AGENDA - Home - Federation Council NATURAL DISASTER DECLARATION Summary On 28 October 2016 Minister for Justice, Michael Keenan and NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Justice and

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Federation Council Ordinary Council Meeting - 15 November 2016

AGENDA TUESDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2016

Federation Council

Council Chambers, Corowa

Commencing 2.00 pm

CONTENTS PAGE

1. MEETING OPENING 3

2. NOTIFICATION OF PECUNIARY/CONFLICTS OF INTEREST IN MEETING BUSINESS ITEMS 3

3. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES 3

4. ADMINISTRATOR MINUTES 3

5. GENERAL MANAGER REPORT 3

5.1 NATURAL DISASTER DECLARATION 3 5.2 CHRISTMAS OPENING HOURS 3 5.3 DECEMBER COUNCIL MEETING 5 5.4 JOINT ORGANISATION SUBMISSION 5 5.5 GRANTS 6 5.6 MEETING DAY 7

6. DIRECTOR CORPORATE AND COMMUNITY REPORT 8

6.1 FEDERATION COUNCIL BRANDING PROJECT 8 6.2 SERVICE REVIEWS 8 6.3 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - WORKS IN PROGRESS 10 6.4 CHILD PROTECTION POLICY 11

7. DIRECTOR FINANCE REPORT 12

7.1 STATEMENT OF BANK BALANCES AND RECONCILIATION AS AT 31 OCTOBER 201612 7.2 SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS AS AT 31 OCTOBER 2016 13 7.3 PROGRESS ON COMPLETION OF ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE

FORMER URANA AND COROWA SHIRE COUNCILS AS AT 12 MAY 2016 14 7.4 DEBT RECOVERY AND FINANCIAL HARDSHIP POLICY 15 7.5 QUARTERLY BUDGET REVIEW STATEMENT (QBRS) AND 2016/17 FINANCIAL

POSITION AS AT 30 SEPTEMBER 2016 (FIRST QUARTER) 16

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8. DIRECTOR ENGINEERING REPORT 18

8.1 ROAD MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES 18 8.2 CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES 19 8.3 PROPOSED ROAD CLOSURE 20

9. DIRECTOR PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT REPORT 22

9.1 BUILDING APPROVALS 22 9.2 DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS 23 9.3 PROPOSAL TO INSTALL PEDESTRIAN LIFT/ELEVATOR AT COUNCIL OFFICES

COROWA 24 9.4 FEDERATION COUNCIL DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION 2016/190 - MULWALA

INDUSTRIAL LAND – 32 LOT SUBDIVISION – LOT 1421 DP 876772 AND LOT 30 DP 1208451, DEFENCE DRIVE, MULWALA 25

9.5 COROWA SWIMMING POOL ENTRANCE FEES 2016/2017 27

10. NOTICE OF MOTION / QUESTION WITH NOTICE 29

NO ITEMS 29

11. REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES 29

NO ITEMS 29

12. PRÉCIS OF CORRESPONDENCE REQUIRING COUNCIL ACTION/FOR INFORMATION 29

12.1 LOWE SQUARE COMMITTEE 29

13. CLOSURE OF MEETING 29

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1. MEETING OPENING

2. NOTIF ICATION OF PE CUNIARY/CONFLICTS OF INTEREST IN MEETING BUSINESS ITEMS

3. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES

4. ADMINISTRATOR MINUTES

5. GENERAL MANAGER REPORT

5.1 NATURAL DISASTER DECLARATION

Summary On 28 October 2016 Minister for Justice, Michael Keenan and NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Justice and Police, Troy Grant announced that Natural Disaster Relief (NDRRA) assistance will be made available to the Federation Council area. Background Under the NDRRA, a range of assistance is available to help flood affected individuals, small businesses, primary producers, and the council with their recovery, including:

Help for eligible people whose homes or belongings have been damaged; Support for affected local councils to help with the costs of cleaning up and restoring

damaged essential public assets; Concessional interest rate loans for eligible small businesses, primary producers and non-

profit organisations; Freight subsidies for eligible primary producers; and Grants to eligible non-profit organisations.

The 36 local government areas receiving NDRRA assistance are: Bathurst, Berrigan, Bland, Blayney, Bogan, Cabonne, Cobar, Coolamon, Coonamble, Cootamundra-Gundagai, Cowra, Dubbo, Edward River, Federation, Forbes, Gilgandra, Hay, Hilltops, Junee, Lachlan, Leeton, Mid-Western, Murray River, Murrumbidgee, Narrabri, Narrandera, Narromine, Orange, Parkes, Snowy Valleys, Temora, Walgett, Warren, Warrumbungle, Weddin and Yass Valley. Council has been promoting this assistance which is now available. For information on personal hardship and distress assistance, contact the Disaster Welfare Assistance Line on 1800 018 444. To apply for a concessional loan, grant or freight subsidy, contact the NSW Rural Assistance Authority on 1800 678 593 or visit raa.nsw.gov.au. Further information on disaster assistance is available at disasterassist.gov.au and emergency.nsw.gov.au. FACT sheets are also available from Councils website. Local Land Services held a Flood Recovery Session on Tuesday 8 November in Urana. Financial Implications Council is continuing to assess the financial impact of the flood event. An initial assessment of $4.72M has been made and submitted for funding. An insurance claim will also need to be submitted for damage to community buildings and this is still under investigation.

FOR information.

5.2 CHRISTMAS OPENING HOURS

Summary There is no Christmas closure period proposed for Council's main office or Service NSW.

http://www.raa.nsw.gov.au/

https://www.disasterassist.gov.au/Pages/home.aspx

https://www.emergency.nsw.gov.au/

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Background Council has historically closed its offices during the week between Christmas and New Year. This year, a small team of staff based at the Corowa office will work through the Christmas and New Year period. The following operating hours are proposed this Christmas period: Corowa Council Office: Saturday 24 Dec - close Sunday 25 Dec - close Monday 26 Dec - close Tuesday 27 Dec - close Wednesday 28 Dec - open 9am-5pm Thursday 29 Dec - open 9am-5pm Friday 30 Dec - open 9am-5pm Saturday 31 Dec - close Sunday 1 Jan- close Monday 2 Jan - close Tuesday 3 Jan - open 8.30am - 5pm Urana Council Office: Closed from Saturday 24 December 2016 and reopening Tuesday 3 January 2017. Service NSW, Corowa Saturday 24 Dec - close Sunday 25 Dec - close Monday 26 Dec - close Tuesday 27 Dec - close Wednesday 28 Dec- open 9.30am-4.30pm Thursday 29 Dec - open 9.30am-4.30pm Friday 30 Dec - open 9.30am-4.30pm Saturday 31 Dec - close Sunday 1 Jan - close Monday 2 Jan - close Tuesday 3 Jan - open 9.30am - 4.30pm Visitor Information Centre: Saturday 24 Dec - close Sunday 25 Dec - close Monday 26 Dec - close Tuesday 27 Dec - close Wednesday 28 Dec - open 10am-5pm Thursday 29 Dec - open 10am-5pm Friday 30 Dec - open 10am-5pm Saturday 31 Dec - open 10am - 3pm Sunday 1 Jan - close Monday 2 Jan - open 10am - 3pm Tuesday 3 Jan - open 10am-5pm

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Corowa Library, Howlong and Mulwala Libraries: Closed from Saturday 24 December 2016 and reopening Tuesday 3 January 2017. Urgent after hours assistance will be available throughout this period by calling 1800 110 088. Financial Implications N/A

FOR information.

5.3 DECEMBER COUNCIL MEETING

Summary It is proposed that the December Council meeting be brought forward by one week. Background The purpose of the proposed change in meeting time is to allow for the adoption of the organisational structure and timely acceptance of a range of tenders. Financial Implications N/A

RECOMMENDED that the December Council meeting be held on Tuesday 13 December 2016 commencing at 2.00pm in the Urana Council Chambers.

5.4 JOINT ORGANISATION SUBMISSION

Summary The NSW Government has released the proposed boundaries of new Joint Organisations (JO) that would be established for New South Wales Councils. This proposed that Federation Council be included as part of the Murray Murrumbidgee JO. Please find attached to the agenda a copy of Council's submission to the New South Wales Government outlining the reasons as to why Council does not support this draft proposal (attachment 5.4.1). Background It is proposed that Joint Organisations (JO) will undertake three core functions:

Regional strategic planning and priority setting;

Intergovernmental collaboration; and

Regional leadership and advocacy The Office of Local Government recently consulted on a proposed model for JO's through the paper, Joint Organisations: Towards a new model for regional collaboration. That paper in turn reflected feedback in response to an initial paper, Joint Organisations: Emerging Directions, released in October 2015.

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Submissions towards the current consultation paper, 'Joint Organisations: Getting the Boundaries Right' closed on 27 October 2016. Financial Implications The New South Wales Government have proposed that Council will need to financially support the operation of the JO, therefore it is important that Council ensure it is a member of a JO with a community of interest so that the most benefit can be gained through this membership.

RECOMMENDED that Council endorse the submission dated 27 October 2016.

5.5 GRANTS

Summary Council continues to focus on securing grant funds with a number of applications submitted. The following recent announcements have been made.

Background 'Just Saying' A $5,000 grant has been announced from Regional Arts NSW to undertake a project that involves engaging a mural artist to work with young people (14-16 years old) to plan, design and produce a large but portable mural artwork. The title for the artwork will be "Just Saying" which focuses on the positive contributions young people can bring to our communities when given freedom and acceptance. It is about valuing young people - seeing their messages and listening to what they have to say.

Four full day workshops to plan, design and produce the works will be undertaken over a four to six week period. The image/s will be painted onto several large panels that together make up a large 3.6m x 2.4m exhibit which can be used both indoors or outdoors. The panels will fit into a lightweight, portable framework that fits together easily so the young people will be able to dismantle and put up themselves. The exhibition will travel around the Federation Council area for approximately 3 months.

Corowa High School Zone Flashing Lights The New South Wales Government have announced that funding will be available for the installation of School Zone Flashing Lights in Tower Street for the Corowa High School.

Black Spot Funding The Australian Government have released Black Spot funding for safety enhancements at the intersection of Redlands Road and Jasmin Court, Corowa to the value of $31,000. A further $24,500 has been approved for the intersection of Bull Plain Road and Spring Drive, Mulwala.

Companion Animals An $8,000 grant has been secured to assist Council to run a free animal microchipping day and desexing event.

Financial Implications As above.

FOR information.

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5.6 MEETING DAY

1.30 pm An Australian Citizenship Ceremony will be conducted for Ms Bharati Rani Adhikari, Mr Biswajit Roy, Master Arjyashrestho Roy and Mr Arthur Augustine Roe.

C GILLARD GENERAL MANAGER

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6. DIRECTOR CORPORATE AND COMMUNITY REPORT

6.1 FEDERATION COUNCIL BRANDING PROJECT

Summary Phase one of the Federation Council branding project is now complete, with more than 250 local residents having their say. Background The consultation process has included an online survey, focus groups and interviews with school students across the council area. A survey of more than 700 people outside the Council area has also been completed to assist with understanding perceptions of the area and factors that may motivate people to visit. The information gathered has been used to develop the draft community vision. A presentation of the consultation report and draft community vision will be made to the Local Representative Committee on Monday 14 November. This will provide the committee the opportunity to provide any feedback to be considered in the refinement and finalisation of the community vision. The vision will then inform the visual identity including new logo, design guidelines for marketing materials and the organisations corporate identity. A short video has been produced featuring the students who were interviewed as part of phase one. The video represents what the students like about their community and what they hope the community will look like in the future. It will be used to support ongoing engagement with the community about the project and the launch of the new brand. Financial Implications The development of the new brand is being funded from the amalgamation funding grant.

FOR information.

6.2 SERVICE REVIEWS

Summary As part of the amalgamation implementation, Council is conducting service reviews across the new organisation with the aim of understanding community expectations and exploring opportunities to improve service delivery. Background Customer Service Review A review of customer service has now commenced. The review will involve working closely with staff to:

Understand data and trends related to the delivery of customer service (phone calls, payments, customer requests, face to face enquiries);

Document the various systems and processes used by the former Corowa Shire and Urana Shire;

Review the systems used to manage customer requests from the community;

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Identify opportunities to improve customer service outcomes; and

Suggest changes to systems, technology, documentation and capabilities and propose an approach to introduce those changes.

