TATIARA DISTRICT COUNCIL 2015/16 Annual Report€¦ · 2015/16 Annual Report. Our Vision, Mission & Values Message from the Mayor. Meet the Elected Members Area Profile. From the

To make the Tatiara a better and safer place in which to live, work and visit

TATIARA DISTRICT COUNCIL2015/16 Annual Report

Our Vision, Mission & ValuesMessage from the MayorMeet the Elected MembersArea ProfileFrom the Chief Executive Officer Partnering with our Community - Section 41 Committee ReportsGovernance & AdministrationDelivering Services to our CommunityFrom our Technical Services DepartmentFrom our Development DepartmentFinancial ReportLimestone Coast Local Government Association (LCLGA)

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Contents

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Temply Annual Report 2015 Tatiara District Council - 2015/16 Annual Report 3

OUR VISION To be a progressive and well managed Council that works closely with its various communities.

OUR MISSION To make the Tatiara a better and safer place in which to live, work and visit.

OUR VALUES • We value rigorous debate conducted by well informed Council

Members.• We facilitate socially and environmentally responsible

development.• We will display leadership and reflect community aspirations.• We believe in transparency and accountability. • We value respect and loyalty.

Our Vision, Mission and Values

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The Autumn season has started well. Our agricultural industry is looking forward to a good year in 2016/17.

Notable Events

Mundulla won the top State Award in the KESAB awards, winning the 2015 KESAB Sustainable Communities Award – Best Small Town. Mundulla represented South Australia at the Keep Australia Beautiful National Tidy Towns Awards in Toodyay, Western Australia. Whilst they were not the National winner, they were awarded the Community Action and Wellbeing award. The Keith Diesel & Dirt Derby event is the biggest event we have in the Tatiara. I con-gratulate Keith on holding such a success-ful event which is getting bigger and better each year.

Other notable events held in the Tatiara were:

• Rural Womens’ Gathering – Bordertown • CWA Annual Conference – Bordertown• Keith & Mundulla Shows• Bordertown Spring Festival • Tatiara State Go Karting Championships

- Bordertown • SA Cutting Horse Championships –

Mundulla

Padthaway hosted the 2016 Australia Day Celebrations and welcomed our Australia Day Ambassador, David Malinda. It was an excellent function and everyone enjoyed the warm weather and celebrations. Con-gratulations to the Padthaway community for holding such a successful event.

The Citizen of the Year was awarded to joint winners:

• Rosemarie Hayes from Padthaway• Glen Simpson from Keith

The Young Citizen of the Year was award-ed to Georgie Cornford of Keith.

The Community Event of the Year was shared between:

• Bordertown SA Rural Womens’ Gathering

• Keith Art Group 60th Anniversary Celebrations

Volunteer Functions were again held across the district in the month of May at Padthaway, Bordertown and Keith.

The winners were as follows:

• Brendon Jones – Keith• Cloreen Meecham – Keith• Carol Shakes – Padthaway• Colin Gregson – Padthaway• Sonia Sharpe – Bordertown• Suzanne Merrett – Bordertown

Congratulations again to all award recipients. Your time is very much appreciated.

During this year we continue to perform Citizenship Ceremonies. It is very rewarding to see the excitement of these applicants on becoming Australian citizens and we are proud of the commitment they have made to Australia and their community.

I was also privileged to help celebrate the milestones of 100th birthdays to Jessie Clarke from Bordertown and Estelle Simpson and Gertie Gittens from Keith. The Bordertown Men’s Shed celebrated their official opening which is a great achievement for this group.

2015/16 was a trying year for agriculture in our district. We ended the financial year facing a dry spring which is the second dry year in a row, a very unusual event. It has had a devastating effect on our cereal growers, however stock pricese have held up well with beef reaching an all time high. Our irrigators have had an excellent year pricewise and yield wise. Lucerne hay and seed have given great results.

Message from the Mayor

5Tatiara District Council - 2015/16 Annual Report

Along with Minister Zoe Bettison and Member for Barker, Tony Pasin, I attended the opening of the revamped Bordertown Australian Migrant Resource Centre. The centre’s hours have now been extended to 30 hours per week which provides the newly appointed MRC Officer, Tracey Grosser, with an increased opportunity to help our migrant community.

Industry

Keith Farmers Centre opened their new premises in Heritage Street. The new showroom has a great frontage to the town.

The Border Chronicle newspaper unfortunately closed their doors after many years of operation. The paper is now produced from the offices of the Naracoorte Herald.

JBS have scaled down to one shift, processing 5,000 lambs per day, reducing their staff numbers by 118. They have assured us they are here for the long run and this has reduced the pressure on our housing shortage.

A new NBN tower was erected in Mundulla and installation has commenced in Keith and Bordertown. Many households are now enjoying the new faster internet service that NBN can deliver.

Budget Process

In 2015/16 Council reduced its General rate income by 4.42%. During budget deliberations for 2016/17 it was resolved to have a zero rate increase. This has placed pressure on the staff to draw up a balanced budget which they have achieved. I thank the CEO and his staff for their hard work in achieving this.

Council has introduced green bins to town households to save the costs associated with transporting green waste to Murray Bridge to become part of landfill. As this has resulted in a saving in freight we have not increased the rubbish collection fee for residents.

In closing I would like to thank my fellow Councillors, the CEO and staff of the Tatiara District Council for their help and guidance in helping us to maintain “The Good Country”.

Graham EXCELLMayor

6 Tatiara District Council - 2015/16 Annual Report

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Robert MockDeputy Mayor

PO Box 475, Bordertown SA 5268

Ph: 8752-2743 Fax: 8752-0843

Mobile: 0429 944 213

Email: [email protected]

Liz GoossensChairman - Development & Strategic Planning Committee

PO Box 62, Mundulla SA 5270

Ph: 8753-4041 Fax: 8753-4041

Mobile: 0448 292 821


Graham ExcellMayor

PO Box 57, Mundulla SA 5270

Ph: 8753-4096 Fax: 8753-4096

Mobile: 0428 534 096


David Edwards Chairman - Administration & Finance Committee (Jul-Nov)17 Buik Street, Bordertown SA 5268

Ph: 8752-0608 Fax: 8765-5073

Mobile: 0413 601 283


Tatiara District Council - 2015/16 Annual Report

Meet the Elected Members

Miles Hannemann Area Councillor PO Box 53, Keith SA 5267

Ph: 8756-7043 Fax: 8756-7038

Mobile: 0429 952 327


Mark MurphyArea Councillor C/- Post Office, Padthaway SA 5271

Ph: 8765-5025 Fax: 8765-5245

Mobile: 0408 055 025


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Jamie JacksonChairman - Engineering Committee3258 Riddoch Highway, Willalooka SA 5267

Ph: 8757-8276 Fax: 8757-8276

Mobile: 0427 799 504


Ken McInerneyChairman - Administration & Finance Committee (Nov-Jun)19 Haynes Street, Bordertown SA 5268

Ph: 8752-0091 Fax: 8752-0510

Mobile: 0407 793 938


Maureen Oliver Area Councillor

PO Box 354, Keith SA 5267

Ph: 8755-3384 Fax: 8755-1643

Mobile: 0428 164 691


Diana Penniment Area Councillor

PO Box 177, Bordertown SA 5268

Ph: 8752-0403 Fax: 8752-0654

Mobile: 0419 546 037



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Local Government CommitteesLOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION OF SA

Mayor Excell - Voting DelegateCr Robert Mock - Voting Delegate (proxy)

LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCE AUTHORITY SA Mayor Excell - Voting Delegate

Limestone Coast Local Government

Association Committees

LIMESTONE COAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION

Mayor Graham ExcellCr Robert Mock (proxy)

Cr Diana Penniment (proxy)

LIMESTONE COAST DIVERSIFICATION GROUP

Mayor Graham Excell

LIMESTONE COAST COORONG COASTAL MANAGEMENT GROUP

Cr Robert Mock

ROADS & TRANSPORT SUBCOMMITTEE Cr Jamie Jackson

Section 41 Council Committees

TATIARA COUNCIL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Mayor Graham ExcellCr Robert MockCr Liz Goossens

Cr Jamie JacksonCr Ken McInerney

TATIARA COUNCIL AUDIT COMMITTEE

Cr Robert MockCr Liz Goossens

Cr Ken McInerneyIndependent Members:

S WinterJ Ker

TATIARA ROAD SAFETY GROUPCr Liz Goossens

KEITH INSTITUTE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Cr Maureen Oliver

TATIARA CIVIC CENTRE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Cr Robert MockCr Diana Penniment

TATIARA MIGRANT SETTLEMENT COMMITTEE

Cr Liz Goossens

External Committees

KEITH COMMUNIT Y LIBR ARY Cr Maureen Oliver

KEITH GYMNASIUM COMMITTEECr Jamie Jackson

BORDERTOWN HIGH SCHOOL EQUIPMENT FUND

Cr Diana Penniment

BORDERTOWN HOSPITAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Cr Diana Penniment

TATIARA EMPLOYMENT SOLUTIONS Cr Diana Penniment

Council Subcommittees

BORDERTOWN SWIMMING POOL Cr Diana Penniment

TATIARA TOURISM GROUPCr Liz Goossens

KEITH URBAN DEVELOPMENT Cr Maureen Oliver

Cr Miles Hannemann

PLANT & MACHINERYCr Jamie Jackson

Cr Miles HannemannCr Mark Murphy

BORDERTOWN ON THE MOVECr Ken McInerney

Cr Diana Penniment

Elected Members Committee Roles

Independent Panel

DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT PANELCr Liz Goossens

Cr David Edwards


Tatiara District Council - 2015/16 Annual Report 10

Area Profile The Tatiara District Council is one of the largest Local Government Areas in South Australia (6,525 square kms). We are located in the Limestone Coast (Upper South East) region of South Australia and have the main service centres of Bordertown and Keith and the three smaller townships of Mundulla, Wolseley and Padthaway. Also includes the smaller rural communities of Willalooka, Wirrega and Western Flat.

Elected Body

Council consists of a Mayor elected by the electors and 9 Elected Members elected from across the district.

Prior to November 2014 Council had 10 Councillors, 1 of whom was elected Mayor by the Councillors.

Elected Members

Mayor Graham ExcellCr David EdwardsCr Liz GoossensCr Miles HannemannCr Jamie JacksonCr Ken McInerneyCr Robert MockCr Mark MurphyCr Maureen OliverCr Diana Penniment


BORDERTOWN

2,549

PADTHAWAY (EST.)

150

MUNDULLA

420

KEITH1,069

RURAL AREA

2,357

WOLSELEY (EST.)

150

District Population


327kmState Roads

Council Owned Facilities

Council owns a number of buildings and structures throughout the dis-trict and is responsible for managing many parcels of crown land. Since the introduction of the Local Government Act 1999, Council staff are considering the requirements of the Act relating to its community land and have prepared management plans for this land.

Major community facilities include:

• Tatiara Civic Centre which includes Council Office, Chamber, Art Gallery, Library, Hall and Theatre.

• Bordertown Over 50’s Clubrooms• Bordertown and Keith Swimming Pools• Keith and Bordertown Council Works Depots• Bordertown Saleyards• Keith Institute • Older Bordertown School Building• Recreation Grounds and Buildings at Wolseley• Wirrega Council Chamber• Showgrounds at Bordertown, Keith and Mundulla.1,947km

Council roads and streets

Council Assists:

Sporting Groups

Community Organisations


There are many community run facilities on Council controlled land but they are not included on Council’s Asset Register eg. basketball stadiums, football clubrooms, racing club, tennis courts etc.

Council Conducts• Australia Day Awards• Volunteer Awards• Citizenship Ceremonies

Council Provides and Maintains • Roads, footpaths and kerbing• Traffic control and street closures• Parking bays and carparks• Street lighting • Street tree planting • Public toilets• Seats and signs• Library facilities • Parks, gardens and reserve areas• Waste water management schemes• Information to visitors

Council Inspects and Licences• Food premises• Nursing/Rest Homes• Sanitary conditions of buildings

Council Administers • Parking• Signage • Litter Control• Waste removal• Building and planning regulations• Development Plan• Dog control and registration• Immunisation programs• Home and community care• Fire prevention

Council Advises On• Infectious diseases• Pool hygiene• Pest eradication

Council’s AuditorGalpins Accountants Auditors and Business Consultants3 Kensington RoadNorwood SA 5067

Council’s Banking Corporation ANZ84 Woolshed StreetBordertown SA 5268

CAPITAL VALUATION OF RATEABLE LANDResidential Industrial Commercial Land Use in Residential Industrial Commercial Zones $ 373,557,300

Primary Industry Land Use in Residential Industrial Commercial Zones $892,800

Residential Land Use in Rural Living Zone $53,359,500

Industrial Commercial Land Use in Rural Living Zones $1,526,000

Primary Industry Land Use in Rural Living Zones $7,590,500

Residential Industrial Commercial Land Use in Primary Industry Zones $34,259,015

Primary Industry Land Use in Primary Industry Zones $1,101,378,985

SUB TOTAL $1,572,564,100

Non-rateable $31,892,500

TOTAL $1,603,456,600


From the Chief Executive Officer

2015/16 was another very busy, eventful and successful year for Tatiara District Council.

This Annual Report includes some of those successes and it recognises those who helped make them happen. The Tatiara is a successful district due to the enormous input and contributions from our volunteers, the general community, our elected members and our Council staff.

We especially congratulate:

• Our Australia Day Citizens of the Year in Glen Simpson and Rosemarie Hayes and our Young Citizen of the Year Georgie Cornford.

• Our Volunteer award recipients in Sonia Sharpe, Cloreen Meecham, Sue Merrett, Carol Shakes, Brendon Jones and Colin Gregson.

These awards were presented at dinners at Bordertown, Keith and Padthaway in May to recognise the tremendous work that our many volunteers do.

Our district economy relies heavily on the success of our farming community. Rainfall in 2015 was again well below average which caused problems for farmers in parts of our district. Council recognised the 2 years of very dry conditions by cutting general rates in 2015/16 by 4.4% and by having a zero general rate increase in 2016/17. Good news for the district was the much wetter start in 2016 with average to above average rainfall.

Other positive news for the district included:

• An unemployment rate much lower than the SE and the SA average.

• A lower Australian dollar helping our export businesses.

• The price of diesel and petrol remained at lower levels.

• NBN broadband became available at Mundulla and parts of Bordertown with works commencing on connecting Keith and the main area of Bordertown.

• A number of our overseas workers are becoming Australian citizens with several building new homes.

• Mundulla was named SA’s top Sustainable Community in the 2015 KESAB awards. They then represented SA at Toodyay in WA at the Australian Tidy town awards where they won the Community Action and Wellbeing award.

Mayor Graham Excell is 2 years into his 4 year term as Tatiara’s Mayor. Council’s other executive members are Robert Mock, Deputy Mayor, Ken McInerney, Chair of Administration & Finance, Jamie Jackson, Engineering Committee Chair and Liz Goossens, Chair of Development & Strategic Planning.

Council continues to strive to improve its community consultation processes, which included:

• Council meetings again being held at Padthaway and Keith.

• Community consultation sessions at the towns of Keith, Bordertown, Mundulla, Wolseley and Padthaway in April.

• Residents during the year were invited to comment on:



o Council’s Draft Annual Business Plan and draft 2016/17 budget. o Any lease of community land or road reserve o A proposed upgrade to the Bordertown wildlife Park o The Dry Zone in the Bordertown CBD o Proposal to revoke Community land in Bordertown adjacent the hospital o Parks and Gardens Asset Management Plan o 6 Draft By-laws o Residents having the opportunity to have their say at the community forum at the start of each Council meeting. o Council’s Website (www.tatiara.sa.gov.au) and Facebook sites are continually updated with interesting and relevant information about Council activities and policies.

We continued working on the development of long term Asset Management Plans and a Long Term Financial Plan. Initial results indicate that Council has a lot of work to do to maintain its as-set base but is well positioned financially to do so. Council has the continual challenge of find-ing a balance between what the Community needs and wants and what Council can afford to provide.

