve their useful life. The December 2022 audit of the GPTs considered not only the condition and function of the asset, but also improvements to the areas surrounding the asset e.g. vehicular access improvements.

The following map identifying the locations of GPTs across the LGA was provided to Councillors at the Council meeting dated 16 June 2023, however a map delineating the GPTs for rectification works has not been developed.

GPTs recommended for replacement include:

· Anthony St, Carlingford

· Benaud Pl Telopea

· Burrabogee Rd Toongabbie

· Clyde St, Rydalmere

· Lackey St (Lake Parra), North Parramatta

· Masons Rd, Oatlands

· Model Farms Rd, Winston Hills

GPTs recommended for major work include:

· Blaxland Rd (Somerville Park), Epping

· Cooyong Cres (in park), Toongabbie

· Lackey St (Lake Parra via carpark), North Parramatta

· Norwood Ave, Beecroft

2. What is the estimated cost to carry out all the identified rectification works?

Executive Director, City Assets and Operations response:

The high-level cost estimate to undertake the recommended maintenance, short and long term work for 44 GPTs is $2.7 million.

Council has budgeted a total spend of $11,517,563 over the next 5 years for drainage, maintenance and renewal including the GPT works identified from the audit.

3. What is the current schedule for carrying out these rectification works?

Executive Director, City Assets and Operations response:

Work on GPTs identified for maintenance and minor rectification works has already commenced and it is anticipated that this stage will be finalised within the next 2 financial years. The major works and replacements are yet to be scheduled as detailed assessment and design documentation has not been undertaken. However, it is anticipated that work will be programmed over the 5 year period in accordance with the funding allocation identified above.

4. Did the GPT audit make any other recommendations?

Executive Director, City Assets and Operations response:

In summary, recommendations were made regarding the frequency and extent of inspection and cleaning for each GPT category and the suitability of access for cleaning contractors.

Attachments:

There are no attachments for this report.

REFERENCE MATERIAL

Council 25 March 2024 Item 15.4

QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE

ITEM NUMBER 15.4

SUBJECT Questions Taken on Notice at the 11 March 2024 Council Meeting

REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09363719

REPORT OF Governance Manager

QUestions taken on notice

Councillor Darley asked the following questions on Item 6 – Confirmation of Minutes:

1. On page 18 of the minutes, during the debate on Item 13.1 Quarterly Budget Review - December 2023, I asked for an explanation on what projects have been rephased to get to the total of $91million?

2. On page 30 of the minutes, in closed session, I asked questions on Item 16.2 Determination of Senior Staff Structure – City of Parramatta, and this has not been answered as part of the Questions on Notice.

Executive Director, Finance and Information response:

1. The question was answered at the meeting and hence it is not recorded in the Minutes. For information, the following response was provided to Councillor Darley during the 26 February 2024 Council meeting:

Approximately $87.9m of the total $91m of capital rephasing adjustments to projects for funding and timing of commencement is covered in the column called “proposed adjustments” on pages 9 and 10 of the Capital Variances report, as contained in pages 97 and 98 of the Council report.

2. Officers have reviewed the recording of the discussion on Item 16.2 Determination of Senior Staff Structure – City of Parramatta and confirm that all questions raised by Councillor Darley were answered at the meeting. Hence, the questions were not recorded in the Minutes.

Councillor Darley asked the following question on Item 6 – Confirmation of Minutes which was not answered:

3. Page 23 of the minutes, when I moved my motion, I changed my motion to quarterly reporting and not monthly. Can staff please correct this?

Executive Director, Finance and Information response:

Staff have reviewed the recording and confirm that Councillor Darley amended her motion to quarterly reporting. Staff will make the necessary correction to the Minutes.

Councillor Garrard asked the following question on Item 8.4 - 2024 Homelessness Street Count:

4. Could staff go out and check on the homeless people underneath Lennox Bridge (back of Riverside Theatre) when there is heavy rain?

Executive Director, Community and Culture response:

The issue was raised as a Service Request and an update was separately provided to Councillors Garrard and Green following the meeting. (As the details contain personal information there is an overriding public interest against publishing the information in this Business Paper).