The review will be supported by key staff across the organisation who have a range of knowledge and experience that will be critical to ensuring excellent outcomes are achieved.

Communication and Engagement A suitably qualified consultant has been appointed to complete a review of Council's existing communication and engagement activities.

The review will involve exploring:

Existing community expectations;

Communication and engagement requirements of each department/service area within the organisation;

Resourcing requirements/limitations;

Organisational objectives and performance indicators;

Policy/legislative requirements; and

Existing communication channels and engagement activities.

Following this, a number of key documents will be developed to guide communication activities moving forward. These documents will ensure an effective and coordinated approach is adopted to support the ongoing improvement in communication between Council and its stakeholders.

The documents will include:

Organisational Communication Strategy that documents: o Overview o Objectives o Communication Channel Review o Processes o Resource allocation o Opportunities for improvement

Consultation Framework that considers: o Works schedules to determine communication requirements and opportunities o Resourcing requirements/limitations o Consultation objectives for identified projects o Policy/legislative requirements

Consultation Plan (12 month) including: o Consultation Schedule o Processes o Supporting guidelines - consultation matrix, consultation activity recommendations o Resource allocation

Supporting documentation will also be produced to inform staff and encourage engagement with the abovementioned documents.

Financial Implications The service review is being funded from the amalgamation funding grant.

FOR information.

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6.3 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - WORKS IN PROGRESS

Summary A number of initiatives are underway to improve Council's information technology. Background Mulwala and Howlong Library IT Network - Free Public WiFi now available New firewalls and wireless access points (WiFi) have been installed at both the Mulwala and Howlong libraries. The firewalls will improve the online security for both public Internet users and library staff at these locations. Free WiFi has been enabled from 8am-6pm seven days a week at both libraries. Both the firewalls and wireless access points are monitored and maintained by Hitech Support. This service, along with the initial provision and installation has been subsidised through the NSW State Library's NSW.net program. Records Management Software Council is in the process of upgrading records management software from HP Trim 7.1 to HPE Content Manager v9. The current version of Trim has reached the end of its support period and is no longer compatible with newer versions of Microsoft Office and Civica Authority. With the upgrade to Content Manager comes a number of other enhancements, most notably the addition of a better workflow system to effectively control the use and management of records through their life cycle. Content Manager is currently installed and being tested, and is scheduled to be installed in the production environment on 18 November 2016. Federation Council Website Steady progress continues to be made towards the launch of Council's new website. A preliminary site structure has been developed to encompass both existing Council sites and many identified information gaps. Website champions across the organisation are helping to summarise information that will be required on the new site. An agreement has been reached with Seamless to host the website over the next three years. Seamless support a subscription model for supplying websites as a service. A key benefit of this subscription model is that upgrades to the website and its supporting technology are automatically applied as a part of the agreement. As a result the risk of the site becoming dated or dysfunctional is reduced. Training and page development will commence shortly. Asset Management Software Following extensive investigation, consultation with end users and a quotation process - an agreement has now been reached with AssetFinda for the supply of an enterprise Asset Management software solution. AssetFinda is GIS enabled software that integrates asset accounting, maintenance scheduling, asset and defect inspections, and long-term financial modelling on both mobile and desktop platforms. It is anticipated that AssetFinda will be populated with Council data and functional by late December. With the completion of most of the asset sections of the annual financial reports, work has now commenced on combining the asset information of the former councils. IT Network and Proposed Roadmap Report Albury City Council has been engaged to supply Federation Council with a strategic report on IT infrastructure. This report is nearly complete and has been structured around providing a practical roadmap with clear steps and actions to achieve desired outcomes. One of the highest priorities identified is the standardisation of Council's networking switches across all sites. As a result of being built in an ad hoc manner over time, the extended network has equipment of varying brands and

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quality throughout the various offices. By putting in place uniform standards for this equipment it will enhance efficiency with which data is transferred, particularly between sites, and also dramatically improve the capacity of IT staff to monitor and troubleshoot issues. Financial Implications All initiatives are within budget or amalgamation expenses to be funded through the amalgamation implementation grant.

FOR information.

6.4 CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

Summary Please find attached to the agenda the draft Federation Council Child Protection Policy (attachment 6.4.1). The objective of this policy is to provide a safe, caring and nurturing environment for children and young people using Council’s services and to comply with all obligations under the NSW Child Protection Legal Framework.

Background The community has a right to expect that when using any of the services and facilities of Federation Council, that Council will:

a) Provide a safe, caring and nurturing environment for their children; b) Their children and young people will not be placed at risk of harm, and will be protected from

all forms of abuse, including sexual, physical, psychological abuse and neglect; c) Ensure all workers engaged with Council in a child related role:

i. Have undergone appropriate probity checks, have a valid Working with Children Check clearance number and are not Prohibited Persons as described in the Child Protection (Prohibited Employment) Act 1998;

ii. Are aware of their responsibilities and obligations in relation to the various child protection legislation and Councils policy and associated protocol; and

iii. Understand they have a mandatory duty to report any suspected risk of harm to a child or young person;

d) Ensure Council promptly implements procedures which are confidential and transparent when investigating and responding to allegations of “reportable conduct” as defined under Section 25A of the Ombudsman’s Act 1974. (Refer to NSW Ombudsman Fact Sheet – Defining Reportable Conduct).

Financial Implications The financial implications of this Policy are funded from respective functional budgets - such as Preschool, Library and Community Development. This includes funding the cost of Child Protection Training, working with children checks etc.

RECOMMENDED that the draft Child Protection Policy dated November 2016 be adopted and placed on public exhibition for 28 days.

KJ KAY DIRECTOR CORPORATE AND COMMUNITY

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7. DIRECTOR FINANCE REPORT

7.1 STATEMENT OF BANK BALANCES AND RECONCILIATION AS AT 31 OCTOBER 2016

Balance as per Bank Statement:

General Account 0000 0022 666,058.29

General Account 1007 7409 17,092.32

Business Online Saver Account 10142522 685,621.10

Business Online Saver Account 10161811 385,000.00

Investments 41,070,110.26

Sub Total 42,823,881.97

Plus Deposits not yet lodged:

Corowa 31-October 333.02

Urana 31-October 3,275.00

Tourism 29-October 36.50

Sub Total 42,827,526.49

Less Unpresented Cheques: 2,448.41

Balance as per Ledger 42,825,078.08

Less External Restricted Funds 29,233,620.45

Balance of General Fund Ledger 13,591,457.63

CERTIFICATE OF RECONCILIATION

I CERTIFY THAT THE COUNCIL’S GENERAL LEDGER BANK ACCOUNTS HAVE BEEN RECONCILED WITH

THE APPROPRIATE BANK STATEMENTS AS AT 31 OCTOBER 2016.

S NORMAN MANAGER FINANCE

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RECOMMENDED that the report on Statement of Bank Balances and Reconciliation as at 31 October 2016 be noted.

7.2 SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS AS AT 31 OCTOBER 2016

The following list of investment securities is held as at 31 October 2016. Investment of funds on behalf of Council has been undertaken in accordance with the Local Government Act and Regulations.

INVESTMENTS Investment Type Institution Amount Lodged Date Lodged Rate Days Maturity Date

Term Deposit ANZ $1,030,057.95 07/09/2016 2.25 55 01/11/2016

Term Deposit NAB $550,000.00 02/08/2016 2.75 70 01/11/2016

Term Deposit NAB $1,333,655.93 11/05/2016 3.00 184 11/11/2016

Term Deposit NAB $500,000.00 19/07/2016 2.85 119 15/11/2016

Term Deposit CBA $1,000,000.00 20/06/2016 2.82 153 20/11/2016

Term Deposit Westpac $500,000.00 22/08/2016 3.00 92 22/11/2016

Term Deposit Bank of Sydney $330,000.00 30/08/2016 2.50 90 28/11/2016

Term Deposit NAB $1,195,233.75 29/05/2016 3.00 184 29/11/2016


Term Deposit NAB $300,000.00 09/08/2016 2.75 119 06/12/2016

Term Deposit CBA $1,022,549.98 05/09/2016 2.54 92 06/12/2016

Term Deposit NAB $1,286,348.05 09/03/2016 3.00 275 09/12/2016

Term Deposit CBA $400,000.00 13/09/2016 2.56 91 13/12/2016

Term Deposit NAB $1,095,939.03 03/09/2016 2.65 101 13/12/2016

Term Deposit Bankwest $150,000.00 11/10/2016 2.55 63 13/12/2016

Term Deposit NAB $2,500,000.00 17/06/2016 3.05 183 20/12/2016

Term Deposit NAB $1,294,204.96 20/06/2016 3.05 183 20/12/2016

Term Deposit NAB $3,000,000.00 17/06/2016 3.05 187 21/12/2016

Term Deposit NAB $2,500,000.00 17/06/2016 3.05 194 28/12/2016

Term Deposit NAB $2,060,105.19 02/07/2016 3.00 184 02/01/2017


Term Deposit Bendigo $230,000.00 27/09/2016 2.25 105 10/01/2017

Term Deposit CBA $503,477.95 11/10/2016 2.57 91 10/01/2017

Term Deposit BOQ – FIIG $390,000.00 27/09/2016 2.45 112 17/01/2017

Term Deposit BOQ – FIIG $390,000.00 27/09/2016 2.45 112 17/01/2017

Term Deposit ANZ $2,115,486.87 21/09/2016 2.69 118 17/01/2017

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Term Deposit CBA $1,007,135.63 20/09/2016 2.60 121 19/01/2017




Term Deposit NAB $2,577,623.28 02/10/2016 2.65 128 07/02/2017

Term Deposit ANZ $1,031,777.47 03/10/2016 2.67 134 14/02/2017

Term Deposit CBA $720,000.00 25/10/2016 2.53 112 14/02/2017


Term Deposit CBA $509,271.23 18/10/2016 2.62 147 14/03/2017

Term Deposit Bendigo $2,000,000.00 17/06/2016 2.85 273 17/03/2017

Term Deposit CBA $502,404.66 18/10/2016 2.62 154 21/03/2017

Term Deposit CBA $1,044,838.35 31/08/2016 2.56 209 28/03/2017



Term Deposit Bendigo $2,000,000.00 20/06/2016 2.85 365 20/06/2017

$41,070,110.26

CERTIFICATE OF RECONCILIATION

I CERTIFY THAT THE INVESTMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 625 OF THE

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1993, THE REGULATIONS AND COUNCIL’S POLICIES.

S NORMAN MANAGER FINANCE

RECOMMENDED that Council note the report on the schedule of investments as at 31 October 2016.

7.3 PROGRESS ON COMPLETION OF ANNUAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE FORMER URANA AND COROWA SHIRE COUNCILS AS AT 12 MAY 2016

Summary Council’s external auditors Crowe Horwath Albury have been undertaking the audit of Council’s financials to allow signoff of Annual Financial Statements for the former Urana and Corowa Shire Councils. It is expected that the Financial Statements will be completed and able to be presented to the December meeting of Council and this will allow a representative of Crowe Horwath to attend the December meeting to present their report. Attached to this report is the draft Income Statement and Balance Sheets for both former organisations and the declarations for signature to allow the Financial Statements to be finalised (attachment 7.3.1).

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In accordance with legislation and accounting standards, Council is required to sign a declaration, (in each case), stating the following and to pass a resolution confirming the same. The signatories to this declaration are the General Manager, Council’s Responsible Accounting Officer and the Administrator.

RECOMMENDED that:

1. The report on progress of completion of the Annual Financial Statements for the former Urana and Corowa Shire Councils as at 12 May 2016 be noted.

2. Council authorise the signing of the declaration as follows:-

The General Purpose Financial Report has been prepared in accordance with:

The Local Government Act 1993 (as amended) and the Regulations made thereunder,

The Australian Accounting Standards and professional pronouncements, and

The Local Government Code of Accounting Practice and Financial Reporting.