A very successful relationship with Coorong Council continues in the environmental management area. We contribute financially to assist fund their staff with environmental skills and knowledge. Tatiara now has a Local Action Plan and funds are available for local projects

with an emphasis on protecting Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation. Council continued to allocate funds to maintaining and upgrading its road network taking advantage of Government grant funding wherever it could. Examples of this were:

• $362,000 in Special Local Road funding to reconstruct the final section of Emu Flat Rd and to widen intersections at Wolseley.

• $90,000 obtained to upgrade the Winter Road bridge.

Federal Government Budget cuts continued to affect us in 2015/6:

• Supplementary Road funding was cut to SA Councils which meant a loss of $251,000 per year to Tatiara DC.

• Financial Assistance Grants to all Councils across Australia were again not increased by cpi resulting in a loss of around $75,000 to Tatiara DC.

In September 2015 Council closed its Visitor Information Centre which had been located at Tolmer Park Bordertown since 2002. Visitors to Bordertown can still obtain tourism information from the Morning Loaf Bakery, from the Council office or from Council’s tourism website, www.visittatiara.sa.gov.au.

Council introduced a 3rd waste bin for town residents with green waste to be picked up on a fortnightly basis as from June 2016.

Councillors and staff have worked hard over the last 12 months to provide a high level of quality service to the residents of the Tatiara. This effort will continue in 2016/17 and beyond.

Mr Robert HARKNESSChief Executive Officer

Tatiara Road Safety Group

It is with pleasure I present this report for the year 2015/2016.The Road Safety Group met 6 times during 2015/16. Some of the issues covered were:• Speed Limit at the East Bound BP

Keith - The speed limit was reduced from 80 km/hr to 60 km/hr in the section 500m of the East Bound BP at Keith.

After the installation of the new 60 km/hr signs, Police have noticed that there has been a decrease in the speed of traffic. BP staff and truck drivers are now in favour of the change, even those who weren’t in favour previously.

• Proposed Speed Limit Change on Emu Flat Road - Council approved the speed limit change on Emu Flat Road from 80 km to 60 km past Densley Avenue and has made application to the Department of Planning Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) for this change.

• Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) - Boom Gates North Terrace Crossing Bordertown - Contacted ARTC regarding possible installation of boom gates at this location. Whilst ARTC acknowledge that this is a dangerous crossing, they do not have the funds to complete this project and have suggested that Council apply for funding via the State Level Crossing Unit.

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Partnering with our CommunitySection 41 Committee Reports


“Peter led the way for the Tatiara Road Safety Group. He was tenacious and dedicated to this cause, which saw him make numerous representations at Council meetings”


• Variable Message Sign (VMS) Trailers – Council, on behalf of the Tatiara Road Safety Group was able to secure two VMS trailers. These trailers were funded from applications for funding through MAC and the RAA for promoting road safety. Council also approved an additional $7,000 to acquire a second VMS trailer. This will enable a trailer to be kept both at Keith and Bordertown.

• Motor Cycle Riders Protective Clothing Issue – The Group recommended that Council write to the Road Safety Minister to request that the wearing of protective clothing for motorcycle riders to be legislated to be in line with other states.

The Minister is not aware of any legislation in any state about wearing safety gear to be mandatory, however there is a code of practice that is being looked at.

• Lighting at the Keith Truck Parking Bay – The Group recommended that Council write a letter to the Minister for Road Safety Peter Malinauskas including a copy of the letter that we have received from DPTI to again request lighting over the highway at the Keith Truck Parking Bay.

• Pedestrian Crossing – Kindergarten & Childcare Centre Bordertown – Liaising with DPTI on a pedestrian crossing at the kindergarten/childcare centre in Bordertown as currently there is an issue with speeding vehicles in this area that is confirmed by the use of traffic counter devices.

The group welcomed Tracey Grosser, Community Officer, Australian Migrant Resource Centre as a Community Road User Representative. Her connections to the migrant community is of great benefit.

Once again the input from Limestone Coast Local Government Association (LCLGA) Regional Road Safety Officer, Rob Forgan, has been invaluable. Thank you to Rob for attending our meetings and supplying the group with regular updates.

The Group put forward a nomination to the Community Achievement Awards for Chairman, Peter Cook, for the Hunt & Hunt Lawyers Road Safety Community Achievement Award. Peter was a semi finalist for this award.

Unfortunately Peter passed away in August 2016 and the Group wishes to acknowledge that over the past 20 years Peter led the way for the Tatiara Road Safety Group. He was tenacious and dedicated to this cause, which saw him make numerous representations at Council meetings.

Thanks to the Tatiara District Council for their support throughout the year. Thanks also must go to our group members for their continued commitment in promoting road safety in our district.

Cr Liz GOOSSENSActing Chairman


Council Audit Committee

The Audit Committee aims to provide a bridge between Elected Members, management, Council auditors and the community to ensure the accuracy and importance of Council’s long-term financial viability and sustainability. More specifically, the Audit Committee’s main priorities for 2015/16 included:

• Reviewing the 2015/16 annual financial statements to ensure they fairly presented the state of affairs of Council.

• Proposing, and contributing relevant information to, a review of Council’s strategic management and annual business plan.

• Liaising with Council’s auditor on the adequacy of Council’s accounting, internal control, reporting and other financial management systems and practices including a tool that enabled accurate identification of the level of risk from High to Better Practice. This is seen as a valuable addition for both Council and the Audit Committee. The meeting held with the auditors this year was robust and informative with the end result an expression of confidence in the council’s Long Term Financial Planning and Management of its assets as set out in the adopted asset plan.

• Reviewing Council’s quarterly financial reports to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of Council’s operations to ensure congruence with its current four-year strategic management plan and annual business plan.

• Ongoing review of Council’s Draft Long Term Financial Plan 2010/11 to 2019/20.

• In accordance with the Local Government Financial Sustainability Program, continuing to refine a series of financial indicators that have been incorporated into Council’s Model Financial Statements. These indicators provide information on financial performance, financial position and long term viability, with performance targets for each financial indicator.

• Reviewing the Audit Committee Works Program for 2014/15 and adopting the Audit Committee’s future forward work program for 2015/16.

• Discussing the 2014/15 Risk Management Review Data and Action Report. The scope of the Risk Management Review covers most areas of Council Operations and specifically areas that have a level of civil liability exposure according to the Local Government Association Mutual Liability Scheme (LGAMLS) experience, or areas that require a formal risk management approach to prevent potential civil liability claims.

The committee continues reviewing the development of Council’s Asset Management Framework, ensuring it is based on industry standards and lifecycle asset management principles. The Committee is working with staff to review updated asset inventories and the Asset Management Plan ensuring processes continue to identify renewal, rehabilitation and maintenance requirements based on service standards and asset performance.

The Committee was pleased to see that Council continued to include its Strategic Plan in the Annual Business Plan. As this report goes to print, Council continues its process of reviewing its Strategic Management Plan prior to community consultation and adoption. This is very close to happening but has taken a lot longer than would have been expected.

The Committee appreciates the assistance provided to it by Council staff, who have facilitated a communication process that has resulted in a high level of accountability, transparency and good governance.

Ken McINERNEYChairman



Governance &Administration


Governance &Administration

13 Temply Annual Report 2015 Designed By Temply 22

Mr Robert HarknessChief Executive Officer

Total remuneration package includes salary, superannuation, plus private use of vehicle in lieu of overtime (2 year contract)

Mr Kingsley Green Manager Corporate & Community Services

Total remuneration package includes salary, superannuation, plus private use of a vehicle in lieu of overtime (5 year contract)

Mr Surya PrakashManager Technical Services



Senior Executive OfficersDuring 2015/16, Council had four Senior Executive Officers under the provisions of the Local

Government Act 1999. All four of these officers are engaged under contracts. Their total

remuneration packages consisted of the following:

Mr Rocco CallistoManager Development & Inspectorial Services


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25% 25% 25% 25%

Decision Making Structure

Staff prepare reports, correspondence, petitions, deputations and consultations

Various Subcommittees

Community Section 41 Committees

3 Standing Committees

Development Application & Staff Reports

COUNCIL DEVELOPMENT ASSESSMENT PANEL

DECISION PUT INTO EFFECT


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Corporate StructureCOUNCIL

Chief Executive Officer

Corporate & Community Services

Development & Inspectorial Services Technical Services

Council Management & Advisory Committees

Administration

Finance & Accounting

Community Development

Human Resources

Libraries

Information Technology

Economic Development

Legal/Insurance

Tourist Information

Records Management

Development (Building & Planning)

Road Construction & Maintenance

Public & Environmental Health

Stormwater Drainage

Parks & Gardens

Dog Control

General Inspections

Fire Prevention

Swimming Centres

Recreation Facilities

Plant & Machinery

Common Effluent Drainage

Waste Collection & Disposal

Cemeteries



Organisation Structure


Elected Member Allowances

The below allowance amounts (as of November 2015) are per annum and are paid monthly in arrears:

Type of Allowance: • Mayor $51,784• Deputy Mayor $16,183• Standing Committee Presiding Member

$16,183• Elected Member $12,946

Councillors are also reimbursed for expenses such as travelling and the Mayor is provided with a vehicle for Council use.

Council Members Training & DevelopmentCouncil has a Training and Development Policy for its Elected Members which sets out that Council is committed to providing training and development activities for its Council Members and recognises its responsibility to develop and adopt a policy for this purpose under the Local Government Act, section 80A.It commits Council to developing and adopting a training and development plan each year so as to ensure that activities available to all Council Members contribute to the achievement of the strategic and good governance objectives of Council.Council recognises that some of the training needs of Council Members will be specific to their legislative and governance roles and functions such as:• Role and function of Council Members• Relationship between Council Members, the

CEO and staff• Meeting Procedures• Conflict of Interest • Code of Conduct • Specific areas of training and development

deemed to be appropriate, eg. media training and issues that address environmental, social and economic challenges facing the community.

During 2015/16 the Mayor and/or Councillors:• Attended LGA General meeting and associated

events in Adelaide• Attended LGA 2016 Showcase• Completed Council Members Induction Post

Election 2014 Mandatory Training - Online• Attended Conflict of Interest training• Attended Mayors and Chairpersons Residential

Seminar• Attended LGA Presidents Forum

Meeting Times

Meetings are held as outlined below and the public are welcome to attend as part of the gallery:• Committee Meetings - held quarterly on the

first Tuesday of January, April, July and October, commencing at 3.00 pm.

• Council Meetings - held on the second Tuesday of each month commencing at 3.00 pm

Elector Representation

R e p r e s e nt at i o n Q u o t a

The Tatiara District Council is a corporate body consisting of a Mayor and nine Elected Members. Councillors are known as Area Councillors. There is a requirement in the Local Government Act (Section 33) that the number of people represented by a Councillor in a ward must not vary by more than 10% from other wards. Currently the Tatiara District Council has 4,514 electors, this equates to an elector ratio of 1:451.Representation Quota for Councils of similar size:• Coorong District Council 1:421• Naracoorte Lucindale Council 1:525• Wattle Range Council 1:700• Clare & Gilbert Valleys Council 1:657• Goyder Regional Council 1:435• Grant District Council 1:532


Elected Members Attendances

Elected MembersCouncil Standing Committee

Normal (12) Special (2) Normal (4) Special (0)

Edwards, D 11 2 4 0

Excell, GJ 12 2 4 0

Goossens, EA 12 2 4 0

Hannemann, MW 11 2 4 0

Jackson, JK 11 2 2 0

McInerney, KJ 12 1 3 0

Mock, RJ 11 1 3 0

Murphy, MF 10 2 4 0

Oliver, MK 10 2 4 0

Penniment, DE 9 2 4 0

R ev i e w o f Co u n ci l R e p r e s e nt at i o n

Council undertook a review of Council Representation which commenced in October 2012 and concluded in July 2013 and was in accordance with the statutory requirements of the Local Government Act 1999, which states that Councils must undertake an Elector Representation Review every 8 years. Council appointed CL Rowe and Associates to assist Council with the process.

The process involved considerable public consultation with the district’s needs.

The outcomes of this process were:• Council’s Principal Member will be a Mayor

elected by the electors. This was determined by a Poll of electors at which 60% voted in favour of changing from a Principal Member elected by the elected members to a Mayor elected by the electors.

• The number of Councillors will change from 10 to 9.

• The two ward system will change to a no ward system.

• The name of the Council will remain.

The above changes came into effect in November 2014.

The next Review will commence in 2020.

E l e c to r ’s Su b m iss i o n o n R e p r e s e nt at i o n

Under Section 28 of the Act a group of at least 20 elegible electors may submit to a Council a submission that the Council consider a proposal:

1. To alter the boundaries of the Council;2. To alter the composition of the Council or

the representative structure of the Council (including the creation, alteration or abolition of wards);

3. To incorporate within the area of the Council a part of the State that is not within the area of a Council.

Tatiara District Council - 2015/16 Annual Report28

A submission under subsection (2) must:1. Set out in general terms the grounds on which

the submission is made and the issues that should be considered in an assessment of the matter; and

2. Nominate five persons who are willing to represent the interests of persons who would be directly affected by any proposal based on the matters raised in the submission; and

3. Comply with guidelines published by the Panel.

On the receipt of a submissoin under subsection (2), a Council must consider the issues determined by the Council to be relevant to the matter and then decide whether or not it is willing to:1. Conduct a review in relation to the matter under

Division 2 of Part 1; or2. Formulate (or participate in the formulation

of) a proposal in relation to the matter under Division 4 of this Part.

The Council must give the eligible electors and the Panel written notice of its decision.

A group of elgible electors who, after making a submission under subsection (2), are dissatisfied with:1. A decision of a Council under subsection (6); or 2. Any aspect of a review or proposed referred to

in that subsection, may submit the submission, or a submission in substantially the same terms, to the Panel.

Co n f i d e nt i a l i t y Pr ov is i o ns In fulfilling the role of an effective Council that is responsive to the needs of the community and operates within the legal framework as prescribed by the Local Government Act, Council is fully committeed to the principle of open and accountable Government, whilst recognising that on some occasions it may be necessary in the broader community interest to restrict public access to discussion or documents.Council and/or Council Committee went into confidence nine times this past year to discuss the items set out in the table below:

Date Subject Reasons Remaining in Confidence

14/07/2015 Information Technology Tender 6-15/16 90 (3) (k) No

07/09/2015 Confidential Staff Matter 90 (3) (a) No

08/09/2016 Bordertown Council Office Extension, Refurbishment & Upgrades 90 (3) (d) No

13/10/2015 Emu Flat Road Shoulder Widening Project 90 (3) (k) No

10/11/2015 Unity Housing Project 90 (3) (d) Yes

09/02/2016 Revoking a Road Rent Permit 90 (3) (a) No

08/03/2016 Offer to purchase land at the Keith Industrial Estate 90 (3) (d) Yes

12/04/2016 Unity Housing 90 (3) (d) Yes

14/06/2016 Septic Pump Out Tender 90 (3) (k) No

Confidentiality Provisions Reasons Key:(a) Personal affairs of any person(d) Commercial information of a confidential nature(k) Tender/supply of goods


Council has a Code of Practice - Access to Council Meetings & Documents. The objectives of this code are to:• Clearly outline to the community for what

purpose and on what basis Council may apply the provisions of the Local Government Act 1999 to restrict public access to meetings or documents;

• Provide information on Council’s Code of Practice to the community; and

• Summarise the legal position relating to public access to Council and Committee meetings and documents.

A copy of this code is available at the Council Office. Any enquiries in relation to the process for seeking access to documents held by the Council should be directed to Council’s nominated Freedom of Information Officer, Mr Robert Harkness, on (08) 8752 1044.

I nte r n a l R ev i e w o f Co u n ci l D e c is i o ns

Council is committed to transparent decision making processes, and in providing access to a fair and objective procedure for the internal review of decisions.Grievances may arise as a result of dissatisfaction with a decision about a policy, procedure, service or fee. All attempts will be made to resolve grievances quickly and efficiently, without the need for formal applications for review to be lodged. Sometimes this cannot be achieved. If this happens then you have the right to make a formal request for an internal review of that decision whether it was made by Council, its employees, or other people acting on behalf of Council.Formal requests for the review of Council decisions are to be made in writing to the Chief Executive Officer, providing full details about the review request. Principles of natural justice will be observed in dealing with all matters. All parties will have the opportunity to express their point of view, provide relevant information, and respond to issues raised.During the 2015/16 financial year Council received no requests for a formal review of a Council decision.