Councillor Siviero asked the following question on Item 12.1 Status Report - Update on Transcription Technology at PHIVE:

5. There were two parts to my motion, the following has not yet been answered: Could staff provide a word or PDF version of what is spoken so members of the public can get to what they need without going through hours of great content? Could staff provide a status update on the progress of this second part?

Executive Director, Finance and Information response:

The recordings of Council meetings are tagged with links from the contents page to each item, allowing the public to jump to the relevant section or business paper that they are interested in, thereby saving time.

Human transcription is not undertaken by council, as the Minutes provide an record of the meeting and to obtain a full transcript of each meeting would be $1,000 per meeting, or alternatively would require a full-time staff resource to undertake. An AI transcript in a pdf file format has been investigated but has proven to be less than 70% accurate.

Councillor Garrard asked the following question on Item 12.1 Status Report - Update on Transcription Technology at PHIVE:

6. Isn’t it the practice that when a Notice of Motion [resolution] is raised it would be reported back to Council on its entirety or the report acknowledging that part of the Notice of Motion [resolution] is still outstanding?

Executive Director, Finance and Information response:

It is usual practice to report back to Council on the entire status of a resolution of Council and acknowledge any outstanding matters. In this instance there was unfortunately confusion regarding reporting back upon a resolution as distinct from answering the QoN.

Questions with notice – confidential item (item 16.1)

Councillor Pandey asked three questions on Item 16.1 Tender 27/2023 Philip Street Smart Street, Stage 2, Parramatta - Civil and Landscape Works.

The response is provided in the confidential attachment.

Councillor Darley asked two questions on Item 16.1 Tender 27/2023 Philip Street Smart Street, Stage 2, Parramatta - Civil and Landscape Works.

The response is provided in the confidential attachment.

Attachments:

Responses to Questions with Notice - Confidentail Session 11 March 2024 Council Meeting (confidential)

3 Pages

REFERENCE MATERIAL

Council 25 March 2024 Item 15.5

QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE

ITEM NUMBER 15.5

SUBJECT Parking Fines

REFERENCE F2024/00282 - D09366096

REPORT OF Councillor Kellie Darley

QUESTION ON NOTICE:

1. How many parking fines have been issued in our LGA annually for the last 5 years, broken down by category (e.g. CBD, school zone)?

2. What is the annual revenue Council has received from parking fines for the last 5 years?

3. How many parking rangers does Council have now compared to previous years?

4. What is the rough ratio of parking rangers time spent in the CBD and outside the CBD in our town centres and suburban streets?

5. Roughly what is the level of incidents against Council’s parking rangers, and how has this been trending in recent years?

Executive Director, City Assets and Operations response:

1. How many parking fines have been issued in our LGA annually for the last 5 years, broken down by category (e.g. CBD, school zone)?

Financial Year

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

Number of fines

52983

48055

38984

27369

51476

School related

1061

1322

1858

1368

1750

Data on fines is not automatically collected or broken down into the CBD or Local Centre areas. This level of analysis is unable to be provided without the diversion of significant staff resources.

2. What is the annual revenue Council has received from parking fines for the last 5 years?

Financial Year	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Parking Revenue ($)	7,509,512	7,682,427	5,404,598	4,801,544	7,423,364

3. How many parking rangers does Council have now compared to previous years?

Council has 26.5 FTE parking officers, inclusive of the manager/supervisors. This number has remained stable over the past 5 years and consistently comprises approximately 50% of the Regulatory Services Rangers and Parkers Unit.

4. What is the rough ratio of parking rangers time spent in the CBD and outside the CBD in our town centres and suburban streets?

Operational data reveals that parking officers (not rangers) are allocated to patrol the Parramatta CBD, Harris Park and immediate surrounds approximately 80% of the time. However, this allocation is highly variable and is dependent on the number of events, activations, gatherings, rallies and other activities that are planned and hosted in the CBD area or in town centres on any given day.

5. Roughly what is the level of incidents against Council’s parking rangers, and how has this been trending in recent years?

The level of incidents relating to parking officers is low and ranges between 30-40 incidents in the last two years, with a noticeable downward trend occurring.

Attachments:

There are no attachments for this report.

REFERENCE MATERIAL