To the best of our knowledge and belief, this Report:

Presents fairly the Councils' operating result and financial position for the year, and

Accords with Councils' accounting and other records.

The Special Purpose Financial Reports have been prepared in accordance with:

The NSW Government Policy Statement “Application of National Competition Policy to Local Government”.

The Department of Local Government Guidelines “Pricing and Costing for Council Businesses - A Guide to Competitive Neutrality”.

The Local Government Code of Accounting Practice and Financial Reporting.

The Department of Water and Energy Best-Practice Management of Water and Sewerage Guidelines.

To the best of our knowledge and belief, these Reports:

Present fairly the Operating Result and Financial Position for each of Councils declared business Activities for the year, and

Accord with Councils' accounting and other records.

7.4 DEBT RECOVERY AND FINANCIAL HARDSHIP POLICY

Summary This policy was adopted to be placed on Public Exhibition at the 20 September 2016 Council Meeting. Report The review period for submissions has closed and no submissions have been received.

RECOMMENDED that:

1. The report on the of Federation Council’s Debt Recovery and Financial Hardship Policy and associated Procedures be noted.

2. The Federation Council’s Debt Recovery and Financial Hardship Policy and associated Procedures be adopted.

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7.5 QUARTERLY BUDGET REVIEW STATEMENT (QBRS) AND 2016/17 FINANCIAL POSITION AS AT 30 SEPTEMBER 2016 (FIRST QUARTER)

Summary This report allows for tabling of the report on the Quarterly Budget Review Statement as at 30 September 2016. The NSW Office of the Premier and Cabinet 30 September 2016 the Director Amanda Lawrence advised the following for newly merged Councils: “The QBRS for the first quarter is to reflect the budget vs actual expenditure for the first quarter being 1 July to 30 September 2016. New councils are not required to include the period 13 May to 30 June 2016 in their first QBRS. Disclosures relating to this period will be included in their first audited financial reports, produced in late 2017 (for the period 13 May 2016 to 30 June 2017).” Within the attachments is a Quarterly Budget Review Statement (attachment 7.5.1) that reflects the inclusion of Carry Forwards as a result of the preparation of the Un-Audited 2015/16 Financial Statements (12 May 2016). This means no change to the projected results for Council’s 2016/17 Budgets as at this time. Background A Quarterly Budget Review Statement (QBRS) is required by the Local Government (General) Regulation 2005 at the end of each quarter. For information purposes the following provides details of the adopted budgets for 2016/17 as at the July 2016 Council Meeting. Water 2016/2017 (Original Adopted):

Proposed Operating Result (Operating Revenues less Operating Expenses) surplus $702,327 (or $652,327 before Capital Grants and Contributions).

Proposed Capital Works Assets $2,672,000 (Less $50,000 Capital Contributions) – of which $757,000 is renewal, $1,875,000 upgrade and $40,000 new capital assets.

Sewer 2016/2017 (Original Adopted - Combined former Corowa Shire and former Urana Shire schemes):

Proposed Operating Result (Operating Revenues less Operating Expenses) surplus $1,137,582 (or $1,087,582 before Capital Grants and Contributions).

Proposed Capital Works Assets $1,660,000 (Less $50,000 Capital Contributions) – of which $845,000 is renewal, $195,000 upgrade and $620,000 new capital assets.

Domestic Waste 2016/2017 (Original Adopted - Combined former Corowa Shire and former Urana Shire schemes):

Proposed Operating Result (Operating Revenues less Operating Expenses) deficit $307,987 (the deficit includes the refund of previous payments made by ratepayers totalling over $208,000 in relation to the withdrawn carbon tax and is provided for in the reserves balance of over $400,000).

Proposed Capital Works $Nil. General Fund 2016/2017 (Original Adopted):

Proposed Operating Result (Operating Revenues less Operating Expenses) surplus $5,676,445 (or $2,544,825 before Capital Grants and Contributions).

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Proposed Capital Works Assets $18,751,235 (Less $3,131,620 Capital Grants and Contributions) – of which $7,874,235 is renewal, $6,518,000 upgrade and $4,359,000 new capital assets.

In the case of Federation Council General Fund activities for 2016/2017, the proposed net result is a reduction of working capital of approximately $1,900,000 from over $4,500,000 to a proposed very satisfactory $2,600,000 as at 30 June 2017.

Other Funds – Implementation and Stronger Communities 2016/2017 (Original Adopted):

Proposed Result $15M grants $4.5M proposed expenditure 2016/17 with the remainder pre December 2019.

Report Please find included with the agenda a summary of Council’s financial position as at 30 September 2016. This is prepared in accordance with the format required by the Office of Local Government. Within the attachments is a Quarterly Budget Review Statement (attachment 7.5.1) that reflects the inclusion of Carry Forwards as a result of the preparation of the Un-Audited 2015/16 Financial Statements (12 May 2016). This means no change to the projected results for Council’s 2016/17 Budgets as at this time.

RECOMMENDED that: 1. Council note the report on the 1st Quarterly Budget Review Statement (QBRS) as at

30 September 2016; and 2. That Council adopt the Quarterly Budget Review Statement to 30 September 2016 as tabled

that projects a Total Cash and Investments as at 30 June 2017 of $32,749,000.

KC PARKER DIRECTOR FINANCE

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8. DIRECTOR ENGINEERING REPORT

8.1 ROAD MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES

The following activities were undertaken within the month of October 2016: (a) Since the previous report Federation Council has been included as an affected area under the

Natural Disaster Declaration for Inland Storms and Flooding that has impacted extensively across NSW. Council was required to provide a general indication of the extent of damage incurred by essential public infrastructure across the LGA, with the amount of $4.6M being identified. Now that the LGA has been included in the Declaration, Council must individually itemise each of the impacted sites and estimate the cost of restoration. This process is underway, and details will be submitted to RMS. A Schedule of Works will be issued by RMS to formally document the scope and value of the work approved under the claim. Council is required to make a contribution of $116,000 towards the damages. The remainder of the damages will be claimed through the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA). The NDRRA provides for only like for like and does not fund upgrades. Additionally, these funds can be used only on essential services like roads and does not fund repair to parks and associated community facilities. During the height of the flooding, staff were patrolling the road network to address safety issues and provide warnings about water over the road and closing certain roads where required. Staff were also engaged in managing the conditions in the Corowa Civic Centre precinct. Council staff assisted through providing over 10,000 sand bags to the community. Some emergency repair work was carried out on Mahonga Road, Urangeline Road and Nowranie Road pending permanent restoration.

(b) Road Maintenance Grading, gravel patching and re-sheeting activities were undertaken on the following roads:

Angle Ranch Road

O’Connells Road

Telephone Road

Eulo Glen Road

Daysdale-Walbundrie Road

Wangamong Road

Uralla Road

Bolinda Glen Road (c) Sealed Road Patching Work – programmed work has been constrained because of the wet

conditions, and patching has been carried out when possible with priority given to defects on the busiest roads in the network. The following roads have been addressed:

MR385 Federation Way

MR323 Oaklands / Jerilderie Road

MR59 Cocketgedong Road

Back Berrigan Road

Urana / Boree Road

Ferndale / Five mile

Four Corners Road

Bryndale Road

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Narrow Plains Road

Oak Lodge Road

Merton Road

Freyers Road

Laneways in Mulwala

Kywong-Howlong Road (d) Other Activities Council staff have undertaken various other activities during the period including the following:

Culvert repair on SR19 Faithfull Road;

Road side slashing o Four Corners Road; o Bryndale Road; o Ferndale / Five Mile; o Rand Township; o Federation Way / Clear Hills Road ( Intersection);

Spraying around road signs;

Customer requests in Corowa, Mulwala and Howlong responding to storm damage from wind storms and resulting in trees over roads;

Incident response for the RMS on Spring Drive and Riverina Highway including water over road and fallen trees;

Drilling, blasting and crushing of road material at Council’s quarries.

FOR information.

8.2 CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES

Works started or completed since last report include:

Federation Way near Daysdale-Walbundrie Road: Geotechnical investigation to determine the causes of the failure and most suitable treatment;

Mulwala - Melbourne Street: Design of frontage works to Purtle Park being finalised, site meeting with RMS on 14 November to confirm scope of works and timeframe;

Corowa - Replace brick gutter various streets: issued RFQ for feature and level survey assisting with the engineering design;

Corowa - Whitehead Street: Water main contractor on site commenced set-out and locating services;

Corowa - Evelyn Street: Water main contractor on site commenced set-out and under-boring in Evelyn Street;

Back Berrigan Road planning CH 5.2km to 6.2km and CH 7.4km to 9.4km from MR59: onsite meeting held 20 October;

Widgewa Street, Morundah planning: onsite meeting held 20 October;

MR385 Federation Way planning- CH 17.4 to 21.9 km from Boree Creek Road: onsite meeting held 20 October;

Mulwala - Melbourne Street footpath construction south of Bayly Street completed;

Merton Road – realignment and upgrade of intersection with Freyers Road and Burnewang Road is complete;

Redlands Road - section between Glenlea Road and Williamsons Road is complete.

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Corowa - Queen Street car park construction commenced and expected to complete in 3 weeks;

Heavy patching programme scoped and tender is ready to be issued. Delivery of the Capital Works program is ongoing, as shown by the works listed above. The sustained wet weather, flooding, obligations to prioritise flood restoration and the additional grant works has prompted a review of the projects to be delivered by Council’s workforce and which projects will be delivered by contract. This review is currently occurring in conjunction with the detailed assessment of flood damage. It is likely that the scope of some projects may need to change as part of this review.

FOR information.

8.3 PROPOSED ROAD CLOSURE

Summary A request has been made to close a section of road in Oaklands. Background Days Transport in Oaklands has been gaining access to their business via a Council lane that runs at the rear of their property in Coreen Street Oaklands(refer aerial photo and map below).

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Issues The road is currently, in effect, forming part of the premises of Days Transport. The balance of the lane is not formed, so while this current situation is not preventing public access, it is not appropriate for it to be used this way. Council has corresponded with the business operator, who has responded requesting that Council approve closure of the section of road, and for it to be transferred to private ownership upon closure. Closure of the road will not impact on Council’s operations or provision of access for the community. The process of closing the road is coordinated by DPI Lands, so if Council approves the proposal the applicant will need to liaise with Crown Lands to implement the process. Financial Implications There is no cost to Council if these proposed closures are implemented. Equally, the proceeds of the sale of the closed road will not pass to Council, as Council has not actively managed or maintained the road.

RECOMMENDED that Council support the closure of that section of the lane between Murray Street and Thornber Street Oaklands at the rear of properties 12-20 Coreen Street Oaklands.

N SUTTON DIRECTOR ENGINEERING

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9. DIRECTOR PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT REPORT

9.1 BUILDING APPROVALS

The following construction/complying development certificates are listed for Council’s information. 2016/140 42-44 McCarthy Street Mulwala Storage Sheds x4 2016/158 1 Heather Circuit Mulwala Shed and free standing carport 2016/163 46 Heather Circuit Mulwala Dwelling 2016/166 70 Wanani Road Mulwala Shed 2016/169 13 Kingfisher Drive Mulwala Dwelling 2016/173 271 River Street Corowa Alterations and Additions 2016/174 36-38 McCarthy Street Mulwala Workshop and Storage Units 2016/175 78 Melbourne Street Mulwala Alterations and Additions 2016/176 10 Wanani Road Mulwala Dwelling 2016/177 23B Wanani Road Mulwala Shed and Pergola 2016/179 6 Gilson Place Howlong Pergola 2016/185 48 Corowa Road Mulwala Pergola 2016/193 110 Katrina Circuit Corowa Shed 2016/194 13 Corowa Road Mulwala Pergola 2016/56 Lot 3 Narrows Plains Road Daysdale Rural Fire Shed 2016/83 43 Tom Roberts Road Redlands Fire Station CDC2016/25 129 Larmer Street Howlong Shed CDC2016/28 129 Hawdon Court Howlong Shed CDC2016/29 126 Wanstead Street Corowa Shed CDC2016/30 25 Lee Valley Road Collendina Shed CDC2016/31 12-14 Railway Street Corowa Dwelling CDC2016/33 Hudsons Road Redlands Telecommunication Facility CDC2016/34 9-13 Yarrah Road Mulwala Shed 03-17 30 Anna Street Urana Carport TOTAL $2,719,634

* Data as of 1 July 2016 is for Federation Council. Historical data is for Corowa Shire Council Only.