Fr e e d o m o f I n f o r m at i o n

Tatiara District Council determined two Freedom of Information applications during the 2015/16 financial year.Inquiries or requests for information under the Act should be forwarded to:

Robert HarknessChief Executive OfficerPO Box 346Bordertown SA 5268

Freedom of Information Statement An information statement in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 1991 is published by the Tatiara District Council annually and is available for viewing on Council’s website.

Number of applications 2

Number of applications carried over from 2014/15 0

Full access granted 2

Access refused 0

Fees not paid 0

Documents otherwise available 0

Incomplete (as at 30 June 2015) 0

Applications for Internal Review 0

Decision confirmed 0


M a n d ato r y R e g is te r s , Po l i c i e s & Co d e s

Mandatory Registers

Under the Local Government Act 1999 and the Local Government (Elections) Act 1999, Council is required to list the following registers:

1. Members Register of Interest2. Members Register of Allowances and Benefits3. Officers Register of Remuneration4. Offices Register of Interest 5. Community Land Register6. By-Law Register7. Public Roads Register

In 2015/16 Council resolved to commence public consultation to revoke the Community Land classification of Sections 945 and 924 South Terrace, Bordertown. Council had recently purchased the former area of parklands located between the Bordertown Hospital on the western side and Haynes Street on the eastern side off the State Government. The site consisted of open space that includes a number of mature gum trees plus the old Lions Club road safety training site.The whole site was classified as “Community Land” which restricted what could happen on the site. To facilitate the use of the site as a possible medical centre and the possible disposal of a portion of the site to the Tatiara Retirement Village, Council first sought revocation of the Community Land status of the site. Approval to Revoke the Community Land status was granted on by Minister John Rau.Council at its January 2016 meeting officially revoked the Community Land Classification.

Council Policy Documents

Under the Local Government Act 1999, Council is required to list policy documents of the Council current at the end of the financial year. These policies include:

1. Policy Manual2. Delegations Policy3. District Council of Tatiara By-Law No’s 1-6 4. Meeting Procedure Code of Practice5. Elected Members’ Allowances & Support Policy6. LGA – Guidelines and General Approval re:

Election Signs – July 20147. Public Consultation Policy8. Procurement and Tenders Policy9. Fees and Charges Policy10. Code of Conduct for Elected Members11. Code of Conduct for Employees12. Cemetery Policy13. Internal Review of Council Decisions Procedure14. Code of Practice – Access to Council Meetings &

Documents 15. Order Making Policy16. Surplus IT Equipment Disposal Policy17. Roadside Vegetation Policy – Guidelines for

Management18. Risk Management Policy19. Mobile Phone Policy20. Freedom of Information Statement21. Computer Systems Usage Policy22. Records Management Policy 23. Recognising Years of Council Service Policy24. Community Grants Policy 25. Volunteer Policy26. Service Standards Policy27. Asset Management Policy 28. Councillors Training and Development Policy29. Internal Control Policy 30. Council Managed Facilities Hire Grant Policy31. Photocopying Facilities for Community

Groups Policy

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32. Code of Conduct for Council’s Development Assessment Panel

33. Itinerant Traders & Mobile Vendors Policy34. Local Heritage Grant Scheme Guidelines & Policy 35. Travel & Accommodation Policy 36. Use of Council Machinery for Community Groups

Policy 37. Fraud & Corruption Prevention Policy38. Graffiti Policy39. Caretaker Policy40. Council Enforcement Policy41. Child Safe Environment Policy42. Maintenance of Footpaths & Nature Strips In

Urban Areas43. 2015/16 Rating Policy 44. Customer Complaints & Dispute Resolution

Policy 45. Policy for Disposal of Land and Other Assets46. Building and Swimming Pool Inspection

Policy47. Prudential Management Policy48. Council Sporting Leases – Responsibilities &

Obligations49. Legislative Compliance Policy50. Asset Capitalisation & Materiality Threshold

Policy 51. Council Vehicle Use Policy 52. Kerbside Waste & Recycling Collection Policy 53. Hardship Policy for Residential Water Supply

Customers54. Policy for the Provision of Council Resources to

Support the Emergency Services in Emergencies55. Complaints Handling Procedure under the Code

of Conduct for Council Members’56. Customer Charter – Water & Effluent Retail

Services57. Treasury Management Policy58. External Grants Administration Policy59. Council Vehicle, Plant & Machinery Replacement

Policy 60. Informal Gatherings Policy61. Australia Day Awards & Function Policy

Mandatory Codes of Conduct or PracticeUnder the Local Government Act 1999, and the Local Government (Elections) Act 1999, Council is required to list the following codes of conduct or practice:

1. Meeting Procedure Code of Practice2. Code of Conduct for Elected Members, Officers

and Employees of Local Government3. Code of Practice - Access to Council Meetings &

Documents

D e l i ve r i n g Co s t E f f e c t i ve S e r v i ce s

Council is committed to ensuring an efficient, effective and ethical use of resources as well as accountable and transparent processes to procure goods and services. For example, our Procurement and Tenders Policy aims to deliver best value services to the community.

When considering the most appropriate form of service delivery the following factors are considered:

• Council’s strategic directions• Relevant industrial awards and Enterprise

Bargaining Agreements• A need to control specific services• Risks in adopting the various options• Number of competitors in the marketplace• Current service delivery arrangements• Existing skills and resources of Council’s staff• Benefits associated with entering into a

commercial activity or project

In fulfilling Council’s procurement role, the following principles will apply:

• Transparency and accountability in purchasing procedures and practices to ensure responsibilities are clearly defined and decisions are made in a transparent manner.

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• Open and fair competition to ensure that potential suppliers are given reasonable opportunity to bid for the required goods and services.

• Compliance with statutory and other obligations.• The highest standard of professionalism and

probity by making decisions in an ethical and impartial manner.

• Risk management practices and procedures in place to effectively manage risk exposure to Council with allocation of risk to the party best able to manage that risk; and

• Adopt practices that are consistent with the principles of ecological sustainability, to the greatest extent that is practicable.

If all factors are equal when evaluating quotes and tender bids, preference will be given to local businesses.

St r ate g i c P l a n 2012 /13 to 2015/16

The Local Government Act 1999 requires Councils to have plans to provide for the management of the local area, collectively referred to as “strategic management plans”. Strategic management is a system of identifying objectives, developing plans and allocating resources to achieve the objectives, and continuously evaluating developments to ensure objectives are achieved. The process of developing Council’s Strategic Management Plan 2012 to 2016 commenced during 2012/13, with Council continuing to ask our communities to help identify the big issues facing our District. What we set out to achieve through this process was to see if the adeas about what to retain, change and create in the Tatiara District going foward, matched the aspirations and opinions of the community we serve. This feedback enabled Council to develope detailed draft strategies and action plans for a sustainable future. The Plan looks at where the Tatiara wants to head as a Council and what the Council must focus on in order to get there. The plan is amended as needed each year as Council considers external and internal forces affecting our growth, monitor our targets and their achievement, and continually correct our course to stay on track to attain our community’s shared vision over the coming years.The Strategic Plan includes the following plans:• 10 Year Financial Plan• Infrastructure Asset Plans

Ten-year financial plan: This plan balanced the level of funding required to achieve the Council’s outcomes. Along with the community plan, it was a basis for preparation of the annual business plan and budget. It was updated to meet Local Government Association and financial regulation requirements. A major component was the focus on financial sustainability, accrual accounting and effective management of Council assets. Due to significant changes in Council’s operating environment, the plan underwent extensive review to represent a best possible estimate of future realities.

Infrastructure asset plans: In accordance with Chapter 8, Section 122, of the Local Government Act 1999 (Strategic Management Plans), Council adopted plans for each of its classes of assets, detailing maintenance and renewal requirements for the next 10 years.

Completion of Planned ActivitiesCouncil’s performance target is to complete as many of the Key Planned Activities (KPA) in each financial year.The following table shows the level of achievement:

Completed or Achieved

Commenced or Underway Didn’t Achieve

65 23 7

68% 24% 7%

The following table lists some of the major projects completed in 2015/16:

Road Construction & Renewals

Emu Flat Road Shoulder Widening $ 371,697

Road Upgrade Six Mile Well Road $ 167,029

Wolseley Rail East Crossing & Intersection Upgrade

$ 227,544

Chark Road/Pigeon Flat Intersection $ 112,939

Hillier Road - Construct & Seal $ 129,698

Tatiara Road Reconstruction $ 100,847

Padthaway Road Reconstruction & Widen

$ 303,142

Emu Flat Road Reconstruction $ 118,629

Road Construction - Resheets

Dark Island Well Road (10.1 km) $ 224,248

West McCallum Road (3.8 km) $ 78,051

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Construction Footpaths

Keith - Morris Street (Subway to Showground Parade

$ 35,140

Wolseley - Railway Terrace North (Garnett to Arabian)

$ 45,180

Bordertown - South Terrace (Naracoorte Road to Woolshed St)

$ 33,086

Construction - Other

Bike Tracks - Bordertown Safety Upgrade

$ 78,571

Bike Tracks - Keith Safety Upgrade $ 15,220

Various

Community Grant Submissions $ 55,742

Bordertown CWMS Pump Renewals $ 165,258

Keith CWMS Pump New & Renewals

$ 228,529

Bordertown Office $ 214,620

Mundulla CWMS Pump Upgrade $ 79,188

Apex Park Disabled Toilet $ 8,896

Bordertown Old Primary School Roof

$ 30,127

Bordertown Wildlife Park Development

$ 10,835

Bordertown Tolmer Park Irrigation $ 34,845

Keith Airfield Lights $ 130,627

Business Assistance (7 Businesses) $ 49,842

Keith Depot Water and Bore Upgrade

$ 25,300

the draft budget and the opportunity for the public to make comment.

Items in the 2015/2016 business plan included:

Annual budget: Council’s annual budget was formulated to address key outcomes from the Strategic Plan: “A financially accountable and sustainable organisation with well managed assets, appropriate planning and review systems, and an equitable rating system in place.” It was developed in conjunction with the Ten-Year Financial and Annual Business Planning documents, and in light of finances reasonably available, services both required under legislation and those desired by the community, and with a view to long-term financial sustainability.

Key financial indicators: In accordance with Section 122 of the Local Government (Financial Management and Rating) Amendment Act 2005, Council implemented measures to assess its performance over the year.

A n nu a l B u s i n e ss P l a n 2015/16

Council’s Annual Business Plan sets out the organisation’s proposed services, programs and projects for the following year. It aims to maintain efficient services for the community and continued progress towards the longer term objectives for Council as set out in the Strategic Management Plan 2012-2016. The Annual Business Plan is Council’s key management document reflecting work it needed to undertake over the year to meet its strategic plan goals and objectives within the constraints of its Ten-Year Financial Plan. The community was broadly canvassed to participate in the process. The document was placed on public exhibition, during which time written submissions were invited from the public; draft copies were promoted on Council’s website with a similar opportunity for comments; a public meeting was held in the Council Chamber which involved presentations and the opportunity to ask questions and make further submissions; and local newspaper and radio publicity promoted release of

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Delivering Services to our

Community


Delivering Services to our

Community

Building a strong community involves providing an environment where people feel valued and safe; where cultural diversity is respected, where people participate in social activities; and where they can live with dignity and a sense of “Place”. I am proud to live and work in a region that delivers on community needs and successfully strike a balance between the natural and built environment.

As the Manager Corporate & Community Services I continue to be impressed by the quality and diversity of the work we do, along with the drive and commitment of our staff to achieve great results for our communities. I express my thanks to the various community members, community groups and stakeholders who have continued to support me in my role. As a resident I share your desire and commitment to capitalise on the many advantages and opportunities we have to make this the best possible place to live, work and visit.

As a Council we value and respect our community, just as we do the Elected Members and staff. The caring, professional team we have has been able to achieve many successful outcomes in all areas of financial management, environmental awareness and social programs, which contribute to healthy communities through to new and well-maintained community infrastructure. We are an organisation which believes in what we do. Both Elected Members and staff are part of our community and we utilise the skills and expertise we have to build on the unique quality of life we enjoy. When we achieve, we need to celebrate together.

Events and festivals are an important part of the Tatiara District and bring the community together to celebrate what is special about our Region. Council stages a broad range of free community events that attract many people annually. These include major festivals, community and arts focused events, openings and launches, plus a range of other community activities for local residents and visitors to enjoy.

Clearly the challenges before us will be many and varied, but yet we can look forward with confidence as our past has been paved with many successful achievements. Our future will continue to be bright and exciting.

2015/16 At a G l a n ce

The past year has shown our commitment to building a strong sustainable future for our residents. Council has been focused on our strategy of the last five or so years of attempting to keep rate rises to a minimum, delivering required services at a consistent and quality level, seeking grants for new projects and prudent loan borrowings.

However, it is not my intention to comment extensively on the achievements of the year. They are sufficiently covered throughout this report and I encourage you to read about them. I would prefer to take this opportunity to acknowledge the efforts that contribute to the operations and effectiveness of Council. The elected members and staff commit many hours of loyal service and function with a great deal of professionalism. They are ably supported by many volunteers who serve on committees, help out at our tourism operations, drive community transport vehicles, give support to the library and assist with town beautification.

Indirectly, there are many more people who attend public meetings, make submissions to Council consultation processes and donate services and funding to community projects. Together, you all contribute in some way towards the strength and performance of your local Council. Please take the time to read this report. I am sure you will be surprised by the considerable work being undertaken by your Council.

Co r p o r ate & Co m m u n i t y S e r v i ce s

Council’s Corporate and Community Services Section is a service orientated unit encompassing the three main functions of Corporate Services, Community Services and Financial Services.

CORPORATE SERVICES FUNCTION

• Customer Services.• Records Management.


Manager Corporate & Community Services

• Human Resource Management functions, including Payroll.

• Work Health & Safety and Risk Management matters.

• Maintenance and upgrade of Council’s information technology systems.

• Insurance requirements for Council (property, public liability, workers’ compensation, personal accident).

• Contracts and Leases.• Maintenance of Council’s Voters’ Roll.• Assists the State Electoral Commission in

conducting Council Elections.• Provision of statistical data for Local

Government Association of South Australia, State and Federal Government.

• Administration of Freedom of Information requests and legislative requirements.

• Maintenance of Acts and Regulations relevant to the Corporate Services function.

COMMUNITY SERVICES FUNCTION

• Youth Services.• Provision of Library Services.• Provision of administrative support for

Volunteer Resource Centre.• Provision of administration support for

recreation and sporting facilities (halls, ovals, caravan parks and swimming pools).

• Provision of public relations/community information.

• Provision of administrative support for community events.

• Preparing for Australia Day Breakfast.• Supporting the main street Christmas Parades.• Maintenance of Acts and Regulations relevant

to the Community Services function.

Co nsu l t i n g & En g a g i n g t h e Co m m u n i t y

The Tatiara District Council is strongly committed to genuine, effective and timely community consultation on a range of issues, often exceeding the minimum consultation requirements. The process of consultation must encourage the community to actively participate in policy development, planning and programming, the management and evaluation

of services and in identifying areas of concern. Community consultation precedes action. It must be seen as the beginning of the cycle that results in action.

Council is committed to openly collaborate with residents, community groups, staff, senior management and elected members to achieve positive communication goals and strategic communications objectives. This style of communications provides the following values and goals:

• Promoting a consistent and positive Council identity.

• Commitment to professional service excellence.• Providing transparent, correct and concise

information.• Promoting positive relationships with local

community groups.• Working innovatively towards best practice in

communication strategies.

Council recognises that to provide the best services and infrastructure for our District, we must form close relationships with all levels of the community.