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FOR information.

9.2 DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS

Since the last Council meeting the following development applications have been determined under delegated authority by the granting of consent subject to conditions. DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION REGISTERED NO. 2014/250 Application for Storage Sheds – Modification to Stage 3 on general industrial land being Lot 18; DP 1116482; 19 Defence Drive, Mulwala. DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION REGISTERED NO. 2016/133 Application for a Dwelling and Shed on low density residential land being Lot 69; DP 1170359; 5-6 Hughes Court, Corowa. DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION REGISTERED NO. 2016/161 Application for a Dwelling on primary production land being Lot 3; DP 258436; Nixon Street, Corowa. DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION REGISTERED NO. 2016/165 Application for a Site Office and Amenities Block on primary production land being Lot 46; DP 753754; 7 Howlong-Balldale Road, Howlong. DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION REGISTERED NO. 2016/167 Application for a Verandah on general residential land being Lot 3; DP 92705; Unit 1 218 Hume Street, South Corowa. DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION REGISTERED NO. 2016/181 Application for a Demolition on low density residential land being Lot 16; DP 758296; 194 Church Street, Corowa.

* Data as of 1 July 2016 is for Federation Council. Historical data is for Corowa Shire Council Only.

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DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION REGISTERED NO. 2016/186 Application for a Demolition on general residential land being Lot 15; DP 157498; 21 Victoria Street, Corowa. DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION REGISTERED NO. 2016/197 Application for a Dwelling on low density residential land being Lot 2; DP 758528; 182-190 Martin Street, Howlong.

FOR information.

9.3 PROPOSAL TO INSTALL PEDESTRIAN LIFT/ELEVATOR AT COUNCIL OFFICES COROWA

Summary The purpose of this report is allow Council to obtain estimates for consideration of budget/major projects, for the installation of a pedestrian lift/elevator for the Civic Centre of Federation Council at Corowa. Background The entrance to the Federation Council Civic Centre, requires negotiation of around 19 steps, due to the floor level of the building being placed above flood height. A wheelchair-compliant pedestrian access ramp was installed when the former Corowa Shire Council undertook the upgrade works around ten years ago, however this is a significant length and is rarely used, with even those who are elderly, still negotiating the stairs. Discussions with key staff and former Councillors of the former Corowa Shire Council, indicated that it is considered a community priority, and the project has never been progressed to detailed design and costing, due to the issue of the flood liable land at the base of the building, and potential costs. The merge of the Corowa and Urana Shire Councils should allow for all shelved projects such as this one, to be investigated for consideration. The only way to gauge the true costs, and allow the market to propose solutions to the genuine flood liable issues, is to call for expressions of interest to install a suitable fixture. Draft expression of interest and selected tender documentation has been prepared should Council adopt this recommendation, and a further report would be presented on the outcomes of this process. Financial Implications Unknown.

RECOMMENDED that Council enter into an Expression of Interest process, with a view to then enter a selective tender process, for installation of an elevator lift at the Federation Council Civic Centre at Corowa, and that Council receive a further report as the project progresses.

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9.4 FEDERATION COUNCIL DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION 2016/190 - MULWALA INDUSTRIAL LAND – 32 LOT SUBDIVISION – LOT 1421 DP 876772 AND LOT 30 DP 1208451, DEFENCE DRIVE, MULWALA

Summary This report relates to a proposed thirty-two (32) lot subdivision at Lot 1421, Defence Drive and McCarthy Avenue, Mulwala. The proposed subdivision will complete the Mulwala Industrial Estate and will provide direct access to Tocumwal Road for all lots. The application is being reported to Council despite there being no objections, as Federation Council is the applicant/landowner, and the process must have an appropriate degree of transparency. To further ensure that this is the case, and that independent outside expertise is used, Council engaged Spiire Consultants to prepare the Statement of Environment Effects to accompany and support the application. Council then also separately engaged Habitat Planning to undertake a review of that work, and to provide a recommendation including appropriate conditions to form part of the consent. This report by Habitat Planning is only awaiting the RMS response and, if received, will be also included as part of the additional information to be made available prior to the Council meeting. Due to grant milestone requirements, considering Council received Federal Government Stronger Regions grant for this project, the application is required to be approved ASAP. Council is still awaiting a response from the Roads and Maritime Services, which may be available before the Council meeting, and, if not, delegated authority will be sought on meeting day, to approve the consent when received, to avoid waiting until the December Council meeting, considering there were no public submissions received. Background The proposal, when completed, will conclude the Mulwala Industrial Estate. Council developed the early stages and the number of vacant lots is limited and, thereby, constrains the options for prospective purchasers. An adequate supply of industrial land is important for regional communities to ensure that employment opportunities are facilitated. This is particularly important given limited supply of industrial land within the Moira Shire within Victoria. This application supports the aims of the 2012-2017 Economic Development Strategy prepared by the former Corowa Shire, and is consistent with the aim of the new Federation Council to continue to build stronger communities including job creation. Property Details

The land is known as Lot 1421 DP 876772, Lot 30 DP 1208451, and is zoned IN1 General Industrial.

The site is bounded by the existing stages of industrial development to the south, Savernake Road and the railway line in the east, Tocumwal Road in the north and vacant land to the west.

The site is flat with a gradual fall to the southwest toward the Mulwala Channel. It has no significant vegetation and is well suited for industrial purposes. This is evidenced by the level

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of development of the previous stages and the expansion of industries such as Yarrawonga Mulwala Housing.

Subject land – Source: NSW Government sixviewer The Proposal

The proposal is to create thirty-two (32) lots of sizes ranging from 1200 square metres to approximately 7,800 square metres, including one drainage reserve lot (lot 63 of 1.123 hectares, running the full length along the western edge.

The estate will be serviced by underground drainage, a sewerage system, and electricity and telephony connections along with industrial strength roads, kerb and channel and associated landscaping.

This final stage will enhance the estate by providing a connection to Tocumwal Rd, thereby allowing ease of movement both to the north and south of the site.

The proposal is for subdivision only and further consents will be required for industrial development on the individual sites.

Corowa Local Environment Plan 2012, Development Control Plan and Zoning The subject land is zoned IN1, General Industrial and is adjoins RU1, Primary Production, and R2 Low Density Residential lands to the north, SP2 Infrastructure land to the east and RU1 Primary Production land to the south. Land to the east of the SP2 zone for the railway line is Savernake Road then future residential land zoned R1, General Residential. The Corowa Local Environment Plan 2012 indicates that the subdivision is permissible, subject to gaining development consent. Impacts of the Proposal

The site has been appropriately zoned for some time. It is partially occupied and sensible addition to the employment zoned land in the vicinity.

Opportunities to disperse truck movements is enhanced by the outlet to Tocumwal Road and may reduce traffic through local residential streets.

The development will formalise drainage in the area and will improve the drainage system for all lots within the Estate through improved outfall.

The development is a manifestation of the strategic planning for the township.

Future residential uses in the area will have certainty about the future of the estate given that the lots will be fully developed.

Further information is contained in the separate planning assessment report prepared by Habitat Planning.

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Notification Process The development application was notified to adjoining landowners and advertised in the local press. No objections were received in the statutory time limit or since. One landowner has since met with Council staff, and requests that consideration be given to drainage across the site, both overland surface water, and roof water generated. The proposed onsite drainage reserve was outlined to the person at the meeting, and an on-site meeting is also to take place prior to the Council meeting. If there are any unresolved issues after this, the details will be reported to Council. Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) initial responses Preliminary responses from RMS indicate –

RMS would allow the new access to the Tocumwal Road subject to it being constructed to required standards, and after assessment of a traffic report

Access to individual lots via internal road and no separate accesses to the Tocumwal Road

Appropriate screen treatment (fencing and vegetation buffers) to the road

Denial of advertising for those lots exposed to the Tocumwal road (possibly) Conclusion Contact with Habitat Planning, who are assessing the development for Council, indicate that the subdivision is very straightforward, and approval will be recommended. Once the RMS response is received, if it is after the November 2016 Council meeting, it is recommended that Council grant delegated authority to the Director Planning and Environment, to approve this application.

RECOMMENDED that: 1. Council note the report on the Federation Council Development Application 2016/190 -

Mulwala Industrial land – 32 lot subdivision – Lot 1421 DP 876772 and Lot 30 DP 1208451, Defence Drive, Mulwala; and

2. That Council delegate authority to approve the application to the Director Planning and

Environment, once the appropriate agency response is received, with suitable conditions to be imposed.

9.5 COROWA SWIMMING POOL ENTRANCE FEES 2016/2017

Summary The Managers of the Corowa Swimming Pool have advised the following dates and fees for the 2016/2017 season. Council’s lease for the pool states: “Admission charges, charges for season tickets and charges for family tickets are to be set by the Lessee and ratified by the Lessor and then advertised by the lessee prior to the commencement of each season.” The proposed charges for the Corowa Swimming Pool for the 2016/2017 season are as follows: Classification Fee - 2016/2017 Fee - 2015/2016 Family Season ticket $225.00 $235.00 Adult Season ticket $115.00 $125.00 Child/Pensioner Season ticket $95.00 $110.00

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Adult Casual $5.00 $5.00 Child/pensioner $4.00 $3.50 (under 2 free) Spectator Fee for Key Sporting Events $3.50 $3.50 Inflatable (per person - unlimited) $3.50 3.00 Opening Hours Nov - Feb - Mar Dec-Jan Monday 6:30am to 10:30am & 1:00pm to 6:00pm 10:00am to 6:00pm Tuesday 1:00pm to 6:00pm 10:00am to 6:00pm Wednesday 6:30am to 8:30am & 1:00pm to 6:00pm 10:00am to 6:00pm Thursday 1:00pm to 6:00pm 10:00am to 6:00pm Friday 1:00pm to 6:00pm 10:00am to 6:00pm Saturday 1:00pm to 6:00pm 10:00am to 6:00pm Sunday 1:00pm to 6:00pm 10:00am to 6:00pm Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Opening times will be subject to weather conditions and event bookings. The pool season will commence on 21 November 2016 and close in March 2017 depending on climate conditions.

RECOMMENDED that Council ratify the proposed entrance charges and opening hours for the Corowa Swimming Pool for the 2016/2017 season.

A BUTLER DIRECTOR PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT

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10. NOTICE OF MOTION / QUESTION WITH NOTICE

NO ITEMS

11. REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES

NO ITEMS

12. PRÉCIS OF CORRESPONDENCE REQUIRING COUNCIL ACTION/FOR INFORMATION

12.1 LOWE SQUARE COMMITTEE

Forwarding a copy of the minutes of their meeting held on 11 October 2016. A copy of the minutes is included with the agenda.

13. CLOSURE OF MEETING

The former Corowa and Urana Shires were amalgamated on 12 May 2016. Federation Council is now legally responsible for all activities, assets and liabilities of the former Councils.

FEDERATION COUNCIL ABN 30 762 048 084 All correspondence to be addressed to the General Manager PO Box 77 Corowa NSW 2646 Corowa (02) 6033 8999 Urana (02) 6930 9100 Email [email protected] www.corowa.nsw.gov.au www.urana.nsw.gov.au

FEDERATION COUNCIL

[email protected]

27 October 2016

Federation Council Submission - Joint Organisations, Getting the Boundaries Right

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the proposed Joint Organisations (Getting the boundaries Right, September 2016). Federation Council does not support its inclusion to the Murray Murrumbidgee Joint Organisation (JO). This proposal does not achieve the agreed criteria that each JO should:

Align or 'nest' within strategic growth planning boundaries

Demonstrate clear community of interest between member councils and regions

Not adversely impact on other councils or JOs, for example, leaving too few councils to form a JO

Be based around a strong regional centre, where possible

Be of appropriate scale and capacity to partner with the NSW Government, Commonwealth Government and other partners

To ensure these objectives can be met for Federation Council, we respectively request our inclusion in a Joint Organisation which at the very least includes Albury City Council. Options to achieve this would include:

Federation Council to be included as part of the proposed Riverina JO. The Murray/Murrumbidgee JO and Riverina JO be combined to form a

region wide JO.