The key elements of this consultation process included:

• A regular newsletter (Tatiara Talks).• Direct mail publications (Budget Summary;

Budget Snapshots).• Advertising in The Border Chronicle, Radio 5tcb,

and other media outlets as seen appropriate.• Regular Media Releases to appropriate media

outlets and community groups.• Community forums and stakeholder meetings.• Council’s website and Facebook site• General fixed displays (notice boards in the

Council foyer and library).• Specific displays, as appropriate.

During 2015/16 Council held community forums and meetings on a range of topics and issues including: aligning the budget with the Council Plan, prioritising works and projects, Council supported groups, and, public buildings and assets. The meetings


were designed to engage and consult with the community prior to undertaking preparations for the 2016/2017 Budget and review of the Strategic Management Plan.

Council will continue to hold community engagement meetings to give residents and stakeholders of the Tatiara region the opportunity to help us plan for the present and future needs of our region, and assist us in gauging our progress towards our stated goals and objectives. We are committed to ensuring that we are able to respond to the real needs of our communities. Through our community engagement strategies we have put in place systems to ensure that we can confidently hear and understand the views of our communities. We also see that we have an increasingly important role in advocating on behalf of communities with other tiers of government.

Information obtained from community consultations, including participants’ priority issues, was used to prioritise existing Strategies, and to inform new actions. The Tatiara District Council Strategic Plan 2016/17 to 2019/20 can be obtained from Council’s website: www.tatiara.sa.gov.au.

I nte g r ate d St r ate g i c M a n a g e m e nt Pl a n n i n g

The Key Objectives and Actions detailed in the Strategic Management Plan 2016/17 to 2019/20 are the basis for the preparation of Council’s Annual Business Plan and Annual Budget documents. Individual capital works and operational programs are updated and evaluated through out the year, to monitor achievement of the desired Performance Outcomes and accuracy of budgeting forecasts.

Council’s Infrastructure and Asset Management Plans (I&AMP) will be reviewed and developed further over the coming years, to assist Council in their decision making in relation to consolidation, improvement and replacing of assets and building of new community infrastructure.

Strategic Management Planning is vital for Council to ensure it remains financially sustainable into the future. The success of its planning processes is dependent upon a common direction by

management and elected members. This ensures a unity of purpose and a clearer understanding of the linkage and financial impact amongst Councils’ operational areas. Using integrated Strategic Management Planning as a tool in developing Councils’ financial budgets gives the community and ratepayers confidence, that the elected bodies’ decision making is based on a common pathway in achieving our vision.

This Plan will be reviewed annually by Council to ensure that their vision is captured by the Plan. The new Plan, unlike the old Plan which was based on 5 goals, has six Strategic Directions which are:

1. Healthy, Active, Safe and Engaged Community2. Assets and Infrastructure.3. Environmental Sustainability.4. Economic Development and Tourism.5. Arts, Culture and Heritage.6. Governance, Service Delivery and Organisational

Efficiency.

These six Strategic Directions then cascade down to outcomes which will be achieved by strategies and actions. The foundation for upgrading the current strategic plan commenced in 2014/15, with the work of setting the priorities and reporting progress against those targets forming a key focus of Council’s work in 2016/17.

H u m a n R e s o u rce s

Our success as an organisation is commensurate with the calibre and commitment of our staff. Many of our new and continuing endeavours are driven by our desire to make this a great place for people to work. As such we are committed to the continued development of skills and knowledge, equity and diversity and employee well–being.

Council continues to offer competitive remuneration rates, career development opportunities, flexible working conditions that support work life balance and has a genuine interest in the health and wellbeing of employees. We recognise that our staff is our most important asset and our success as an organisation is commensurate with their calibre and commitment.



By supporting, developing and investing in its people and maintaining a positive work environment, the Tatiara District Council improves the delivery of quality, responsive services in line with its strategic objectives and in accordance with obligations under Clause 107 of the Local Government Act 1999.

The Tatiara District Council recognises that great organisations are built on shared and demonstrated values. All Council employees are expected to demonstrate commitment and act in accordance with these values. We also engage many volunteers who provide support to activities such as the Visitor Information Centre, Clayton Farm Heritage Museum, tidy town’s projects, etc.

Key St at i s t i c s

During 2015/16 Council employed a total of 90 staff, which includes full time staff (42) and permanent part-time staff (14), casual staff (4), trainees (1) and pool staff (20). Council’s staff profile highlights the high level of skills, experience and knowledge being retained, as indicated in the total years of service of all staff (excluding pool staff) (761 years), average age of staff (42 years) and the average length of service (8.4 years).

Pe r s o n a l D eve l o p m e nt

Our effectiveness as an organisation is entirely dependent on the skills and commitment of our people and as such all staff are engaged in an annual personal development process, which includes performance review, employee development and career management.

St a f f D eve l o p m e nt & Tr a i n i n g

We provide training and development opportunities for our staff to ensure the successful implementation of organisational change and continuous improvement, to meet changing legislative requirements, to maximise the use of technology and enable staff to develop and pursue their career within our organisation.

We utilise both in–house and external training programs to ensure the skills and knowledge for various trades, professions and roles are maintained and to ensure staff can deliver the required projects, programs and operational activities.

During 2015/16 a number of employees were working towards or completed traineeships within our organisation. These programs provide a formal qualification and are subsided by both federal and state governments, which provide an extremely cost effective training outcome.

Wo r k E x p e r i e n ce Pl a ce m e nt s

We are committed to providing an opportunity for secondary school and tertiary students to gain meaningful work experience. During the reporting period a number of students took part in work experience in a variety of vocational areas and work locations across the organisation.

H e a l t h & We l l b e i n g

The Tatiara District Council aims to provide and promote a healthy and safe working environment which minimises the risk of injury or illness for all employees while at work.

The Council has committed to “Return to Work SA” and “The Local Government Workers Compensation Scheme” timeframes for the implementation of a “One Model Policy and Procedure System” that is utilised throughout Local Government. This system was implemented in February 2011. Council continues to meet its annual audit requirements. The system enables Council to enhance and achieve continual improvement in injury management, claims performance and risk management and provide a safe working environment for all, achieve a reduction in the occurrence of injury in our workforce and ensure ongoing reductions in Worker’s Compensation premiums.

The key to minimising the risk of injury in the workplace is the provision of relevant education and training to all staff as well as reinforcing the importance of maintaining personal health.



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Tatiara District Council - 2015/16 Annual Report Tatiara District Council - 2015/16 Annual Report 40

Average Length of Service

Female 6.25 years Male 10.47 years

Female - 268.50 total years total service

Male - 492.41 total years of service

Female 16 Male 38.2

760.91 total years of service

54.2 Full Time Equivalents

Staff Facts & Figures

42 yrsFemale 39 years

Male 45 years

Average

15-24 years25-34 years35-44 years45-54 years55 & Over

12 Female, 6 Male

5 Female, 9 Male

10 Female, 4 Male

10 Female, 9 Male

6 Female, 19 Male

Position Break Up by Gender

Position Break Up by FTE

- 10 20 30 40

Full Time

Part Time

Casual

Contract

Trainee

Pools

Male

Female

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

Female

Male


Council’s WH&S program in 2015/16 included the following initiatives:

• Work Health and Safety training provided to staff throughout the year to enhance their knowledge and awareness.

• Specialist training to Work Health and Safety Representatives and to Managers, Supervisor’s and responsible officers.

• During the year a number of opportunities were offered to staff as part of our ongoing program to aid them in making informed life and well-being decisions. These included: Annual health assessments conducted by the Corporate Health Group, including blood analysis, nutrition profile, cardiac risk rating, fitness assessment, back care, vision screening, blood pressure, health goal setting and skin cancer screening.

• Training in workplace safety and Council’s policies, procedures and practices provided to all new employees as part of their induction process.

• Voluntary corporate health assessments available to all staff including general health assessment, fitness tests, weight loss programs, nutrition seminars, eye and hearing testing, skin cancer checks, influenza and hepatitis vaccinations.

Eq u a l O p p o r t u n i t y

Council and the executive management team are committed to the principles of Equal Opportunity (EO). During the past year Council has continued to commit to providing a workplace for staff which is free of all forms of inappropriate behaviour. Our aim is to ensure fairness and equity in our organisation where the rights of individuals are upheld and everyone is treated with respect, fairness, equity and dignity. Selection of individuals for employment, promotion or advancement, training and staff development will be on the basis of professional merit, in fair and open competition according to the selection criteria, relevant/appropriate qualifications and knowledge relevant to the position.

Inappropriate behaviour includes harassment, workplace bullying, discrimination, occupational violence and victimisation, which are all unacceptable and illegal and any complaint will be treated with the utmost seriousness. Council’s Enterprise Bargaining Agreements provides

a range of family friendly benefits and flexible working arrangements acknowledging our commitment to being a family friendly workplace. This is reflected in the number of female staff that work on a part time basis rather than full-time.

Vo l u nte e r s

National Volunteer Week is the largest celebration of volunteers and volunteerism in Australia, and provides an opportunity to highlight the role of volunteers in our communities and to say thank you.

Volunteering is integral to the operations of the Tatiara District and makes an invaluable contribution to our community. Council depends on hundreds of volunteers who offer their time to deliver essential services to the community.

Volunteers offer their commitment, support and experience to assist community members and visitors to the Tatiara – they form a vital part of the Tatiara community. We fully support and recognise our wonderful volunteers, who generously give up their time to provide care and support for those in need.

A range of acknowledgements and events for volunteers were held throughout the year, particularly during National Volunteer Week in May.

B u i l d i n g Co m m u n i t y C a p a ci t y - Co m m u n i t y G r a nt s S ch e m e

Council has taken a proactive approach for a number of years in supporting community groups that are committed to contributing to the community’s quality of life. Whether it is through project partnership agreements, community grant applications or operational contributions, Council’s support has consisted of financial, in kind or a combination of both.

Each year Council also maintains a wide range of facilities that are provided at heavily subsidised rates to community organisations. Many of these are


heavily reliant on additional funding from various sources (including user fees) but without Council contribution many of these services would not be viable. Some of these include Tatiara Civic Centre, Keith Institute, Bordertown Library, Bordertown Swimming Pool, Keith Swimming Pool and most recreation and sports grounds in the district. A number of organisations also gain supplementary funding through Council for their operations.

In total the investment into community activities, not including facility maintenance and operations, is only a small percentage of the total value that these activities return into the community in both economic and social impact.

Council has continued to support local community initiatives and the development of appropriate programs, services, activities and facilities to meet community need. During 2015/16, this annual program made financial contributions to several key community projects.

During 2015/16 Council provided the following types of financial support:

• Youth Sponsorship, providing funding for youth who display considerable talent in cultural, sport and recreation, science, technology, arts and/or community service activities to enable those persons to enhance their talents – whether that is by attending training and personal development programs, participation in state or national teams. During 2015/2016, this annual program continues to support some local young achievers.

• Event Sponsorship, which is designed to provide an equitable means for community organisations to access Council funds and provide opportunities for skill and project development for members involved in events. During 2015/2016, this annual program distributed its financial allocation to various successful community events.

• Subsidising the use of Council facilities for a range of regular community group meetings, community events, celebrations and cultural festivals.

• Waiving/reducing the cost of facility hire fees, photocopying newsletters, flyers, event programs etc. for not-for-profit community groups and organisations.

R is k M a n a g e m e nt

Council is committed to high standards of governance and accountability, where it manages risks through its Risk Management Policy and Enterprise Risk Management Framework in accordance with Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009.

The Tatiara District Council faces internal and external factors and influences which create uncertainty for our organisation. The effect this uncertainty has on the organisation’s objectives is recognised as “Risk”.

Over the 2015/16 period Council has continued instigating effective management of risk through use of a number of principles which are comprised of - creating value, including risk management as a part of decision making, explicitly addressing uncertainty as it is identified, being systemic and timely, sourcing best available information, being transparent and inclusive and tailoring risk programs to Council’s needs. Risk management is becoming a fundamental component of achieving sustainability and underpins Council’s capacity and resilience in meeting all its strategic and operational objectives. Achievements over the period included:

• Development of Council’s Risk Register to track Council’s Strategic and Organisational Risks.

• Inclusion of risk management principles in all current project areas of Contractor Management, Volunteer Management, Project Management and Asset Management.

Council’s risk management approach ensures risks and internal controls are identified, assessed and properly managed and reported on, and that policies and operating guidelines are in place. Such a process ensures that the Council is able to achieve the Strategic Plan and that the Mayor and Councillors fulfil their legislative responsibilities.


Each year the Local Government Association Mutual Liability Scheme (LGAMLS), Council’s insurer for civil liabilities, carries out an annual review of risk management of all member Councils in South Australia. This review is one of a kind in that it is the only independent review or audit of Local Government Risk Management benchmarked across the state by an independent body.

The annual risk profile is completed by the MCCS and the LGAMLS representative. The Review is designed to monitor Council’s risk profile and measure ongoing business improvement, as well as providing a gauge to compare other Councils within the Region and sector. The Review for 2016 was represented in the following functions:In recognising the increasing statutory obligations for Local Government to show good governance via the application of risk management, the method by which a Council is assessed or scored has been refined to better reflect the successful application of our risk policy and accompanying framework.

In 2016 the LGAMLS altered the method by which the Scheme calculates the score against each category. This revised risk review aims to recognise all functions of Council’s business, as any function / operation of Council can attract a level of civil liability risk / opportunity.

This change has a significant affect on the scoring process and therefore cannot be compared to previous years.

On the 11th July 2016 Council received its risk review from the LGAWCS for 2015/16, which highlights the overall performance of Council’s risk management program (68.5 points) compared to the average for Local Government in South Australia (63.5 points) and Regional SA (59.2 points).

This performance is reflected in Council’s annual Performance Bonus from the Scheme. In 2015/16 received a performance bonus of $37,274, which is recognised as a discount on Council’s net insurance contribution.

D is as te r R e cove r y & B u s i n e ss Co nt i nu i t y

During 2015/16 Council continued its commitment to disaster recovery and business continuity planning.

Council has overcome lengthy recovery timeframes with the planned implementation of server virtualisation allowing a fully pre-configured “standby” copy of Council’s server environment available ready to be switched on. Future planning for the purchase of additional hardware in a standby state at a secure location to run the server environment will see restoration times reduced from days or weeks to the next business day.


Another key component of this strategy is the constant replication of data throughout the day, as not only does this significantly reduce the amount of data lost in the event of a disaster but reduces the amount of time required to restore services.

Su m m a r y

In 2015/16 Council will continue to develop the Tatiara as a Region where people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities are embraced and supported and can access Council services they need and are connected and involved in shaping decisions that affect them. In achieving this objective, we will continuously develop Council and its people to provide our community, our businesses and our visitors with the best possible services.

I have no doubt that 2016/17 will be an equally exciting year, one with achievements and challenges that are all geared toward making the Tatiara District a great place to live and work in.

In conclusion, I would once again like to pass on my sincere appreciation to the Elected Members, CEO Rob Harkness, Executive Officers and all staff and volunteers for their continued dedication in serving the Tatiara District Council and for the support they have given to me during the year.

Kingsley GREENManager Corporate & Community Services


Records Management

Lo c a l G ove r n m e nt S o f t w a r e

Council operates the ‘Authority’ enterprise software solution developed and maintained by Local Government Software vendor IT Vision Pty Ltd on a Managed Service Platform. Council’s relationship with IT Vision offers many significant benefits and advantages to help address challenges such as:

• Significantly mitigating our IT related risk, especially in the case of a disaster;

• Increasing our IT infrastructure performance;• Improving our ability to adopt new technology

and keep our business applications current with regular updates;

• Providing access to an acknowledged team of IT specialists and industry experts within the Local Government Sector;

• Empowering staff to focus on our core business objectives;

• Enabling connectivity to our remote sites and ensuring our remote sites; Bordertown and Keith Depots, Keith Office and Library are supported through Managed Services provision.

IT Vision’s Managed Services also provides Council with assured application and service delivery and the day-to-day running of supporting processes and systems, to guaranteed levels and predictable costs.

Council also retains membership of the IT Vision User Group and actively contributes to a range of special interest groups established to drive the ongoing development of the various applications within the “Synergy Soft” suite.

Council has over the past year introduced some significantly improved practices, these include:

• The introduction of an Electronic Documents and Records Management System (EDRMS) went live in 2013/2014 and has been a primary focus of continual development in 2015/16. The implementation

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now allows council to capture corporate information more effectively and improve business efficiency through the development of centralised storage area. The implementation has involved the sentencing of all old records in accordance with the State Records Act 1997, and involves a considerable training component both for Records staff (Administrators) and for all staff who will have responsibilities for capturing, recording and responding to correspondence in an online environment.

• Progress continues on the development and integration of Council’s Human Resources Information System (HRIS) and contract management which will provide managers and supervisors with additional information to manage their operations more effectively and reduce the number of basic enquiries.

These new initiatives have the potential to change the way we work within Council by helping us minimise risk, optimise productivity and transform our information into a trusted strategic asset. Clearly our data is one of our biggest assets already, where our IT environment is pivotal for us to manage our vast reservoirs of data in some meaningful, simple way.

In fulfilling our commitment to this new business improvement program, which has a strong emphasis on systems, processes and communication and cooperation, Council now manages approximately 450+ contracts, agreements, licences, leases, permits etc. within one database. The benefit of this new system is that it will not only increase staff productivity, reduce inefficiency, comply with WH&S requirements, but also reduce our “carbon footprint”.

Co u n ci l We b s i te a n d I nt r a n e t

Communicating via electronic means is an integral aspect of day to day business that must be maintained at a high standard. Council’s website has become a valuable and key method of providing information to the public and one that is utilized far more frequently than in the past.


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represents the second highest recording since 2013/14. The site has been strategically designed for the convenience of all users, enabling users to have information about Council around the clock, which includes Council Agendas, Minutes, Annual Reports, Policies, Budgets and other documents.

During 2015/16 Council’s website www.tatiara.sa.gov.au continued to be a popular resource for ratepayers and visitors, recording 22,419 visits or an average of 2,422 visits per month. This represents a slight increase on the number of visits recorded from 2014/15, and

As highlighted by the following graph, Council’s website received the most hits in January (2,354), followed by February (2,284) and March (2,043).


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The following 23 sites attracted the most visits (72.1%) on Council’s website during 2015/16.

Clearly the use of Council’s website continues to grow. This prompted Council to redevelop and redesign its tourism website during 2015/16 to provide a more user friendly and functional website for the community and tourists to use and to interact with Council. The revised tourism website was completed during 2015/16 will be continuously updated to provide people with the latest information on Council and the Tatiara region.

As an extension to the website, Council continued to maintain its intranet site. The Intranet is based on Councils website for internal use of Council staff. It contained information from the publicly accessible website as well as other material such as administration policies and procedures, staff consultation matters, training dates and other various information required by staff.


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Council is committed to maintaining a high standard of WH&S Management.

The Strategic Plan for WH&S requires Council as an exempt employer, to set its own WH&S objectives in accordance with Work Cover’s performance standards for self insurers and to integrate WH&S into the organisation’s Strategic Management Planning.

This is a continuing process and Council aims to increase workplace efficiency by maintaining:

• Low incident, frequency and duration rates;• Assist with the reduction of the unit cost of

labour for workers compensation;• Improve compliance with WH&S by contractors

working for Council;• Maintain compliance with WorkCover

Performance Standards; and• Assess and maintain a high level of safety for

employees engaged in high risk activities.

Council’s WH&S Committee comprises management and employee representatives and monitors performance against the plan. Council, the Committee (which meets regularly to address occupational health and safety issues), all employees and the Regional Risk Coordinator have an ongoing commitment to Work Health and Safety and to achieve the best possible policies, practices and procedures for the occupational health and safety of all employees.

Safe Work Procedures and Policies are being continually monitored and reviewed with new procedures being introduced where required according to legislation or new/ changed work practices. Workplace inspections are undertaken on a regular basis.

The Tatiara District Council is a member of The Local Government Association Workers Compensation Scheme (LGAWCS), the second largest non-Crown Self Insurer in South Australia, for the administration and facilitation of Council’s workers compensation claims and rehabilitation. As well as meeting legislation it is a requirement that all self insurers meet the WorkCover Performance Standards for Self Insurers (PSSI).

Council’s Work Health and Safety Committee, which comprises management and employee representatives, continue to update its program, policies and procedures in line with LGAWCS One System, for the use of employees. Council, the committee, (which meets every two months to address occupational health safety and welfare issues), and all employees have a continuing commitment to WH&S. This includes achieving the best possible policies, practices and procedures for the WH&S of all employees. The Committee currently consists of: five workplace WH&S Representatives, four management representatives with the WH&S Co-ordinator providing secretarial services.

W H & S M a n a g e m e nt Pl a n

The objectives of the WH&S and Injury Management (IM) Plan are to ensure that the Performance Standards for Self Insurers are met and for facilitating continuous improvement of the WH&S system. When appropriate, responsibilities, key performance indicators and time frames have been included to assess against the targets as determined by the management team and the WHS Committee. The WH&S and IM Plan address strategies on issues such as;

• Training • Safety culture • Performance Measurement and continuous

improvement

Overall, the culture of safety is growing across the organisation which has ensured that staff is increasingly conscious of their WH&S obligations whilst at work. The Tatiara District Council has developed a range of performance indicators which have reinforced this message.

As the following figures highlight, Council has maintained a consistently low incidence of workplace lost time injury (LTI) and lost time injury days (LTI days). As a result of the hard work undertaken by Council and employees, Council is receiving significant bonus payments from the LGA Workers Compensation Scheme.

Council believes that paying attention to competent rehabilitation management not only makes sense; it is indicative of a workforce culture where staff feels valued. This sense of value is an essential ingredient,

Work Health & Safety


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not only for positive return to work outcomes, but in the broader area of progressive workplace relations which identifies Council as having the interest and capacity to attract and retain good staff.

Managing for the future means continuing to inform ourselves about risks and more astutely anticipating the risks confronting our workforce. Known hazards will continue in the workplace and new ones will emerge. Council will continue to make improvements in effective injury prevention and management, where “Risk” is seen as both an opportunity and a hazard. However, Council is committed to a program where all workplace risks are systematically identified, treated, monitored and reviewed.

All staff should be acknowledged for the level of support they have shown to WH&S and for their adherence to the systems that have been put in place. The commitment shown by Council’s staff has enabled Council to meet its obligation to ensure the health, safety and welfare of staff, volunteers, contractors and visitors.


12

8

4

8

1

3 3

5

9 9 9

4

8

4

7

5

8

5 54 4

6 6 65

9

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

No. of Claims

Number of Claims

TDC Other Councils

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I n j u r y M a n a g e m e nt Au d i t

An audit of Council’s Injury Management system was undertaken by Organisational Health Services (Aust) and took place on the 18th November 2014. A followup audit was scheduled for Thursday 27th October 2016. The purpose of the audit is to ensure the Tatiara District Council can demonstrate:

• Compliance with the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act, 1986 (the Act) and associated regulations with respect to reporting compensation claims to LGAWCS, participating in the return to work rehabilitation process and providing suitable work in accordance with Section 58B of the Act.

• Compliance with the Return to Work Act 2014 and Regulations 2015.

• Assistance to the LGAWCS to ensure compliance with the Act, Code of Conduct and Performance Standards for Self Insured Employers (PSSI) to an extent reasonably required at Member level (as outlined by the abovementioned 11 Member’s requirements).

• Alignment of systems with the Guide to Injury Management for LGAWCS Members (The Guide).

• Implementation of the WHS and Return to Work Policy and Workplace Return to Work Procedures.

Overall the audit showed that the IM process at council is working effectively and meeting objectives and requirements and that overall Council demonstrates positive IM results and works closely with the LGAWCS to meet legislative compliance.

A number of system gaps and areas for improvement were identified and are referred to in the report and the time-frames for closing these items out.

Co nt r a c to r M a n a g e m e nt

The WH&S Committee has established greater consistency of safety management in Council’s arrangements with contractors. This has involved reviewing tender documentation and contract templates, seeking out additional information about elements of contracted works, closer supervision of contracts and general education about the legislative requirements and compliance issues associated with contract management. This is an ongoing challenge for Council and contractors, and it is anticipated that substantial training and support will be provided over the coming year to ensure extra attention and diligence in our management of contracts.

Co r p o r ate H e a l t h Pr o g r a m

An ongoing program offered to local government employees by the Corporate Health Group is strongly supported by the Tatiara District Council and seen as a pro-active step in encouraging employees to practice a healthy lifestyle. The regular health checks are carried out by qualified personnel and if problems are evident, employees are advised to consult their medical practitioner. It was noted that staff members have been referred to their general practitioners with suspected skin cancer problems. Early intervention prevented serious complications and long term consequences. The program is a credit to Council’s commitment to staff’s health & welfare.

Overall, the culture of safety is growing across the organisation which has ensured that staff is increasingly conscious of their WH&S obligations whilst at work. The Tatiara District Council has developed a range of performance indicators which have reinforced this message.

Lo o k i n g f o r w a r d 2016/17

• Further integration of the WH&S and Injury Management system into Council’s operations through workshop and training sessions with staff.

• Review schedule of all WH&S policies and procedures in line with Council’s business operations.

• Maintain regular program of internal auditing.• Strengthening of communication and

consultation processes by maintaining a strong WH&S presence on Council’s intranet site.

• Review and update staff induction and re-induction kit.

• Review and update Council’s Emergency Management plan.

• Review and update Council’s Business Continuity plan.


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Library Services

L i b r a r y S e r v i ce s

The Bordertown Public Library provides equal access and a safe place for people to meet, acquire knowledge and recreation and be equipped for life. Other core objectives include foundation literacy skills through the resources, activities and events we provide and improving digital literacy skills.

Learning is increasingly becoming an ongoing part of our professional and personal lives. Lifelong learning can be casual or formal, where the Bordertown Public library plays a key role in supporting informal learning, literacy and knowledge creation to residents of the Tatiara.

These resources and activities also provide opportunities to bring people together, help to remove isolation and foster social inclusion. A wide variety of resources and opportunities for all generations and cultures are provided throughout the year as highlighted below.

H i g h l i g ht s f o r 2015/16

A Major project for 2015/16 has been participating in the “Future Directions” project of the South Australian Public library network, along with all public libraries in the state. The project has highlighted the great value of libraries in the Tatiara as platforms for:

• Learning• Participation• Creativity• Innovation• Well Being

The project has involved meetings and consultation with Public Library Services, Council and public consultation through a Tatiara wide survey and public meetings. This consultation process has now enabled Bordertown Library staff to increase collaboration between the Bordertown Public Library and Keith School Community Library through regular meetings with all stakeholders, to help continue nourishing learning throughout the Tatiara.


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SA Pu b l i c L i b r a r i e s N e t wo r k

• Within the Bordertown Library we continue to see an increase in use by borrowers from other areas throughout South Australia. Most importantly, patrons are very appreciative of their ability to loan and return items at any public Library in the state.

• While the introduction of the shared Library Management system has brought with it many challenges for the network, work continues to ensure there is consistency with cataloguing, circulation and other processes across all network libraries.

• Use of the Bordertown Library’s online catalogue and database (“Enterprise Page” as it is now called), continues to increase as highlighted in the following table.

St ate a n d N at i o n a l Pa r t n e r s h i p s

The Library has participated in a number of state and national projects, including:

• The Little Big Book Club – Free story time bags are provided containing picture books and information for toddlers and pre-schoolers, which promotes the importance of reading, talking and singing to babies and young children. Bags are provided through South Australian state government funding and many sponsors.

• National Simultaneous Story time – Library staff visited kindergarten children to participate in this nation-wide event. The story shared this year was “I got this hat” by Jol and Kate Temple, which offered a terrific opportunity to add a wide variety of hats as props to enhance the telling of the story.

• Exhibitions – “Fireballs in the Sky” – On loan from the Curtin University in Peth, this exhibition provided information on meteors, how they form and when to look out for them.

• State Wide History Month Celebrations – May 2016 – Friends of Bordertown Library have worked with library staff to present the highly popular annual history month in May. Highlights for May 2016 included a bus tour of the Pine Hill area to the west of Bordertown and the Serviceton Railway station.

Local residents to the area, Trevor Thomas and Angela Heinrich, shared their wealth of knowledge to the 56 participants of the tour. The tour also included a short presentation by the authors of “The Disputed Country”, Bob Dunn and John Deckert. History Month also included a writer’s competition and family history workshops.

• Children’s book week – The highlight this year was the visit by author illustrator Andy Jones, which was attended by around 300 students from across the Tatiara. In addition to this event, library staff held storytelling sessions at the Carol Murray Kindergarten to further encourage and celebrate children and stories.

• Summer Reading Club – This year’s theme “Heroes and Villains” attracted 98 members and challenged children to read 10 books over the summer. For each book read a reduction in the price of attending a movie at the end of the challenge period was offered. Each year small bags containing activity pages relating to the theme, stickers and bookmarks are handed out to each SRC member. This year’s sponsor was Arn and Anita Doan, owners of the Bordertown Pharmacy. Their donation of lollies for each child who became a member was much appreciated.

Lo c a l Pa r t n e r s h i p sPartnerships have been and are being developed by the library and the local community to work together for the good of our community. Amongst these include: working with the Migrant Resource Centre to assist those from non English speaking backgrounds; all schools in the district; Carol Murray Kindergarten; mothers groups;, and various local community groups.

Pop Up Library – Book Swap Project

• In March the Library and Friends of the Bordertown Library collaborated to launch a “Pop Up Library – Book Swap” project at the Mundulla General Store and the Migrant Resource Centre. The aim of the project was to share the enjoyment of stories and life long learning in new and unexpected ways around the district. The Pop Up library works in the form of a book swap, where people are encouraged


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to take a book and leave one. The emphasis being on “take one and enjoy”

• Many thanks to Anthony and Megan Davies, owners of the Mundulla General Store, and Tracy Grosser, coordinator of the Migrant Resource Centre, for partnering with us on this project, which people continue to enjoy.

Rural Women’s Gathering

In September the library was pleased to be part of the Rural Women’s Gathering, offering two ninety minute Family History Workshops. Thirty women attended the workshops, which included using the library’s local history collection, as well as using online databases.

T h e L i b r a r y as a Co m m u n i t y Sp a ce

The library space continues to be used by various community groups and organisations to share skills and knowledge. The groups enjoy the comfort, resources and convenience of being somewhere cool/heated to meet. The following continue to enjoy meeting regularly in the library.

• Friends of Bordertown Library – Meet once a month to support library activities and events, including fund raising through book sales and the sale of handmade greeting cards featuring photographs of library’s stained glass windows and the clay mural.

• Historical group – for those interested in family and local history.

• Chess group – meets on Fridays for the purposes of challenging each other to games of chess.

• Up for a Yarn – knitting and crochet group.

• Computer and internet assistance provided by library staff .

• Third Tuesday book club – book discussion group.

B o r d e r tow n L i b r a r y, C i v i c Ce nt r e a n d Ke i t h S ch o o l /Co m m u n i t y L i b r a r y as a L e a r n i n g Sp a ce

Library staff has worked together with Council’s Arts and Development Officer Naomi Fallon, and Council office staff, to offer highly successful and well attended events. This includes:

• Youth Week - Cartooning Workshops with Paul Duff were held in both Bordertown and Keith, attracting 46 participants.

• School holiday activities – highlights included Dinosaur Dig and Carnival Games.

• Every Generation Month - October – John Ovenden and his strolling players entertained 93 people with two comedy plays.

• Author Talks – The library hosted 5 author talks during the year. Highlights were Angela Goode, Tricia Stringer and the launch of local author Tony Routs book “Midst Snow, Mud and Desert Sands”.


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We e k l y Pr o g r a m s

• Rhyme Time: Held every Tuesday at 11am during the School term, Rhyme Time is designed to encourage parents/carers of young children to read, sing, talk and play with their babies to have fun with them and stimulate language development. Library staff uses a variety of aids including, books, puppets, finger play and

music to ensure sessions are visually, verbally and motion stimulating. Currently, an average of 10 mothers and their babies attend each week, with a total of 272 people attending sessions over the year.