Federation Council has no community of interest with the proposed Murray Murrumbidgee JO. The relevant regional centre and community of interest for the newly formed Federation Council is Albury and Wagga Wagga. Most residents within Federation Council have a strong connection with Albury, however residents who live at the northern end of the Council are more aligned to Wagga Wagga as a regional centre. Both former Councils which make up Federation Council (Corowa Shire and Urana Shire) can demonstrate a long and successful working history with REROC. The currently proposed footprint of the Riverina JO matches the current footprint of REROC with the obvious exception of Federation Council.

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FEDERATION COUNCIL

Further to this, Federation Council (and both former Councils of Corowa and Urana) are also members of RAMROC. The footprint of RAMROC is similar to the proposed Murray Murrumbidgee JO with the exception of Albury and Greater Hume Shires. An extensive list of examples can be provided that demonstrate Federation Council's community of interest with both Albury and Wagga Wagga. Griffith is an entirely irrelevant regional centre for communities located within Federation Council. Some examples of the relevant community of interest for Federation Council include:

Albury and Wagga are shopping destinations for residents of Federation Council.

Many residents within Federation Council work in Albury or Wagga. Federation Council have some of the region's largest employers (Rivalea, Thales, Uncle Tobys, Registered Clubs, Cool Off). A large number of employees commute from Albury to work within Federation Council. Commuting from Albury or Lavington to Corowa is especially common for those holding professional/white color positions.

Residents of Federation Council access allied and specialist health services located in Albury or Wagga and both Albury and Wagga Hospitals for a higher level of care that cannot be provided at the Corowa or Urana Hospitals.

Murrumbidgee Health is the regional health service operating within Federation Council and this is based in Wagga.

Federation Council is a member of Riverina Regional Library which is the largest and most successful regional Library service in NSW. Council is grateful to Wagga Wagga City Council for their support of this Regional Library Service.

Federation Council is an active member of Murray Arts, who are one of 14 regional art boards in NSW. While this is also a cross border organisation, the success of this organisation demonstrates the strong communities of interest within the local government areas of Federation Council, Albury City and Greater Hume Shires.

Federation Council is a member of Murray Regional Tourism who are arguably the most successful regional tourism association this region has seen. The success of this association has been supported through Albury City Council.

As is the case for most rural communities, sport and recreation is a major priority for communities within Federation Council. An exhaustive list of clubs located within Federation Council have associations or regional competitions based in Albury or Wagga Wagga. None travel to the west of the State or compete in Griffith.

A wide range of community services are aligned to Albury or Wagga Wagga. Such as Albury City Family Day Care and Greater Hume Family Day Care. Both Councils operate important child care services throughout Federation Council.

There are three community based Pre-Schools which operate in Federation Council as well as a mobile preschool service run by Federation Council. There is a strong network of preschools who support each other to operate. This network is aligned to the proposed Riverina JO (if Federation Council is included to this.)

The management of waste is a major strategic issue for Federation Council and all communities in NSW. Council has a critical partnership in place as part of the 'Halve Waste Initiative' which includes the Councils of Albury City and Greater Hume. We operate under the same waste contract, utilise the Albury landfill and have supported the same strategic objectives.



FEDERATION COUNCIL

These examples are not an exhaustive list but we hope enough to demonstrate why there are far more logical opportunities for Federation Council in respect to the proposed JO. If this issue is not addressed, this Council is likely to be unable to derive significant value or strategic relevance from the proposed JO. This would be a considerable issue for the Council given that it is proposed the Councils themselves will need to fund the JO. We also urge the NSW Government to consider the boundaries of the local electorate for Member for Albury, Greg Aplin. These boundaries are more aligned to the Riverina JO, subject to the inclusion of Federation Council as part of that. This is an important issue given that the objectives of the JO are to partner with the NSW Government. Council also works closely with the Murray RDA who are located in Albury and represent Councils including Federation Council, Albury City and Greater Hume Shires. Furthermore, the NSW Government has just completed a review of regional tourism associations including Murray Regional Tourism and Riverina Tourism. It is our understanding that the outcome of this review will involve the formation of a new regional wide tourism destination network. This would result in an alignment to the concept of a region wide JO (combined Murray Murrumbidgee and Riverina JO). The NSW Government are also currently finalising the Murray Riverina Regional Plan. This should be a consideration in respect to the formation of the proposed JO boundaries and would seem to support the creation of a region wide JO. Accordingly, Federation Council urges the NSW Government to reconsider the currently proposed JO boundaries. This Council and the communities it represents have generally cooperated with the direction of the NSW Government in respect to amalgamation but we now request that we are placed in a JO that at least includes a relevant regional centre.

Yours Faithfully,

Mike Eden Administrator

FEDERATION COUNCIL

The former Corowa and Urana Shires were amalgamated on 12 May 2016. Federation Council is now legally responsible for all activities, assets and liabilities of the former Councils. Federation Council Version Number .DRAFT 9-Nov-16 1.

Title: CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

Council Adopted: Enter the date the policy was adopted by Council.

Council Resolution No: Enter the Council Resolution when adopted.

Responsible Department: Corporate and Community

Date to be Reviewed: Enter the date by which this document should be reviewed.

1 Purpose

The overall objective of this policy is to provide a safe, caring and nurturing environment for children

and young people using Council’s services and to comply with all obligations under the NSW Child

Protection Legal Framework.

Expressly the community has a right to expect that when using any of the services and facilities of

Federation Council, that Council will:

a) provide a safe, caring and nurturing environment for their children,

b) their children and young people will not be placed at risk of harm, and will be protected from

all forms of abuse, including sexual, physical, psychological abuse and neglect and

c) ensure all workers engaged with Council in a child related role

i. have undergone appropriate probity checks, have a valid Working with Children Check

clearance number and are not Prohibited Persons as described in the Child Protection

(Prohibited Employment) Act 1998,

ii. are aware of their responsibilities and obligations in relation to the various child

protection legislation and Councils policy and associated protocol and

iii. understand they have a mandatory duty to report any suspected risk of harm to a child or

young person,

d) ensure Council promptly implements procedures which are confidential and transparent when

investigating and responding to allegations of “reportable conduct” as defined under Section

25A of the Ombudsman’s Act 1974. (Refer to NSW Ombudsman Fact Sheet – Defining

Reportable Conduct).

2 Policy Statement

All suspected cases of child abuse and neglect, which come to the notice of Federation Council, either

observed by employees in the course of their duties or reported to staff, will be reported in

accordance with the relevant legislative requirements.

3 Scope

This policy applies to all Council employees, including casuals, councilors, administrators, management

committees, volunteers, consultants, facility hirers, contractors and work experience students

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FEDERATION COUNCIL


undertaking vocational related training in all Council buildings and facilities used by children and

young persons.

4 Child related work

Federation Council has identified key positions that have direct contact with children to which this

policy is particularly relevant including but not limited to:

All Pre-school educators and Assistants

Library staff

Swimming pool operators and staff – Corowa, Howlong, Mulwala, Oaklands, Urana

Community Development Officer , Youth and Events Officer

Art Gallery – Corowa

5 Designated Public Agency

Section 25A (c) Ombudsman Act 1974 defines “… any other public authority prescribed by the

regulations for the purposes of this definition” as being a designated public agency.

Federation Council is considered a public authority (Section 5 1(g1) Ombudsman Act 1974) and is

therefore required to have systems for preventing reportable conduct and handling reportable

allegations and convictions. arising through the course of an employee’s work.

6 Responsibility

6.1 Head of Agency Federation Councils General Manager as the Head of Agency, is responsible for ensuring effective systems are implemented to make certain that he/she is advised of any reportable allegations or convictions against their employees. Once the General Manager has been advised of a reportable allegation or conviction against an employee, they must notify the NSW Ombudsman within 30 days of being made aware of the allegation or conviction. The notification must include:

details of the allegation or conviction advice as to whether or not they propose to take disciplinary or other action in relation to the

employee, and the reasons for taking or not taking any action any written submissions made to them by the employee about what action should be taken

against them.

6.2 Group/executive managers, managers, coordinators and team leaders. Responsibilities of Directors, team leaders and coordinators are to:

model appropriate workplace behaviours and monitor the work environment to ensure acceptable standards of conduct are observed at all times

endeavour to ensure workers are aware of and understand Council’s Child Protection Policy and Procedures

treat all complaints seriously, equitably and confidentially, taking immediate action to investigate and resolve allegations

notify the General Manager of any reportable allegation

http://authority/iservice/employeeKiosk.do?nodeNum=3079&popularLihttp://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/1974/68/part3a/sec25a

http://www.ombo.nsw.gov.au/what-we-do/our-work/employment-related-child-protection/reportable-allegations-and-convictions



FEDERATION COUNCIL


determine existing and emerging child-related roles within the organisation supported by Human Resources

Notify Human Resources prior to the engagement of any non-Council employee involved in child-related work so the appropriate verification check can be undertaken.

6.3 Human Resources are accountable for: Informing and consulting with staff regarding Working With Children requirements Supporting Managers to determine child-related roles within the organisation and for the

ongoing management of the process Verifying the workers Working With Children Check number Keeping a record of the workers clearances including Working With Children Check number, its

expiry date and the date of the employer’s verification Notifying the General Manager of allegations.

6.4 Workers are accountable for:

Acting in accordance with the Child Protection (Working With Children) Act 2012 Applying for a Working With Children Check clearance number and providing it to Human

Resources if the role is deemed child-related Applying for a Working With Children Check clearance number, when they are not employed

by Council, and providing the clearance number to the person who engaged them in child-related work

Complying with Council’s policies and procedures Notifying Human Resources of any reportable allegation or conviction of which they become

aware.

7 Barred Status of Workers Employed by Council

Should the check or continuous monitoring result in a barred status the worker, if currently working in a child-related role, will be removed from that role. Should the worker be an employee of Council then the matter will be referred to the General Manager for determination; which depending on the circumstances may also result in termination of employment.

8 Definitions

Child - a person who is under 16 years of age (Section 3 of the Children and Young Persons (Care and

Protection) Act 1998)

Child Related Employment - Employment that primarily involves direct contact with children in a child

related sector, or work in a stipulated, child – related role (Part 2, Section 6 of the Child Protection

(Working with Children) Act 2012).

Prohibited Person - Someone who has been convicted of a serious sex offence as defined under

Section 5 of the Child Protection (Prohibited Employment) Act 1998.

Reportable conduct – Refer Section 25A of the Ombudsman’s Act 1974. (explained further NSW

Ombudsman Fact Sheet – Defining Reportable Conduct)

Vexatious Complaints - Allegations of child abuse against staff members (by colleagues or members of

the public) that are unfounded.

http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/1998/157/chap1/sec3

http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/1998/157/chap1/sec3

http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/2012/51/part2/div1/sec6

http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/2012/51/part2/div1/sec6

http://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/1974/68/part3a/sec25a

http://http/www.ombo.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0013/5620/PU_CP_02_11_Reportable_Conduct_v3.pdf

FEDERATION COUNCIL


Working with Children Check – Includes national police check and review of finding of misconduct

involving children resulting in either a clearance or a bar.

Young Person -Someone who is aged 16 years or above but who is under the age of eighteen.

9 References

Relevant Legislation

Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012

Child Protection (Working with Children) Regulation 2013

Child Protection (Working with Children) Amendment (Miscellaneous)

Regulation 2013

The Ombudsman Act 1974 (NSW) No. 68

Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998

Crimes Act 1900 (NSW) No. 40

Local Government State Award 1997

Relevant Council documents and systems

Child Protection Procedures

Code of Conduct for Councillors, Staff and Delegates

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy

Bullying and Harassment Policy

Grievance Policy

Recruitment and Selection Policy

Privacy Management Plan

Induction Procedures

Council’s Employee Assistance Program

Council’s Complaints Handling – Policy and Procedures

Social Community & Cultural Plan 2014-2015

Other resources

The Child Wellbeing & Child Protection - NSW Interagency Guidelines (the

Guidelines) provide practical guidance on interagency cooperation in child

protection.