• Out Reach Delivery service: Each week library staff selects and delivers resources for clients who are unable to get to the library. During 2015/16, the Library delivered to an average of 13 clients per week.

Fa c t s f o r 2015/16

I n f o r m at i o n Te ch n o l o g y

Internet access is provided free of charge by the Libraries Board of SA to the main library site within each local government area. The Tatiara District Council supplies the computers to enable patrons to use this service.

The Libraries Board of SA also provides free access to the state wide library wireless service. This service allows wireless users to register at any SA public library service with wireless capability and use the free wireless service at any of the other SA public libraries throughout the State currently offering the service.

O n l i n e R e s o u rce s

Through the new ‘One Card’ system, the Border-town Public Library is now able to offer eBooks, Au-diobooks and emagazines for loan to anyone who is a member of the library and has a smart phone, tablet or home PC. With these resources now avail-

able the library has become ‘virtual’, with members no longer needing to step into the library to make use of its resources. Total ebooks/audio books loaned for the year 767.

Online databases are also available including: Ancestry.com, TROVE – National library of Australia, Lynda.com – online Information Technology Training and Carters Antiques.


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Vo l u nte e r s

During 2015/16 the library has had 2 regular vol-unteers who come in each week to assist staff with shelving, book covering, cleaning toys, preparing rhyme time and school holiday activities, and larger projects such as the recently completed RFID proj-ect.

This year we appreciated the assistance of one year 10 work experience student whose artistic skills provided us with a fantastic Christmas display.

Friends of Bordertown Library (FOBL) – continue to support the library in a variety of ways, with the highlights being the annual history month activities and book sales. Activities library staff support and encourage, which occur on a regular basis but are not included in the above figures include:

• Reading newspapers/Magazines.• Reading books – silently.• Reading aloud to children.• Study – either through books or via the libraries

public computer or their own laptops.• Learning to use computers – training provided

by library staff.• Photocopying, laminating, and scanning to

email.• Exams – supervised by library staff. • Meeting place – especially for sharing of

knowledge.• Sourcing multiple copies of book titles that the

local Book Club wishes to read. • Monthly spot on local radio station 5TCB

promoting library activities.• Regular JP services available through library

staff member Chris Virgin on Thursday and Fridays.

• Local and family history research.• Visits to and from Kindergarten, Schools, new

mothers groups, community groups.• Assistance to new comers to our community that

come from a non English background.• Assistance with forms either filling them

out online or downloading them, including assistance with registering for events and programs. For example, library staff assisted 25 ladies with registering for the Rural Women’s Gathering held in Bordertown in September.

TourismThe Tatiara District Council acknowledged the importance of tourism to the local economy many years ago and has planned and invested heavily in community infrastructure to provide a platform which encourages the ongoing development of tourism based businesses.

The Tatiara District Council has provided Visitor Information Services since October 2000 and continues to play a fundamental role in the cross border region, as it provides detailed information on the Tatiara District, Limestone Coast, South Australia and Victoria. During 2015/16 the Council’s customer service staff has continued to provide valuable support to business and tourism operators, tourism industry groups as well as offering a range of information services to the community.

During 2014/15 Council reviewed the effectiveness of the Bordertown VIC and considered possible options to deliver tourism services in a more efficient and cost effective manner. This review resulted in the Bordertown VIC changing from its location at Tolmer Park and making way for a new tourism strategy involving three new visitor information service locations: Morning Loaf Bakery (including Tolmer Park), Tatiara Civic Centre; and Keith Institute (including Don Mosley Park).

In considering the future of the Bordertown Visitor Information Centre and the current position of Council’s visitor information services generally, Council is trying to benefit from a number of new and different opportunities, including:

• Visitor Information Services is now operating in a fast moving environment, where increasing use of digital technology by visitors and tighter economies is changing the traditional role and function of the VIC. Council needed a new corporate strategy that was better aligned with the trends in visitor preferences.

• Visitor Information Services needed to be repositioned to key high profile locations, which would increase the exposure and promotion of the Tatiara as a point of destination. The following new locations has the potential to achieve this outcome by increasing exposure by an additional 200,000 people:

o Tatiara Civic Centre – This attracts approximately 65,000 annually to its Library, Walkway Galley, Bob Hawke Gallery, Digital Cinema and Theatre, Conference Facility and Main Hall.


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o Keith Institute, Keith, which attracts approximately 30-40,000 visitors annually to the adjacent Don Moseley Park.

• Establishing mobile, flexible pop-up tourism displays which can be relocated where required, would compliment this new strategy by maximising its exposure at events around the centre or throughout the region.

• Creating a new and engaging tourism website, and free wi-fi at all three locations, would enable Council’s new strategy to target all smart devices.

• Concentrating on promoting and marketing the region at regional events and activities would enable Council to sell the region to captured audiences.

• Continuing to be a ticket agency for Premier Stateliner and Firefly would provide an additional stream of visitors.

• Utilising the skills and experience of Council staff and volunteers at multiple locations would compliment Council’s multi-skilling strategy.

By using more than one technique in which to disseminate tourism information, Council will now reach well beyond its usual visitor and stakeholder base. Through the use of a new website (www.visittatiara.com), free wi-fi, iPads and other types of social media, regional tourism information and products will be promoted to local, interstate and international customers. Therefore Council has the opportunity to embark upon an extraordinary journey that will take Council and the region further than it would have ever experienced in the past.

Council still maintains a fully accredited VIC at the Tatiara Civic Centre, which is committed to delivering a high level of professionalism in providing customer service and tourism services. The Bordertown VIC is recognisable by the nationally recognised trademark italicised yellow on blue ‘i’ sign which represents high quality provision of information, service and facilities.

The Visitor Centre specialises and focuses on assisting visitors in the Tatiara Region, enhancing the visitor experience and increasing visitors length of stay and their spend in our region. As an accredited tourism facility, the Visitor Information Centre provides a one stop shop for visitors to the region. Providing an extensive range of brochures, information of regional accommodation and activities and attractions are among the many facilities and services available to visitors. The key elements of the Centre include:

• Visitor and Information Services;• Event Support Services;• Tourism Industry Support;• Education Facility;• Passenger Bus Terminal;• Premier Stateliner and Firefly Bus Ticketing; and• Community Services.

During 2015/16 long serving Visitor Information Centre staff in Chris Mackereth and Heather Sharp finished up with Council. They both provided a tremendous service to tourists and we thank them for their contribution.

Fa c t s & F i g u r e s

• According to Tourism Research Australia, the

following key points provide an annualised summary of the Tatiara tourism profile:

• $15m in tourism expenditure in the region;• 97,000 overall visitors, comprising 3,000

international, 46,000 domestic overnight and 48,000 domestic day trippers (N.B. driving through the region does not count as a Day Trip);

• Top international markets are: NZ, UK and Germany;

• 78 Tourism business – 57 of these are small employers which employ 4 people or less;

• Average stay of 2 nights and average spend of $155;

• Most common purpose for visiting the Tatiara is holiday, followed by Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR); and

• Resident population 6,667 – over a year there are almost 15 visitors to the region for every resident.


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Our community is at the very heart of all that we do. We are passionate about bringing people of all cultures and ages together through events and value the opportunity to explore new ways to increase access and engagement through arts and culture activities and initiatives.

A unique feature of Council’s art and cultural development program is that it’s a driving force for creativity, inspiration, dialogue and continuous learning. Through our Creative Community Partnership with Country Arts South Australia we have strengthened arts and culture in the Tatiara District, not only upgrading our cultural facilities, but also offering diverse arts experiences and investing in artists.

Our Arts and Cultural Development Officer, Naomi Fallon, is responsible for supporting a cultural and diverse environment, the program involves the promotion of arts and culture development activities throughout the Tatiara and surrounding regions and encourages individuals and community groups to participate in cultural initiatives. Naomi is employed by Council with half her salary funded by Country Arts.

Our venues are places for everyone and this is reflected in our broad range of shows, ticket prices, free events and daytime programming. Tatiara residents have access to stimulating professional and community based arts and culture offerings at the Tatiara Civic Centre, Keith Institute, Walkway Gallery, community buildings, its libraries, and through its civic events, community festivals and other Council departments.

In 2015/16 Tatiara District Council has played a leading role in showcasing the best local, South Australian and National arts – from music, dance, drama to comedy and cabaret. We partnered with community groups and flagship arts companies alongside a range of other regular presenting companies that bring our spaces to life. To complement the work of these companies, Walkway Gallery presents its own program of exhibitions and events that offer audiences a distinctly multidimensional approach to participation, education and engagement.

The Arts and Cultural Development program’s core purpose is to enrich the lives of Tatiara residents – culturally, educationally, socially and economically. This purpose drives our overarching Strategic Goal to enhance Arts, Culture and Heritage of the region. We believe that what we do makes a difference by;

• Making the Tatiara more creative and vibrant; • Making the arts more welcoming and accessible,

• Presenting works of local, state and national significance to engage, inspire and challenge our audiences;

• Bringing families and communities together across generations and cultural divides,

• Inspiring curious minds of all ages through innovative and contemporary arts practice.

Key I n i t i at i ve s a n d Pr oj e c t s

We have continued to provide opportunities for people to connect, express themselves, share information and enjoy lifelong learning opportunities. The Tatiara District Council works directly with the community to strengthen the linkages and networks through dedicated arts and culture events, library information services, support services for older people, new parents and socially disadvantaged members of the community.

Our key initiatives and projects throughout 2015/16 are highlighted;

Mental Health Awareness

• We supported the Keith and Tintinara Show Society to deliver the Junk Heap Challenge. The original concept developed in 2012 to encourage the community to look at men’s mental health differently. The project reinforced and embraced the camaraderie and good natured spirit of competition that is strong in any small community, but also challenged men and women to look differently at the ‘junk in their sheds, the junk in their heads’ by building a sculpture with their mates.

• The event engaged and highlighted a range of

services providers including South East Regional Community Health Services (SERCHS), Older Persons Mental Health Team, Older Persons Mental Health Team, Limestone Coast Division of GP, Uniting Care Westley, Carers SE, Mental Health Illness Fellowship of South Australia, Keith and Bordertown Hospitals and Men’s Health Australia.

Every Generation Festival

• Supported Bordertown Public Library on the presentation of the booked-out show Fame and Fortune, two short comedies written by former ABC TV and BBC World Service newsreader-presentation John Ovenden. The plays were presented as a

Arts & Cultural Development



rehearsed reading by four of Adelaide’s top award winning amateur and semi-professional actors.

Migrant & Refugee Support and Events

• Re-established the Multicultural Settlement Committee with a range of new stakeholders including the Australian Migrant Resource Centre, JB Swift, Bordertown Primary School, Migrant and Community representation.

• Formed a reference committee for the planning and development of an annual event held during National Refugee Week to welcome new arrivals to the district. Due to the annual Meatworks maintenance shutdown and Ramadan this celebration was postponed to July 2016 where it was well attended.

• Showcased the annual Colourfest Film Festival featuring the best multi-cultural Australian stories through a selection of short films. The films challenge negative portrayals by showcasing a more authentic and inclusive image of Australians as a nation of diverse faces. The films were shown in Tatiara schools and is now available for borrowing in the Bordertown Public Library.

Yo u t h Su p p o r t a n d Eve nt s

National Youth Week

NYW was celebrated nationally 8-17 April 2016. Traditionally, our Youth Week program has run exclusively during that week, but this year we expanded our programming to spread across a month. The program designed to target different demographics which proved incredibly successful by engaging over 1,235 local young people.

Events included;

• The Adventures of Broer & Zus – presented in conjunction with the Country Arts SA Shows on the Road program and local presenter group PEAK and was held at the Keith Institute;

• Movies screened at the Bordertown Cinema – including Zootopia, The Peanuts Movie, Kung Fu Panda 3, Superman v Batman and two “lock-in” movie marathon’s featuring Alvin and The Chipmunks 4 and Goosebumps and Zoolander 1 and Zoolander 2;

• Movies screened at the Keith Cinema – including Zootopia, Kung Fu Panda 3 and Superman v Bat-man;

• Circus Elements Circus School – hosted 4 work-shops in Keith and Bordertown on a range of crazy and clever circus skills like juggling, hula hoops, uni-cycling, plate spinning, balance sticks, stilts;

• Paul Duff Cartooning – workshop with cartoonist Paul Duff was held both in Bordertown Public and Keith Community Library;

• Skate Park Jam – a ‘come ‘n try’ session was facili-tated by Lighthouse Youth Projects Ryan Lloyd and Jamie Moore at the Bordertown Skate Park;

• State Theatre Company “Gorgon” – presented in conjunction with Country Arts SA the State The-atre Company production “Gorgon”. Tatiara District Council supported Year 10, 11 and 12 students from Bordertown and Keith Schools to attend the show free of charge;

Supported Youth Workshops and Activities

• Range of free events offered throughout school holidays including workshops, authors and movies;

• Supported and presented at the Tatiara Skills Expo;

• Supported the presentation of the Limestone Coast Drug Action Team’s presentation “Understanding the Ice Factor” in Bordertown and Keith;

• Supported the presentation of a Cyber Safety and Safety at Schoolies workshop with Bordertown High School;

• Supported Bordertown Youth Centre to sell show bags at the Bordertown Spring Festival;

• Supported Lutheran Youth Group events throughout the year;

• Supported Keith Area School song writing workshop with Country group Carter and Carter.

Vo l u nte e r Su p p o r t a n d Eve nt s

National Volunteers Week

NVW was celebrated nationally 9-15 May 2016 with three separate functions held across the Tatiara to thank Volunteers for their continuous dedication and hard work across the region. The functions held in Padthaway, Bordertown and Keith attracted over 250

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volunteers.

Our 2016 Volunteers of the Year award winners were;

• Brendon Jones;• Carol Shakes;• Cloreen Meecham;• Colin Gregson;• Sonia Sharpe;• Suzanne Merrett.

G r a nt s a n d Fu n d i n g Ad v i ce

Grant programs offered during the year have enabled community groups and organisations to foster and build on this ethos with positive results in the form of new equipment, rejuvenated community halls, recreation and sporting facilities thus enabling increased participation and producing positive outcomes for the community.

M aj o r I n i t i at i ve s

Tutti Engage

Tatiara District Council were successfully funded by the Country Arts SA Regional Arts Fund to collaborate with inclusive arts organisation Tutti Arts to engage, support and advocate for people with disability.

Key outcomes included;

• Having previously mentored (already established) groups across regional South Australia and outer metropolitan suburbs to develop their own inclusive choirs, Tutti Arts and The Sisters of Invention engaged with a Bordertown’s Uniting Care Wesley (formerly TESS) clients;

• The Sisters of Invention worked with clients to write and record a song together;

• The Sisters of Invention hosted a free concert for the Tatiara community.

This is a Bordert(town)

This is a Border(town) is a 12 month project, beginning in early 2016 that includes a series of artist residencies, a major exhibition and a publication. The major theme of global, psychological and physical borders is overlayed across the physical places of the township as well amongst the residents who have participated in the projects.

The projects combined create a sense of diverse experiences that are at once global and local suggesting that every town is a border town.

This is a Border(town) is a Country Arts SA program presented in partnership with Tatiara District Council and funded by the Australia Council for the Arts.

Residencies include;

• Malcolm McKinnon, Filmmaker working with new arrivals from distant countries, who are employed in the meatworks, to capturing their stories and also the experience of locals extending the hand of friendship;

• James Dodd, Visual Artist, will work with local young people exploring ways in which patterns can become infused with cultural value, history and how it manifests for today’s young people. These elements will become part of multiple public outcomes;

• Mark de Nys, Sculptor will collaborate with men from the Tatiara Men’s Shed and local farmers to address Men’s Mental (and Physical) Health in a rural context;

• The Ben Quilty collection from the Art Gallery of South Australia will be exhibited in the Walkway Gallery in November 2016. The work depict rural Australia and some of the more challenging aspects of our culture and history;

• This is a Border(town) publication will be cre-

ated and launched in November 2016. Artists and writers were commissioned to contribute to the publication including James Darling, Dr Linda Marie Walker, Peter Mares, Peter Drew, Mark Thompson, Dave Graney and locals Vida Maney and Nikki Carson.