Office of the Children’s Guardian Access to the online portal for Working with

Children’s checks

10 Policy History

Version Date Changes/Amendment

Version 1 03/11/2016 Development of document for Federation Council

http://www.community.nsw.gov.au/kts

http://www.kidsguardian.nsw.gov.au/working-with-children

FEDERATION COUNCIL


NOTE: This is a controlled document. If you are reading a printed copy please check that you have the latest version by checking it on Councils Electronic Document system. Printed or downloaded versions of this document are uncontrolled.

Financial Statements 2016

The former Corowa Shire Council

Income Statement for the period 1 July 2015 to 12 May 2016

$ ’000

Income from continuing operations

Revenue:

Rates and annual charges

User charges and fees

Interest and investment revenue

Other revenues

Grants and contributions provided for operating purposes

Grants and contributions provided for capital purposes

Total income from continuing operations

Expenses from continuing operations

Employee benefits and on-costs

Borrowing costs

Materials and contracts

Depreciation and amortisation

Impairment

Other expenses

Net losses from the disposal of assets

Total expenses from continuing operations

Operating result from continuing operations

Discontinued operations

Net profit/(loss) from discontinued operations

Net operating result for the period

Net operating result attributable to Council

Net operating result for the period before

grants and contributions provided for capital purposes

Alternative net operating result for the period before

grants and contributions provided for capital purposes 2

Original budget as approved by Council is not required for these financial statements

Alternative Net operating result before capital income if rates and annual charges income had been pro rata'd for the period 1/7/15 - 12/5/16

2,947 1,209

1

2

1,856 2,947 1,209

3,615 4,298 2,730

– 24 – –

3,615 4,298 2,730

25,386 24,264 27,549

3,615 4,298 2,730

– 5 1,052 524

– 4d 47 29

1,771 4e 2,342 2,681

9,210 4c 8,122 9,262

6,306 4d 5,598 6,245

7,676 4a 6,766 8,142

423 4b 338 666

29,001 28,562 30,279

6,956 3e,f 7,822 7,341

1,759 3e,f 1,351 1,521

652 3c 748 857

2,567 3d 2,737 2,996

5,931 3b 5,674 7,147

Budget1

Actual Actual

1/7/15

to 30/6/16 Notes

1/7/15

to 12/5/16

1/7/14

to 30/6/15

11,136 3a 10,229 10,417

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Attachment 7.3.1


The former Corowa Shire Council

Statement of Financial Position as at 12 May 2016

$ ’000

ASSETS

Current assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Investments

Receivables

Inventories

Total current assets

Non-current assets

Inventories

Infrastructure, property, plant and equipment

Total non-current assets

TOTAL ASSETS

LIABILITIES

Current liabilities

Payables

Borrowings

Provisions

Total current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

Borrowings

Provisions

Total non-current liabilities

TOTAL LIABILITIES

Net assets

EQUITY

Retained earnings

Revaluation reserves

Council equity interest

Total equity

357,682 352,687

357,682 352,687

20 137,984 133,686

20 219,698 219,001

357,681 352,687

4,322 4,822

10,898 9,779

10 258 256

10 4,064 4,566

6,575 4,957

10 2,170 2,711

10 4,275 2,125

10 131 121

336,934 335,202

368,579 362,466

8 234 61

9 336,700 335,141

31,645 27,264

7 6,089 3,984

8 1,207 1,397

6a 16,068 8,355

6b 8,282 13,528

Actual Actual

Notes 12/5/16 30/6/15


The former Urana Shire Council

Income Statement for the period 1 July 2015 to 12 May 2016

$ ’000

Income from continuing operations

Revenue:

Rates and annual charges

User charges and fees

Interest and investment revenue

Other revenues

Grants and contributions provided for operating purposes

Grants and contributions provided for capital purposes

Other income:

Net gains from the disposal of assets

Total income from continuing operations

Expenses from continuing operations

Employee benefits and on-costs

Borrowing costs

Materials and contracts

Depreciation and amortisation

Impairment

Other expenses

Interest and investment losses

Net losses from the disposal of assets

Total expenses from continuing operations

Operating result from continuing operations

Discontinued operations

Net profit/(loss) from discontinued operations

Net operating result for the period

Net operating result attributable to Council

Net operating result attributable to non-controlling interests

Net operating result for the period before

grants and contributions provided for capital purposes

Alternative net operating result for the period before

grants and contributions provided for capital purposes 2

Original budget as approved by Council is not required for these financial statements

Alternative Net operating result before capital income if rates and annual charges income had been pro rata'd for the period 1/7/15 - 12/5/16

–

–

497

497

(34)

–

Actual

1/7/14

to 30/6/15

Actual

1,827

195

145

497

6,591

256

1,879 531

5

8,676 7,088 8,419

2,784

2,117

–

570

–

(599)

3c

5

1,084

2,082

3,423

4a 1,749

–

764

5,253

3,423

4d

743

–

2,672

–

1,711

–

1,022

4e

–

–

4c

7

–

3,423

–

1,577

1,577

–

24–

6,842

1,577

1,544

Budget1

3e,f

4d

5

4b

4,405

1,877 1,972

Notes

3a

3d

3c

1/7/15

to 30/6/16

196

1/7/15

to 12/5/16

–

571

92

3b 236

157

122

4,129 3e,f

40

9

1,362

3,372

2,176

10

2

1,544 (34)

1


The former Urana Shire Council

Statement of Financial Position as at 12 May 2016

$ ’000

ASSETS

Current assets

Cash and cash equivalents

Investments

Receivables

Inventories

Other

Non-current assets classified as ‘held for sale’

Total current assets

Non-current assets

Receivables

Inventories

Infrastructure, property, plant and equipment

Total non-current assets

TOTAL ASSETS

LIABILITIES

Current liabilities

Payables

Borrowings

Provisions

Liabilities associated with assets classified as ‘held for sale’

Total current liabilities

Non-current liabilities

Payables

Borrowings

Provisions

Investments accounted for using the equity method

Liabilities associated with assets classified as ‘held for sale’

Total non-current liabilities

TOTAL LIABILITIES

Net assets

EQUITY

Retained earnings

Revaluation reserves

Council equity interest

Non-controlling equity interests

Total equity

–

109,026

8

60

–

117,730

10

10

591

– 22

114,120

114,120

29,616

–

–

–

419

1,654

22

1,957

–

–

– –

109,026

–

10

9

10

1,063

111,695

111,635

6,488

–

392 10

5,757

–

11

572

62

–

–

87,927

303

22

419

1,394

975

–

303

84,504

43

–

624

117,730

117,730

–

114,120

–

20

29,803 20

6a

6b

10

7

8

19

Notes

7

8

7,992

12/5/16

–

32

2

1,416

6,544

115,514

30/6/15

Actual Actual

119,687

FEDERATION COUNCIL

Federation Council - Debt Recovery Policy Version 1 12/09/2016 Page 1

Title: DEBT RECOVERY AND FINANCIAL HARDSHIP POLICY

Council Adopted: 20 September 2016

Council Resolution No: 72/16FC

Responsible Department: Director Finance

Date to be Reviewed: 20 September 2017

1. Purpose The purpose of this policy is to:

1. Ensure effective control over all invoiced debts owed to Council. These include Rates, Accounts Receivable, Water, Sewerage and Trade Waste charges;

2. Fulfil the statutory requirements of both the Local Government Act, 1993 and Civil Procedure Act 2005 (and associated rules), for the recovery of rates and other debts;

3. Ensure the integrity and confidentiality of all proceedings for both the Council and its customers; and

4. Ensure a fair and equitable approach is taken with those persons suffering genuine

financial hardship.

2. Background Whilst some charges are a direct cost incurred for services provided, most rates and charges are

essential for Council to fund its services and facilities for our community.

3. Scope This policy applies to all debtors of Federation Council regardless of whether the debt is in

relation to ordinary rates, special rates, charges, fees or income from services provided.

This Debt Recovery Policy supports the procedures for Council staff to recover unpaid rates and

charges on behalf of Council, which includes procedures for outstanding Rates and Annual

Charges, Water, Sewer and Trade Waste Accounts and Accounts Receivable in relation to:

• Debt recovery

• Payment plans

• Proceeding with legal action

• Interest and other outstanding fees

• Hardship considerations; and

• Pensioners.

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Attachment 7.4.1

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FEDERATION COUNCIL

Federation Council - Debt Recovery Policy Version 1 12/09/2016 Page 2

4. Definitions “Reminder Notice Threshold” refers to a prima facie debt level that will trigger a particular course of action 12 days after the due date. This level is not mandatory and may be varied at Council’s discretion. “Eligible Pensioner” In relation to a rate or charge levied on land on which a dwelling is situated means a person:

1. Who is a member of a class of persons prescribed by the Local Government Regulations; and

2. Who occupies that dwelling as his or her sole or principal place of living.

“Principal Place of Living” The property that the ratepayer occupies as their sole or dominant

residence.

5. References & associated documents

a. Relevant Legislation

Local Government Act, 1993 (Section 560, 562, 566 and 713)

Civil Procedures Act 2005, No. 28

Local Government (General) Regulation 2005

Privacy & Personal Information Protection Act 1998

b. Relevant Council Policies/ Delegations / Procedures

Revenue Policy

Federation Staff Delegations

NOTE: This is a controlled document. If you are reading a printed copy please check that you have

the latest version by checking it on Councils Electronic Document system. Printed or downloaded

versions of this document are uncontrolled.

FEDERATION COUNCIL

Federation Council – Debt Recovery Procedure Version 1.0 September 2016 1

Title: DEBT RECOVERY AND HARDSHIP PROCEDURES

Council Adopted: 20 September 2016

Council Resolution No: 72/16FC

Responsible Department: Director Finance

Date to be Reviewed: 20 October 2017

Table of Contents 1. Debt Recovery for Rates and Charges......................................................................................... 2

2. Payment Plan .............................................................................................................................. 2

2.1 Part Payment........................................................................................................................... 2

2.2 Recovery of arrears in regular intervals ................................................................................. 2

2.3 Interest on amounts outstanding ........................................................................................... 2

2.4 Recovery Action ...................................................................................................................... 2

3. Legal Action ................................................................................................................................. 2

3.1 Escalation of recovery action .................................................................................................. 2

3.2 Writ of Execution – Seizure of goods to the value of debt ..................................................... 3

3.3 Garnishee of salary and rental payments ............................................................................... 3

4. Hardship ...................................................................................................................................... 4

4.1 Writing off Accrued Interest ................................................................................................... 4

4.2 Grounds for Hardship .............................................................................................................. 4

4.3 Hardship resulting from valuation changes ............................................................................ 4

4.4 Hardship Application Process ................................................................................................. 5

5. Special Provisions – Eligible Pensioner/s .................................................................................... 5

6. Debt Recovery Procedures for Water, Sewerage and Trade Waste Charges ............................ 5

6.1 Restrictions on the Flow of Water to the Property ................................................................ 5

6.2 Disconnection of Water to the Property ................................................................................ 5

7. Debt Recovery Procedures for Accounts Receivable .................................................................. 6

7.1 Accounts Receivable Invoices ................................................................................................. 6

7.2 Contribution to Capital Works (kerb and gutter) Invoices ...................................................... 6

7.3 Cessation of credit .................................................................................................................. 6

7.4 Legal Proceedings ................................................................................................................... 6

8. Development contributions ........................................................................................................ 7

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Attachment 7.4.2

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FEDERATION COUNCIL


1. Debt Recovery for Rates and Charges

Section 712 of the Local Government Act stipulates that proceedings for the recovery of a rate

or charge may be commenced at any time within 20 years from the date when the rate or

charge became due and payable.

2. Payment Plan

2.1 Part Payment Council is empowered under Section 564 of the Act to enter into a payment plan agreement

with a person to accept part payments of rates and charges due and payable by a person/s.