Wa lk w ay G a l l e r y

The Walkway Gallery has continued to present public programs which showcase art, celebrates diversity, and supports local art practices and regional artists.

Local artist / group exhibitions included;

• Bordertown artist Trish Daniel held her first solo show ‘To Catch a Rainbow’ (July 2015);

• Keith Art Group 60th Anniversary exhibition at the Keith Institute (November 2015);


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• Bordertown sign writer Brett Carr held his first exhibition ever (December 2015);

• Tatiara Palette Painters ‘Sunshine and Shadows’ exhibition featuring new artwork created in workshops and during the year (May 2016);

• • Bordertown artists Glenda Rowett presented

the new work in an exhibition ‘Connections’ created as part of a mentorship with Adelaide Central Studios artist Nona Burden (June 2016)

Curated exhibitions included;

• Adelaide Hills artists Kathleen Munn, Jan Clifford and Bill Clifford were commissioned to create the exhibition ‘Shifting Connections’ for the South Australian Rural Women’s Gathering held in Bordertown. The exhibition referenced the theme of the gathering ‘use it or lose it’ by using local natural fibres and images of nature in comment of the subtleties and fragilities of our environment (September 2015);

• Lucindale artist Hamish Macdonald exhibition ‘A Glimpse of Home” (February 2016);

• 2015 Tatiara Art Prize Winner Laura Wills exhibition ‘Contourlines” featured a survey of works created over the last ten years on maps. Each explored themes of the environment and how we are connected to it;

Special exhibitions included;

• South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival: SpinFX Australia artists Bob Daly, Kalyna Micenko and glass artist Kurt Florimond marked a 30 year art-making collaboration with the exhibition ‘In Our Nature’ in Bordertown – the place where they first met (August 2015);

• Tatiara Art Prize: The biennial acquisitive art prize was held in October 2015 with 77 entries in total, including 12 youth and 8 young entrants. The winning entries were;

MOST PROMISING YOUNG ARTIST (5-14 years) $250: Harry Schwarz (9) “Ned’s Last Stand”;

MOST PROMISING YOUTH ARTIST (15-26 years) $750: Jamie Alexander “Abandoning the Manly Dirt to Search for Inaction”

RALPH WINTER MEMORIAL PRIZE (Local) $500: Jaime Prosser “Graffiti Tank”;

PEOPLE’S CHOICE $500: Julia Davis “Community”;

TATIARA ART PRIZE $10,000 (acquisitive): Laura Wills “Murray Map”

Laura Wills is a visual artist based in Adelaide, Australia. With a Bachelor of Visual Arts and Applied Design from Adelaide centre of the Arts (2003) she practices a diverse range of media from painting, drawing and photography to installation, media arts and community projects. Wills has a strong interest in using found materials, collaboration and basing projects on social/ environmental themes. She regularly exhibits and has received numerous grants, awards and residencies locally in Australia and overseas.

Support for Local Artists

Supporting artists in applications to the Country Arts SA grants program, and offering an important behind-the-scenes opportunity to experience the grants assessment process. Local artists supported through Country Arts SA Regional Arts Fund incudes;

• Tatiara District Council – Tutti Engage;

• Glenda Rowett – Mentorship with artist Nona Burden

Supported Community Driven Arts Events

• Provided support and prize money for the Moot Yang Gunya Acquisitive Sculpture Prize for Eco Art Trail;

• Supported the Diamond Exhibition for the Keith Art Group in the Keith Institute;

• Supported the Gum Tree Quilters biennial exhibition in the Tatiara Civic Centre Hall;

• Installed Bordertown High School Art Exhibition in Tatiara Civic Centre foyer gallery.

M a r k e t i n g + C o m m u n i c a t i o n

Facebook.com

Facebook provides a valuable platform for sharing our own content as well as third party events and


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opportunities and communicating directly with our audience. Facebook allows us to be responsive to news as it arises, to share posts by partner organisation and showcase Tatiara events.In this way Facebook has become a way to support the local arts and creative industry and also grow the Tatiara network.

• Tatiara Civic Centre & Keith Institute

599 + Likes 83% Women (26% aged 35-44 and 22% aged 25-34) 16% Men (5% aged 25-34 and 4% aged 35-44) “Likers” from Bordertown (197), Keith (67), Adelaide (41), Mundulla (27), Melbourne (21), Kaniva (18), Mount Gambier (8), Marion (8), Cannawigara (8), Salisbury (8)

• What’s on Tatiara

548 + Likes 82% Women (23% aged 35-44, 19% aged 25- 34, 18% aged 45-54) 17% Men (6% aged 25-34 and 5% aged 35-44) “Likers” from Bordertown (203), Keith (64), Adelaide (29), Mundulla (26), Naracoorte (19), Melbourne (18), Mount Gambier (9), Kaniva (8), Wolseley (6), Murray Bridge (5)



Cinema The need for alternative affordable, social and educational facilities is an ongoing priority for Council. This is where the idea of installing digital cinema projectors at the Tatiara Civic Centre and Keith Institute was born, and for creating a new and engaging entertainment experience and opportunity for our region.

It was initially intended that films would be shown once per month, however, sufficient demand has been experienced and films are now shown on a weekly basis.The Cinema continues to host a wide variety of films

suitable for all ages, including near-recent releases, educational films, special feature films, etc. Never before has the Cinema resonated with as many people as it has over the last 2 years. We have experienced unprecedented film screenings, with approximately 5,500 people attending 150 screenings at the Tatiara Civic Centre and Keith Institute in 2015/16, compared with almost 5,700 people attending 132 screenings in 2014/15.

The Cinemas are almost entirely volunteer run and our thanks go to those wonderful people who do all the work behind the scenes to ensure that films are shown on a regular basis.


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From our Technical Services

Department


From our Technical Services

Department

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The 2015-16 financial year presented Technical Services with a considerably large programme of works. This was mainly due to extra the Road to Recovery grant from the Federal Government.

Council allocated funds to road works, footpath, kerb and gutter and stormwater drainage. This required up front planning of works in order to ensure that works were completed in time, within budget and to the quality specified by the Council.

To the credit of the staff who were ably assisted by local contractors, not only the whole works programme was delivered but additional works were also completed. Some of the projects in the works programme were delivered under their budget allocation which meant that Council was able to bring forward projects from future years and fund them from the savings.

This was possible due to an up to date Asset Management Plan that has been adopted by the Council.

R o a d s & St r e e t s Co ns t r u c t i o n a n d M a i nte n a n ce Wo r k s

Tatiara District Council has a significantly large road network which services its towns and a diverse agribusiness.

Each year Council spends the majority of its budget on its transport infrastructure which includes in excess of 2,000 kilometres of road reserves which are made up of different categories of roads. Currently Council is responsible for 1,789 kms of roads across the district of which approximately 530 km are sealed, 1077 km of unsealed road and 200 km of tracks/unformed roads.

Council’s overall expenditure on roads and street works was approximately $6.33 million. This was funded mainly by rates but also by specific government grants of approximately $1.82 million. Works carried out included:

Special Local Roads

Council was successful in obtaining special local road grant funding for two of its projects. Total funding received was of $361,500 which enabled:

• Upgrade of the intersections and rail crossings at Wolseley for compliance to B-Double route

• Shoulder widening of a 5.0 km section of Emu Flat Road. This completes the upgrade of Emu Flat Road from Dukes Highway to Ngarkat Highway.

Under the Special Local Road Programme, Council has to match dollar for dollar funding received under this programme. In order to apply for funding, LCLGA has formed a Transport Working Group of the member Councils to work together to come up with regional priority roads which needs to meet certain criteria. Roads selected is then forwarded to LGTAP for their considerations and approval for funding.

Tatiara District Council has been, over the past 5 years, successful in obtaining grants for the upgrade of Emu Flat Road.

Road Seal Upgrades

Council continued to fulfil its Policy to seal to seal urban streets in all its townships. This year remaining streets in Mundulla and Keith were upgraded from rubble road to sealed roads. This included:• South Terrace Mundulla• Stirling Street Keith• Hillier Road Mundulla.

There are very few streets left to upgrade and once the town streets are completed Council will assess the road upgrade programme in accordance with its Transport Infrastructure Asset Management Plan.

Resheeting of Rubble Roads

The re-sheet programme ensures that Council’s rubble roads have the required amount of rubble cover to meet the service standards specified under the Asset Management Plan.

Every rubble road in the District requires re-sheeting at approximately 20 year intervals. Roads requiring re-sheets are identified as part of Council’s asset management plan.

With 1,077 km of rubble roads to maintain across the district, roads are prioritised depending on volume and type of traffic and quality of rubble.

In 2015/16 Council spent approximately $900,000 on re-sheets of 35 kilometres of rubble roads in the district. All of the re-sheet works is undertaken by Council staff with carting of rubble outsourced to local trucking companies.

Technical Services Manager



Maintenance Works

In 2015-16 Council allocated approximately $1,865,000 on its transport infrastructure assets. However due to a large capital works programme not all the funds were spent. Maintenance works carried out across the district included:

• Patrol Grading

• Shoulder Grading

• Unsealed Road repairs

• Sealed Road repairs

• Guide Posts

• Signs

• Traffic Control

• Line marking

• Roadside mowing

• Weed spraying

• Storm Water maintenance

• Footpath maintenance

• Kerb & Gutter

• Tree maintenance (rural)

The majority of the maintenance works are done by Council staff and contractors are only used for specialised works. Council has a preventative maintenance plan in place but also receives requests and notifications from local residents and this leads to reactive maintenance in some cases.

Residents in the district are encouraged to contact Council if they are aware of any works that are required on their local roads.

Reseals

Council has 530 kms of sealed roads and streets which need to be resealed approximately every 20 years. In 2015/16 Council spent $565,000 on resealing 27km of sealed roads. This included works town streets and rural roads.

Priority for the roads to be re-sealed is derived from Council’s Transport Infrastructure Asset Management

Priority for the roads to be re-sealed is derived from Council’s Transport Infrastructure Asset Management Plan and condition monitoring undertaken by Council staff.

Most of the reseal works is outsourced to contractors. Currently TDC has joint agreement with two other neighbouring Councils to use the same sealing contractor. This has resulted in getting better prices from contractors based on increased volume of works.

Tow n St r e e t Up g r a d e s

Footpaths, Kerbs & Gutters

Council also has identified construction of new footpaths and kerbs and gutters for streets within the townships. This is also an outcome of Council’s Asset Management Plan which identifies the street where these items will contribute to community wellbeing as well as manage the stormwater from streets.

The total spend on the kerbs and gutter in 2015/16 was approximately $200,000 with works distributed at Bordertown, Keith Padthaway and Wolseley.

Bicycle Lane Upgrade

Council continued to carry out works on improving the bicycle lanes in Bordertown and Keith In accordance with the Bicycle Strategic Plans for Bordertown and Keith. Priority was given to recommended safety upgrades works for existing bicycle lanes in the two towns.

Council will continue to improve the bicycle lanes in the district over the next few years.

Pa r k s & G a r d e ns

Tatiara District Council adopted its Parks & Garden Asset Management Plan this year. The emphasis of the Plan is to ensure that not only Council’s parks and gardens are maintained to community expectation but also a renewal and upgrade plans are in place for the playground equipment. This will ensure that the playground equipment are compliant with current standard as well as keeping up with the changes in the availability of new equipment.

Council has continued its programme to maintain its parks and gardens to a standard that the community requires. Service levels for all parks and gardens were reviewed to ensure that they were aligned to Council’s budget as well as ensuring that it met community expectations. Some of Council’s parks are adjacent to major transport routes and attracts travelling public to


major transport routes and attracts travelling public to stop and utilise the facilities offered in Council’s parks and gardens which promotes local businesses.

In 2015-16 Council spent approximately $808,000 on Parks & Gardens in the district. The majority of the expenditure was on maintenance rather than renewal or upgrade.

Council staff commenced maintenance works in the Bordertown Wildlife Park as well as working on a proposal to further develop the park to enhance its reputation as an attraction for place to see white kangaroos. This is still works in progress with further development planned for in the coming year.

Was te M a n a g e m e nt

Council passed a resolution to introduce green waste collection service in 2016-17 financial year. This was after receiving numerous requests from some of the ratepayers and a business case which proved that green waste collection will reduce the amount of waste transported to landfill site.

Waste management is in the top three expenses of the Council’s annual budget. The approximate expenditure in 2015/16 was $982,000.

Staff are continually challenged with finding ways to reduce the cost of managing waste. This issue is further compounded by the fact that there are not any landfill operations in the district. As a result all putrescible waste needs to be carted approximately 200 kilometres to the Brinkley landfill site.

Work continued on capping the old landfill site at Bordertown and Keith under the license conditions and to comply with EPA requirements. Keith Landfill has

been capped and rehabilitated to meet the stipulated requirement and Bordertown landfill still has work in progress.

The rehabilitation of the old landfill at Padthaway will commence next year.

The cardboard baler purchased by the Council now enable baling of bulker bags as well as cardboards which also reduces rubbish going to landfill. Cardboard baling has increased from 40-50 tonnes/year to over 150tonnes/year.

The cost of recycling continues to increase considerably. Council sends its recycling waste to Naracoorte where it is sorted out and then transported to major recycling centres. Keeping the level of contamination in the recycle bin will assist in keeping the costs down.

P l a nt & M a ch i n e r y

Total Expenditure on Plat Operation in 2015/16 was $1,332,000 which includes Capital and Operational costs of the entire Council fleet.

All Council’s plant & machinery needs to comply with WHS legislation and are maintained to meet this requirements, this is one of the reasons Council continues to upgrade and replace plant (vehicles and machinery) as well as in accordance with the Asset Management Plan for Plant and Machinery.

The plant purchases have allowed Council to keep pace with the increased works program, with specialist plant hired in for projects from locals as required to compliment Council’s own fleet.


During 2015/16 Council procured the following major items of plant & machinery:

• Tool cat• Tractor• 2 Combination Rollers• Small kerb roller• Cab Ride-on Mower

Council’s fuel expenditure was down from previous year, which reflects the drop in crude oil price globally.

Co m m u n i t y Wa s te w ate r M a n a g e m e nt Sy s te ms (C WMS)

Council expenditure on CWMS for 2015-16 was approximately $850,000 which includes Capital upgrades, maintenance and operational costs.

Council continued with the upgrade of its CWMS pump stations which included upgrade of the following pump stations:

• 3 Pump Stations in Keith

• 2 Pump Stations in Bordertown

• 1 Pump Station in Mundulla

It is proposed that the pump upgrade programme will continue in 2016-17 with up to six pumps to be upgraded in next year’s programme. This will complete Council’s pump upgrade programme which will allow the use of SCADA to monitor and undertake diagnostic check of the pumps remotely.

This year Council commissioned suitable contractor to undertake condition monitoring survey of the CWMS pipe networks in the four towns. This survey is performed with a video or a still camera deployed in the pipes which provides a picture on the condition of the pipe network. A report from this condition monitoring exercise provides Council with valuable information on where to replace pipes or where leaks in joins etc. are occurring. This year only 20% of the network was surveyed.

Council will continue to undertake the survey so that the condition of majority of the pipe network is known.

A i r f i e l d s

The major works that were undertaken this year was the upgrade of the runway lights at Keith Airstrip. Previous to this upgrade, the lights at Keith Airstrip were deemed unreliable due to the power source and individual controls. Under new lights the power system has been upgraded by using solar panels (photovoltaic cells) which supply 240 volt power to the light in series. This has increased the reliability of the lights with no reported malfunctions since the completion of the upgrade.

Council maintains 3 authorised landing fields at Bordertown, Keith and Padthaway which provides service to RFDS and local community.

Safety audits were undertaken during the year as well as regular fortnightly inspections followed by any necessary maintenance to ensure that the Tatiara’s airfields remained suitable for continuing use.