Recovery action for overdue rates will be suspended while the arrangement to pay is

complied with. All applicants under Section 564 shall be determined on the merits of each

individual case.

2.2 Recovery of arrears in regular intervals Payments under an agreement should be of regular amounts and be payable at regular

intervals not exceeding one month. The payments should be scheduled so as to ensure that

rates and charges together with any arrears from previous periods are paid in full by 30th June

of the financial year in which the rates are levied or at the earliest possible time dependent on

individual circumstances. No plan will be entered into which does not reduce the outstanding

arrears and also any ongoing current charges.

2.3 Interest on amounts outstanding Interest shall be added to amounts outstanding under an agreement as required by the Local

Government Act.

2.4 Recovery Action Where a ratepayer defaults on approved payment plan agreements, the agreement may be

terminated and the full amount of the outstanding rates and charges and accrued interest

shall be due and payable. Recovery action shall commence with no further notification from

Council, and may result Legal Action directly by Council Staff or referral to Council’s Debt

Collection Agency, if utilised.

3. Legal Action

3.1 Escalation of recovery action

If Council receives no response from the debtor after the due date for the Reminder Notice or,

defaults on a payment arrangement, Council may initiate legal action.

The prima facie “debt threshold” is used as a guideline for action initiation. This amount is

subject to annual review and is not mandatory, that is smaller amounts may also be pursued

on a discretionary basis in accordance with the delegation policy.

Legal action will be initiated by referring the account to Council’s Debt Collection Agency who

will send a Letter of Demand to the debtor. This letter gives the debtor at least ten days to

make either payment or an agreed arrangement before further action is taken.

FEDERATION COUNCIL


If payment or an arrangement has not been received by the due date stated on the Letter of

Demand then Council may authorise the Debt Collection Agency to issue and serve a

Summons (known as a “Statement of Liquidated Claim”). The debtor may, within 28 days of

the service of the Summons, lodge a defence to the claim made by Council. The debtor may

also choose (within the 28 days) to either make an agreed arrangement with Council or apply

to the Court to pay the debt by regular instalments.

3.2 Writ of Execution – Seizure of goods to the value of debt

If the debtor does not respond to the Summons within the set period, Council through the

Debt Collection Agency can apply for Default Judgement.

Once judgement is obtained, Council may authorise the Debt Collection Agency to proceed

with a “Writ of Execution” against the debtor. This will then enable the Sheriff to go to the

debtor’s property and seize goods to the estimated value of the debt and place them for sale

at public auction. If the property is rented by the owner this action may be avoided by taking

action under Section 569 of the Local Government act, 1993. Council will receive payment of

the debt either:

when the goods are sold, or

if the debtor settles payment at the Court beforehand.

The debtor, at this time, may apply for an “Instalment Order” by declaring their assets and

liabilities; income and expenditure to the Court, and requesting payment be made to Council

via a nominal weekly or monthly amount. If Council is not satisfied with this arrangement, it

may lodge an objection to the Instalment Order and apply under the Civil Procedures Act,

2005, for the seizure of goods to be recommenced by the Sheriff.

3.3 Garnishee of salary and rental payments

When proceeding with a Writ of Execution Council has the option of recovering the debt via a

garnishee against the debtor’s salary.

Any legal expenses incurred by Council from the recovery of outstanding rates and charges

will be charged against the debtor under the Civil Procedures Act 2005.

Under Section 569 of the Local Government Act Federation may exercise the option to

garnishee rent if the rateable property is let by the debtor to a tenant. This action may be

taken if the debtor:

a. is a resident outside of New South Wales; or

b. is unknown to Council; or

c. has not been served in any legal proceedings for the recovery of the rate or

charge after reasonable efforts have been made by or on behalf of the Council to

effect service; or

d. becomes bankrupt, applies to take the benefit of any law for the relief of

bankrupt or insolvent debtors, compounds with his or her creditors or makes an

assignment of his or her remuneration for their benefit; or

e. dies; or

f. has a judgement given against him or her for the amount of the rate or charge.

FEDERATION COUNCIL


A Notice must be served on the tenant under this Section before the garnishee can be

attempted.

Where rates have been overdue for a minimum of five years, Council will exercise the option

to sell the debtor’s property under Section 713 of the Local Government Act for unpaid rates.

4. Hardship

4.1 Writing off Accrued Interest

Overdue rates shall be increased in accordance with Section 566 of the Local Government Act,

at the rate of interest adopted by Council each year. Under the provisions of Section 567 of

the Act, ratepayers who have complied with the conditions of an agreement made under

Section 564 of the Act can apply to have the accrued interest written off by Council where

they can demonstrate that:

They were unable to pay the rates or charges when they became due and payable

for reasons beyond the person’s control; or

They are unable to pay the accrued interest for reasons beyond the person’s

control; or

Payment of the accrued interest would cause the person hardship.

Applications for writing off accrued interest shall be determined on the merits of each

individual case on the basis of whether or not the hardship criteria have been satisfied by the

applicant and a proper opinion can be formed.

4.2 Grounds for Hardship

Consideration will be given to cases of hardship only on the following grounds:

Terminal illness – consideration will be given to waiving interest on rate and water

accounts for a specific term.

Temporary illness – consideration will be given to waiving interest on rate and

water accounts for a specific term.

Natural disasters (bushfire, flooding, and drought) consideration will be given to waiving

Interest for rates and water accounts for a specific term. Details of the extent of the losses will

be required.

4.3 Hardship resulting from valuation changes

Under Section 601 of the Act which relates to Hardship resulting from certain valuation

changes, Council has discretion to defer the payment of the whole or any part of the increase

in the amount of the rate payable by the ratepayer, for such period and subject to such

conditions as it thinks fit. Council will not waive or reduce whole or any part of the increase.

FEDERATION COUNCIL


4.4 Hardship Application Process

All applications for hardship are to be made by filling out the Federation Council “Hardship

Application Form” available from the Council website or by contacting Council offices. In the first

instance, the Finance Manager, Director Finance and Revenue Officer, under delegated authority

from the General Manager, will give consideration to cases of hardship and the waiving of

interest on the merits of each case using the guidelines outlined in the Act.

5. Special Provisions – Eligible Pensioner/s

Eligible pensioners shall be required to pay the amounts of rates remaining following any

statutory reduction in rates required under the Act. Such amounts shall be paid by the due

date.

Under Section 575 of the Local Government Act 1993 Council may provide relief to eligible

pensioners who are unable to pay rates and charges or accrued interest where an application

is made to Council demonstrating that non-payment is because of reasons beyond their

control or where payment may case hardship

6. Debt Recovery Procedures for Water, Sewerage and Trade Waste Charges

6.1 Restrictions on the Flow of Water to the Property

After expiration of 14 days for payment on a Final Notice a Restriction Fee may be raised and

an Intent to Restrict Notice issued.

The service of an Intent to Restrict Notice will be posted to the property. In those instances

the Notice will be mailed to the mailing address and a copy served at the property to the

occupier.

After expiration of seven days for payment on an Intent to Restrict Notice, a written

instruction will be given to the Federation Water Supply Technician to restrict supply.

Restriction will be made by the fitting of a restriction device but so as to make available a

nominal supply (approximately two litres per minute).

6.2 Disconnection of Water to the Property

After expiration of three calendar months from the billing date an Intent to Disconnect Notice

may be issued, which also incurs a fee. An Intent to Disconnect Notice should only be

considered for Residential properties, where all alternate measures have been exhausted. All

Notices of Intent to Disconnect must be discussed with the Director prior to being instigated.

The service of an Intent to Disconnect Notice will be by hand delivery to the property, except

where the mailing address is not the property. In those instances the Notice will be mailed to

the mailing address and a copy served at the property to the occupier.

After the expiration of seven days for payment on an Intent to Disconnect Notice, a Water

Supply Disconnection Fee will be raised and written instruction given to the Federation Water

Supply Technician to disconnect the supply.

FEDERATION COUNCIL


7. Debt Recovery Procedures for Accounts Receivable

7.1 Accounts Receivable Invoices

Council will generally only raise Accounts Receivable invoices for amounts of $20 or greater.

All accounts are strictly 30 days from the date of invoice.

Council may negotiate deferred payments for specific accounts as required for commercial

arrangements.

Monthly statements are to be forwarded to Debtors. Outstanding amounts of more than 30

days are to be regarded as overdue. A list of accounts with outstanding balances of over 30

days will be reviewed with the Business unit responsible for the raising of the debt for review.

The Director may authorise in writing to the Finance Manager the holding of legal action for

recovery of the overdue amount.

7.2 Contribution to Capital Works (kerb and gutter) Invoices

Where Council has invoiced for improvements to kerb and guttering ratepayers will be

granted the option to pay by instalments over a period of six months before interest will be

charged.

7.3 Cessation of credit

Where amounts are outstanding for more than 60 days, credit will cease. Credit facilities may

be ceased earlier than 60 days at the authorised officer’s discretion. Credit will only be

reactivated when payment has been made in full.

If Council does not receive payment within 14 days after the issue of the monthly statement,

and the account is more than $20, Council will send a Reminder Notice to the debtor. This

Reminder Notice gives the debtor a summary of the outstanding debt and a further 14 days to

pay the account.

If Council does not receive payment within the 14 day period stated on the Reminder Notice, a

Final Notice will issue giving a further seven days to pay the account before legal action for

recovery will be initiated against the debtor.

7.4 Legal Proceedings

If Council does not receive payment within the seven day period as stated on the Reminder

Notice, legal proceedings will be commenced. The procedures for legal action against

Accounts Receivable will follow those outlined in point 3 under the debt recovery procedures

for rates and charges.

This procedure will not apply to amounts due from Government Departments and such

amounts shall be recovered by direct liaison action with the Government Department direct.

Delegated write offs may take place and the delegations for authority shall be adhered to in

these cases. A review of these accounts will entail Council’s Trust Register Listing.

FEDERATION COUNCIL


The Accounts Receivable procedures are to apply to all of Council’s external sites with all

information recorded and processed through the central system.

8. Development contributions

Development contributions charges become payable when an application to build a dwelling

or multiple dwellings and/or subdivision application has been submitted to Council for

approval. Conditions of consent of both these forms of development are subject to the

payment of a development contribution charge and the issue of the occupation certificate and

or subdivision certificate is not issued until payment has been received.

NOTE: This is a controlled document. If you are reading a printed copy please check that you have

the latest version by checking it on Councils Electronic Document system. Printed or downloaded

versions of this document are uncontrolled.

FEDERATION COUNCIL QUARTERLY BUDGET REVIEW

For the period ended 30 September 2016

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Attachment 7.5.1

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Federation Council Quarterly Budget Review Statement

for the period 01/07/16 to 30/09/16

Table of Contents page

1. Responsible Accounting Officer's Statement 1

2. Income & Expenses Budget Review Statement's

- Consolidated Funds 2

- General Fund 3

- Water Fund 4

- Sewer Fund 5

- Domestic Waste Fund 6

- Stronger Communities Fund 7

- Activity Consolidated Funds 8

- Variation Details 9

3. Capital Budget Review Statement



4. Cash & Investments Budget Review Statement



5. Contracts & Other Expenses Budget Review Statement 14



Report by Responsible Accounting Officer

The following statement is made in accordance with Clause 203(2) of the Local Government (General)

Regulations 2005:

It is my opinion that the Quarterly Budget Review Statement for Federation Council

for the quarter ended 30/09/16 indicates that Council’s projected financial position at 30/6/17 will be

satisfactory at year end, having regard to the projected estimates of income and expenditure

and the original budgeted income and expenditure.

Signed: date: 8/11/2016

Shane Norman

Responsible Accounting Officer

Page 1



Income & Expenses Budget Review Statement

Budget review for the quarter ended 30 September 2016

Income & Expenses - Council Consolidated

Original Revised Variations Projected Actual

($000's) Budget Carry Other than Budget for this Year End YTD

2016/17 Forwards by QBRS 2016/17 Sep Qtr Result figures

Income

Rates and Annual Charges 13,594 - - 13,594 - 13,594 9,204

User Charges and Fees 6,730 - - 6,730 - 6,730 1,463

Interest and Investment Revenues 792 - - 792 - 792 206

Other Revenues 3,077 - - 3,077 - 3,077 650

Grants & Contributions - Operating 16,267 - - 16,267 - 16,267 6,670

Grants & Contributions - Capital 14,375 - - 14,375 - 14,375 10,307

Net gain from disposal of assets 32 - - 32 - 32 -

Total Income from Continuing Operations 54,867 - - 54,867 - 54,867 28,500

Expenses

Employee Costs 10,433 - - 10,433 - 10,433 2,561

Borrowing Costs 312 - - 312 - 312 -

Materials & Contracts 13,672 - - 13,672 - 13,672 3,133

Depreciation 8,486 - - 8,486 - 8,486 2,119

Other Expenses 2,146 - - 2,146 - 2,146 906

Interest & Investment Losses - - - - - - -

Net Loss from disposal of assets - - - - - - -

Total Expenses from Continuing Operations 35,049 - - 35,049 - 35,049 8,719

Net Operating Result from Continuing Operations 19,818 - - 19,818 - 19,818 19,781

Discontinued Operations - Surplus/(Deficit) - -

Net Operating Result from All Operations 19,818 - - 19,818 - 19,818 19,781

Net Operating Result before Capital Items 5,443 - - 5,443 - 5,443 9,474

Notes

Approved Changes

This statement forms part of Council's Quarterly Budget Review Statement (QBRS) for the quarter ended 30/09/2016 and should be read in conjuction with the total QBRS report Page 2





Income & Expenses - General Fund




Income


User Charges and Fees 2,366 - - 2,366 - 2,366 812


Other Revenues 3,047 - - 3,047 - 3,047 642


Grants & Contributions - Capital 4,275 - - 4,275 - 4,275 294

Net gain from disposal of assets 32 - - 32 - 32


Expenses

Employee Costs 8,393 - - 8,393 - 8,393 2,030


Materials & Contracts 5,769 - - 5,769 - 5,769 1,839

Depreciation 6,561 - - 6,561 - 6,561 1,626

Other Expenses 2,119 - - 2,119 - 2,119 900








Approved ChangesNotes






Income & Expenses - Water Fund




Income

Rates and Annual Charges 734 - - 734 - 734 8

User Charges and Fees 3,759 - - 3,759 - 3,759 455


Other Revenues 15 - - 15 - 15 5

Grants & Contributions - Operating 63 - - 63 - 63 -

Grants & Contributions - Capital 50 - - 50 - 50 3

Net gain from disposal of assets - - - - - - -

Total Income from Continuing Operations 4,824 - - 4,824 - 4,824 532

Expenses

Employee Costs 1,120 - - 1,120 - 1,120 259

Borrowing Costs - - - - - - -

Materials & Contracts 2,014 - - 2,014 - 2,014 433

Depreciation 988 - - 988 - 988 272

Other Expenses - - - - - - -



Total Expenses from Continuing Operations 4,122 - - 4,122 - 4,122 964

Net Operating Result from Continuing Operations 702 - - 702 - 702 (432)


Net Operating Result from All Operations 702 - - 702 - 702 (432)

Net Operating Result before Capital Items 652 - - 652 - 652 (435)







Income & Expenses - Sewer Fund




Income

Rates and Annual Charges 3,735 - - 3,735 - 3,735 176

User Charges and Fees 605 - - 605 - 605 196


Other Revenues 15 - - 15 - 15 3


Grants & Contributions - Capital 50 - - 50 - 50 10


Total Income from Continuing Operations 4,687 - - 4,687 - 4,687 426

Expenses

Employee Costs 843 - - 843 - 843 250



Depreciation 936 - - 936 - 936 221

Other Expenses 6 - - 6 - 6 6




Net Operating Result from Continuing Operations 1,138 - - 1,138 - 1,138 (417)


Net Operating Result from All Operations 1,138 - - 1,138 - 1,138 (417)

Net Operating Result before Capital Items 1,088 - - 1,088 - 1,088 (427)


This statement forms part of Council's Quarterly Budget Review Statement (QBRS) for the quarter ended 30/09/2016and should be read in conjuction with the total QBRS report Page 5





Income & Expenses - Domestic Waste




Income


User Charges and Fees - - - - - - -

Interest and Investment Revenues 2 - - 2 - 2 -

Other Revenues - - - - - - -


Grants & Contributions - Capital - - - - - - -



Expenses

Employee Costs 77 - - 77 - 77 22



Depreciation 1 - - 1 - 1 -

Other Expenses 21 - - 21 - 21 -




Net Operating Result from Continuing Operations (308) - - (308) - (308) 1,214


Net Operating Result from All Operations (308) - - (308) - (308) 1,214

Net Operating Result before Capital Items (308) - - (308) - (308) 1,214







Income & Expenses - Implementation & Stronger Communities




Income

Rates and Annual Charges - - - - - - -

User Charges and Fees - - - - - - -

Interest and Investment Revenues - - - - - - -

Other Revenues - - - - - - -


Grants & Contributions - Capital 10,000 - - 10,000 - 10,000 10,000

Net gain from disposal of assets - - - - - -


Expenses

Employee Costs - - - - - - -



Depreciation - - - - - - -

Other Expenses - - - - - - -














Income & Expenses - Council Consolidated




Income

General Purpose 12,999 - - 12,999 - 12,999 8,270

Administration 2,815 - - 2,815 - 2,815 659

Public Order & Safety 379 - - 379 - 379 51

Health 17 - - 17 - 17 9

Environment 2,278 - - 2,278 - 2,278 2,048

Community Services & Education 258 - - 258 - 258 66

Housing & Community Amenities 437 - - 437 - 437 120

Water Supplies 4,824 - - 4,824 - 4,824 529

Sewer Supplies 4,687 - - 4,687 - 4,687 416

Recreation & Culture 1,138 - - 1,138 - 1,138 34

Manufacturing & Construction 381 - - 381 - 381 85

Transport & Communication 6,904 - - 6,904 - 6,904 819

Economic Affairs 2,750 - - 2,750 - 2,750 394

Implementation & Stronger Communities 15,000 - - 15,000 - 15,000 15,000


Expenses

Governance 626 - - 626 - 626 131

Administration 4,232 - - 4,232 - 4,232 1,461

Public Order & Safety 834 - - 834 - 834 328

Health 239 - - 239 - 239 50

Environment 3,071 - - 3,071 - 3,071 675

Community Services & Education 551 - - 551 - 551 68

Housing & Community Amenities 1,220 - - 1,220 - 1,220 198

Water Supplies 4,122 - - 4,122 - 4,122 964

Sewer Supplies 3,550 - - 3,550 - 3,550 848

Recreation & Culture 2,926 - - 2,926 - 2,926 632

Manufacturing & Construction 1,764 - - 1,764 - 1,764 480

Transport & Communication 8,290 - - 8,290 - 8,290 2,334

Economic Affairs 1,124 - - 1,124 - 1,124 316

Implementation & Stronger Communities 2,500 - - 2,500 - 2,500 234





Net Operating Result before Capital Items 5,443 5,443 5,443 9,474






Recommended changes to revised budget

Budget Variations being recommended include the following material items:

Notes Details

Nil

Page 9



Capital Budget Review Statement


Capital Budget - Council Consolidated




Capital Expenditure

New Assets

- Plant & Equipment 5 - - 5 - 5 -

- Land & Buildings 160 - - 160 - 160 53

- Other 2,700 - - 2,700 - 2,700 23

Renewal Assets (Replacement)

- Plant & Equipment 1,154 - - 1,154 - 1,154 142

- Land & Buildings 5,555 312 - 5,867 - 5,867 147

- Roads, Bridges, Footpaths 7,674 560 - 8,234 - 8,234 935

- Drainage 1,503 25 - 1,528 - 1,528 51

- Water Infrastructure 2,672 238 - 2,910 - 2,910 261

- Sewer Infrastructure 1,660 86 - 1,746 - 1,746 89

- Stronger Communities 2,000 - - 2,000 - 2,000 61

Loan Repayments (Principal) 89 - - 89 - 89 -

Total Capital Expenditure 25,172 1,221 - 26,393 - 26,393 1,762

Capital Funding

Rates & Other Untied Funding 8,758 - - 8,758 - 8,758 -

Capital Grants & Contributions 6,375 - - 6,375 - 6,375 2,307

Reserves:

- External Restrictions/Reserves - 324 - 324 - 324 -

- Internal Restrictions/Reserves 2,205 897 - 3,102 - 3,102 -

New Loans 2,000 - - 2,000 - 2,000 -

Receipts from Sale of Assets

- Plant & Equipment 32 - - 32 - 32 -

- Land & Buildings - - - - - - -

Total Capital Funding 19,370 1,221 - 20,591 - 20,591 2,307

Net Capital Funding - Surplus/(Deficit) (5,802) - - (5,802) - (5,802) 545





Capital Budget Review Statement



Notes Details

Nil

Page 11



Cash & Investments Budget Review Statement


Cash & Investments - Council Consolidated




Externally Restricted (1)

Developer Contributions - General 435 - - 435 - 435 435

Developer Contributions - Water 220 - - 220 - 220 220

Developer Contributions - Sewer 177 - - 177 - 177 177

Water Supplies 6,298 (238) - 6,060 - 6,060 7,654

Sewerage Services 6,928 (86) - 6,842 - 6,842 5,969

Domestic Waste 70 - - 70 - 70 335

Implementation & Stronger Communities Fund 10,500 - - 10,500 - 10,500 14,769

Total Externally Restricted 24,628 (324) - 24,304 - 24,304 29,559

(1) Funds that must be spent for a specific purpose

Internally Restricted (2)

Plant & Vehicle Replacement 951 - - 951 - 951 951

Employees Leave Entitlement 976 - - 976 - 976 976

Carry Over Works 1,202 (897) - 305 - 305 643

Building / Office Equipment 601 - - 601 - 601 601

Gravel Pits Restoration 435 - - 435 - 435 435

Cemetery Improvement 31 - - 31 - 31 31

Economic Development 94 - - 94 - 94 94

Insurance 200 - - 200 - 200 200

Waste Management 575 - - 575 - 575 575

Total Internally Restricted 5,065 (897) - 4,168 - 4,168 4,506

(2) Funds that Council has earmarked for a specific purpose

Unrestricted (ie. available after the above Restrictions) 4,277 - - 4,277 - 4,277 8,462

Total Cash & Investments 33,970 (1,221) - 32,749 - 32,749 42,527





Cash & Investments Budget Review Statement

Investments

Investments have been invested in accordance with Council's Investment Policy.

Cash

The Cash at Bank figure included in the Cash & Investment Statement totals $42,527

This Cash at Bank amount has been reconciled to Council's physical Bank Statements.

The date of completion of this bank reconciliation is 01/10/16

Reconciliation Status

The YTD Cash & Investment figure reconciles to the actual balances held as follows:

Cash at Bank (as per bank statements)

Inevstments on Hand

less: Unpresented Cheques

add: Undeposited Funds

Reconciled Cash at Bank & Investments

Balance as per Review Statement:

Difference:



Notes Details

Nil

-

42,527

42,527

$ 000's

(Timing Difference)

1,014

41,505

(5)

13

(Timing Difference)

Page 13



Contracts Budget Review Statement


Part A - Contracts Listing - contracts entered into during the quarter

Contract Start Duration Budgeted Notes

Contractor Contract detail & purpose Value Date of Contract (Y/N)

Barro Group Pty Ltd Gravel for Merton Rd & Redlands Rd 109,272 01/07/16 2mths Y

Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd Reseal Works as per LGP213 Contract 170,798 01/07/16 1mth Y

Boral Construction Materials Gravel for Spring Dr & Freyer Rd Intersection 75,995 01/07/16 1mth Y

Notes:

1. Minimum reporting level is 1% of estimated income from continuing operations of Council or $50,000 - whatever is the lesser.

2. Contracts listed are those entered into during the quarter being reported and exclude contractors on Council's Preferred Supplier list.

3. Contracts for employment are not required to be included.


Documents

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