O t h e r Wo r k s

The Technical Services Department is also responsible for the following:

Street Lighting - Council conducted trials for solar lights this year. Solar lights provide an alternative to using the SA Power Networks pole and wires to provide lighting in walking trails, parks and gardens. The upfront costs of the lights are significantly high but there are no operational costs. Council will evaluate the performance of these lights before rolling out solar lights to other areas.

Street Cleaning – Council uses a contractor to undertake regular cleaning of the kerbs and gutters in the five towns. This year Council increased the frequency of street cleaning in autumn months in order to keep up with falling leaves and to prevent them from clogging the stormwater drains. Although this was somewhat successful it still requires additional sweeping to totally overcome this problem.

As well as keeping the appearance of the towns tidy it keeps rubbish and plastics out of important water courses. Expenditure in 2015-16 was approximately $72,000.

Cemeteries – in 2015-16 Council spent approximately $204,000 on four cemeteries that it maintains compared to revenue of approximately $62,000.

The majority of the expenses are attributed to the upgrade and maintenance of all the Council’s cemeteries.

Surya PRAKASHManager Technical Services


From our Development

Department


From our Development

Department


R e sp o ns i b i l i t i e s

Town Planning, Development Assessment, Building Inspections, Building Fire Safety, Land Divisions, Waste Control, Food Safety, Public Health, Dog & Cat Management, Fire Prevention, Compliance, Swimming Pools, Asset Management (buildings) and Council special projects.

D eve l o p m e nt A p p l i c at i o ns 2015/16

The value of Development within the district was approximately $6,550,000 which is a decrease of around $2m from the previous year which is reflected in the reduced number of applications.

B u i l d i n g St at i s t i c s - 1s t J u l y 2015 to 30 t h J u n e 2016

New Dwellings 10Dwelling Additions 9Commercial/Industrial 14Outbuildings 54Land Divisions 9Total 96

Council continues to deal with a range of Development Applications with the majority being for residential, commercial and industrial developments. The majority of the applications processed were Category 1 therefore did not require public notification and these were dealt with by staff under delegation.

The Bordertown and Keith Industrial Estates continue to provide suitable land for new and existing businesses to develop and expand. Seed Genetics who recently moved into a new facility in the Keith Estate have acquired additional land to allow for future expansion. Council also resolved to proceed with the creation of an additional 6 allotments at the Bordertown Industrial Estate. It is imperative that Council continues to provide land and infrastructure for economic growth as this is integral for the future ssustainability of industry within the district.

The district economy is firmly based on agricultural and pastoral industries and with the excellent underground water resources provides the opportunity for extensive irrigation which has facilitated the production of small seeds, fat lambs, horticulture and viticulture.

One of Council’s key objectives is to protect agricultural land from incompatible land uses as there continues to be opportunities in food production.

P l a n n i n g R e f o r m

There continues to be discussion, debate and amendments to the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Act 2016 with one of the key issues is the role of the State Planning Commission which will have an important function, powers and duties. The Statutes Amendment (Planning, Development and Infrastructure) Bill 2016 provides greater certainty as to how the transition to the new planning system and the timing will be undertaken. Unfortunately it is still unknown when the transition will commence and what the key commencement dates will be even though these should be become evident once the Bill progresses through Parliament.

D eve l o p m e nt A ss e ssm e nt Pa n e l

Council currently has a Development Assessment Panel, consisting of five (5) members which include an independent chairman, two independent members and elected members. There are minimal applications that are assessed by the Panel

The Panel determines the following type of applications:

• Non Complying

• Category 2 & 3 which are subject to third party representations

Council reviews the Terms of Reference and the operation of the Panel annually.

Council has supported the proposal to establish “Assessment Panels” which are to consist of accredited professionals subject to being at least 2 Panels in the Limestone Coast. It is interesting to note that under the PDI Act Panels may have an elected member but this is not mandatory and all members of the Panel must be accredited with the exception of the Council member.

The requirement for Councils to appoint an assessment manager is an interesting initiative as Council will have to relinquish all its planning powers.

Manager Development & Inspectorial Services


B u i l d i n g I nsp e c t i o n Po l i c y

Council has a Building inspection policy which was reviewed to include mandatory notifications for truss roofs and swimming pools and undertake the required inspections. Council authorised officers are required to inspect a majority of building work at least once and new buildings twice at mandatory notification stages.

Sw i m m i n g Po o ls

Council provides excellent outdoor aquatic facilities at both Bordertown and Keith which are only open from mid November until early March. It takes substantial funds to maintain these facilities but the social benefits to the community certainly outweigh these costs.

Council employs an aquatic co-ordinator who has developed and administered a range of programs which include;

• Bordertown Swim School

• Aqua fitness

• Vac Swim & RLSSA Higher Awards

• Private swimming lessons

• Migrant specific swim and survive program

• Lap swimming

The Vac Swim program continues to well patronized therefore Council will continue to administer this program. It has been an excellent initiative, well supported and provides an excellent platform for continued expansion.

Council has also contributed funds to a privately owned heated pool as this assists in maintaining the facility and provides the community access to ongoing programs facilitated by Councils aquatic co-ordinator and rehabilitation programs.

Council was again successful in obtaining a grant through the Sport and Recreation, Development and Inclusion Program for a “Migrant specific swim and survive program”. This program is for a three year period but funding is approved on an annual basis.

The district has a large population of culturally and linguistically diverse residents which is mainly due to the employment opportunities at the JBS meatworks. Many of the personnel have no family locally and limited English therefore it is important

that Council advocates and facilitates programs to cater for their needs.

There were 40 participants enrolled in the program which were predominately middle aged men. It was very evident that once the participants grew in confidence so did there skill level. Twelve of the participants received a participation award, 14 passed Level 1 and 2 passed Level 2.

As with VACSWIM, this program aims to provide opportunities for participants to develop a range of skills and positive experiences in relation to water safety build confidence, personal survival activities, emergency procedures and basic stroke improvement.

H e r i t a g e Ad v is o r y S e r v i ce

Council continues to utilise the services of Heritage Advisor, Richard Woods, who visits the district on a regular basis. This is an excellent service which provides advice at no cost to the owners of heritage listed properties.

Council has a Local Heritage Grant Scheme which offers owners of Local Heritage and Contributory places up to $2,000 for conservation and restoration works on heritage buildings. Council includes in the annual budget an amount of $5,000 pa. The grant scheme has been in place for many years and has been beneficial for property owners as it assists in preserving and enhancing the long-term heritage value of heritage places.

Lo c a l Ac t i o n Pl a n Co m m i t te e

Council continues to contribute $40,000 per annum towards the Coorong Tatiara Local Action Plan Committees as this provides an excellent platform and leverage to source other external funding.

Even though funding opportunities have reduced in recent years, the current programs will continue until mid 2017. These programs have shown to provide a significant outcome for ecosystem resilience and maintaining healthy vegetation in targeted areas. Even though the funding streams have changed, the programs still provided excellent environmental benefits.

Research projects such as the recent one undertaken by Federation University Australia, investigating tree decline and death (including Mundulla Yellows) within the Council areas, is an excellent example. The project will run over 3 years. The first stage was completed in June 2015 and this was to undertake a literature review to evaluate the current knowledge of issues that potentially lead to tree decline and tree death. The LAP committee


towards capital works through its community grants program.

There continue to be challenges in maintaining buildings and more importantly deciding which assets are surplus to requirements, especially when service levels and affordability are taken into consideration.

Council completed the Bordertown Council Office alterations and refurbishment recently which cost in the vicinity of $200,000. Even though there was only 8m2 of additional floor area, replacing the air-conditioning and furnishings has provided an improved work environment for staff.

An existing public toilet facility was modified to provide a compliant toilet for people for disabilities. Providing equitable access and facilities is a high priority of Council and it will endeavour to upgrade facilities where possible.

The Bordertown Hockey Club with the assistance of Council was successful in obtaining a $90,000 grant to erect 4 light towers at Virgo Park. The funding was provided through the Sport and Recreation, Development and Inclusion Program. The lights will not only be beneficial for hockey but also soccer as numerous migrants participates in this sport.

Desludging Programme of septic tanks connected to Community Wastewater Management Scheme

The 5 year contract to desludge septic tanks connected to the Community Wastewater Management Scheme concluded recently and a new contract has been entered into with Upper South East Liquid Waste.

In total there are approximately 2,365 septic tanks connected to the schemes in the townships of Bordertown, Keith, Mundulla and Wolseley. These are desludged every five years in addition to the annual flushing of pump stations.

The regular desludging is extremely beneficial as it minimises the sludge entering the CWMS therefore reduces impact on the infrastructure.

Env i r o n m e nt a l H e a l t h

Council employs an Environmental Health Officer on a contract basis. The EHO administers Council’s responsibilities pursuant to the Food Act 2001 & Regulations, the Public Health Act 2011and Housing Improvement Act 1940. The EHO has a vital role in protecting and enhancing the public health of the community.

are also keen to develop a partnership with the university where students could undertake specific projects in the district.

Local Action Plan officers continue to work and engage with NRM Groups, landholders and students undertaking various projects and education as this is an integral part of the programs. They also assist in managing land in the care and control of Council. LAP officers facilitate numerous workshops in addition to attending local events where they display and share information. They also promote drought services at local shows and on the Council web site.

Council has been successful in obtaining 2 grants from the Department of the Environment for a specific Green Army Projects which will focus on high biodiversity value remnant vegetation protection and enhancement works. These programs will provide an opportunity for unemployed personnel to gain experience in the workforce and more specifically projects associated with the environment. The first program will commence in mid September and conclude at the end of February 17 with the second program commencing mid March and concluding in September 17.

Council also has an Advisory Body who provides comment on the amenity value of Native Vegetation clearance applications.

It may also comment on other aspects relevant to the principles of clearance, set out in the Native Vegetation Act and where the body believes it has appropriate qualifications or experience to provide such comments.

When considering “other” aspects the group provides a balanced view so issues such as revegetation, economics, biodiversity and impact of vermin are considered.

A ss e t M a n a g e m e nt

Council has the care and control of many properties within the district, many of which contain buildings and structures. An Asset Management Plan and 10 year building maintenance schedule was developed for Council occupied buildings. We have commenced a review of priority buildings assessing all their components and developing a renewable program. This program will be integrated into Councils long term financial plan.

Council provides annual contributions to community organisations as these funds assist in the maintenance of facilities. Council may also provide a contribution


All food premises within the Council area are audited to ensure compliance with Food Safety Standards and inspection frequency is based on a risk assessment process. Investigations are undertaken when there are complaints or an alleged food borne illness is reported.

Pamphlets and educational material in relation to public health are regularly updated and made available to the public. The EHO has and will continue to run food safety sessions for community groups if required. This year TAFE in conjunction with Council provided the opportunity employees and volunteers to attend a free food safety course. There were 2 sessions and both well attended. Council continues to subscribe to the online food safety program “I’m Alert Food Safety” program, as this provides an opportunity for food handlers to undertake on line training.

The bi-annual report for the Regional Public Health Plan was completed in conjunction with other Councils and the requirements of the Act. This highlighted and provided evidence the Tatiara Council is undertaking numerous projects and continually upgrading infrastructure for the benefit and well being of our communities.

Other activities performed by the Environmental Health Officer include:

• Monitor water quality of swimming pools and spas for public access.

• Investigation of insanitary conditions and offensive activities.

• Water quality monitoring.

• Noise and air quality issues.

• Food auditing of premises serving vulnerable populations eg nursing homes and childcare centre

I m m u n is at i o n

Council contracts the Bordertown Memorial Hospital to provide immunisation services for children who reside in the district. The programs are extremely beneficial so Council will continue to investigate ways to improve participation. The contract has recently being renewed.

G e n e r a l I nsp e c t i o n / A n i m a l M a n a g e m e nt / F i r e Pr eve nt i o n

The general inspector/fire prevention officer has many roles with his primary responsibility being to administer the Dog and Cat Management Act, the Fire and Emergency Services Act, Council By-Laws and more recently the Environment Protection Air Quality Policy. The introduction of this policy has forced landowners to consider options of the method they use to dispose of green waste. Council has introduced a third bin for the collection of green waste and also provides residents the option of disposing green waste free of charge at the Transfer Stations.

Knowledge of both animal and human behaviour is a requirement for those working in this field as there is a growing recognition that enforcement of laws will not, on its own, result in voluntary changes in behaviour, especially in relation to animal management.

It is necessary for Council to take a strategic approach to managing, enforcing and harnessing the knowledge of both animal and human behaviour in pet ownership.

Council reviewed and endorsed an updated Animal Management Plan 2015 – 2020 as required by the Act prior to the current Plan expiring. As there are proposed amendments to the Dog and Cat Management Act, the revised Plan has been “put on hold” to minimize any unnecessary duplication resulting from the legislative changes.

Community education is a high priority as voluntary compliance is the best option for all concerned. Council has clear objectives and policies when expiating for breaches and past history indicates it is better to resolve matters rather than issue fines.

The General Inspector also monitors untidy township allotments, parking, Council By-Laws and abandoned vehicles.

Prior to the Fire Danger Season, there is publicity in the local newspaper and on the local community radio and signage is also erected at district entrances.

Property inspections are undertaken and residents advised of their responsibilities in reducing and maintaining fuel loads. Notices are issued to landowners for non-compliance.

Rocky CALLISTOManager Development & Inspectorial Services


Financial Report


Financial Report


R e sp o ns i b i l i t i e s

“To provide financial, information and customer services of a high quality in support of the general operations of Council”.

• Financial Management and Reporting• Property Information, Rate and Service

Charges• Annual Budget and Reviews• Investments and Loans• Accounts Payable and Receivable• Information Technology and Communication

Systems• Records Management

Ach i eve m e nt s

• Unqualified Audit Report;• Adoption of Annual Business Plan, Budget &

Rates;• Budget Reviews completed each quarter;• Review & improvement of processes, systems

& procedures;• Review & improvement of Internal Financial

Controls;• Review of financial results against Council’s

Strategic Plan & Long Term Financial Plan;• Expansion of the records system to improve

capture & management of documents & data;• Continuing review of rating system & strategy;• Review, adoption & implementation of

Council’s Community Grants Policy & funding framework;

• Establishment of an Asset Management Committee to assist in asset financial management & planning;

• Review & development of financial policies & procedures.

Council is committed to ensuring that strong sustainable financial management underpins the provision of an extensive range of services to our community. Council manages approximately $200 million in assets, which includes land, community buildings, library resources, recreation facilities, equipment, roads, footpaths, stormwater drains and community wastewater management systems. To maintain our region’s valuable assets and to deliver our services, Council collects revenue from ratepayers and receives some grant funding from the Federal and State Government.

Council is always mindful of the impact and affordability of rates for the community, both householders and businesses. Council’s Financial Sustainability Strategy contains a number of principles that guide its financial management in the areas of:

• Balanced budget• Funded asset and service provision costs• Debt limitations• Review of assets• Council rate increases.

During the year a review of Council’s existing banking services was undertaken, which had been in place for quite some time. Council submitted its banking services out to tender, resulting in a benchmarking assessment to check for efficiency gains and check other services available. This resulted in a new banking provider being appointed during 2014.

Au d i t Co nt r o l

Galpins Accountants, Auditors and Business Consultants, have undertaken Council’s Balance Date Audit at 30th June 2016 and issued an unqualified audit opinion, meaning the external Auditor is satisfied as to the overall standard of Council’s accounting practices and management of Council’s financial affairs.

Council is in the process of preparing itself for the new internal control requirements effective in the 2015/16 financial year. With the assistance of the Deloitte Control Self Assessment (CSA) system, Council is committed to ensuring a fully-compliant internal control environment in accordance with Section 125 of the Local Government Act of South Australia 1999.

With the introduction of legislation for the audit opinion of Council’s internal control effectiveness, a program has been developed to enhance Council’s existing internal control processes. A control self assessment strategy is a large part of this initiative that will provide responsible officers with an important assessment and review process. The outcomes from this process will provide valuable operational and strategic process and risk management information for Council, staff, Audit Committee and external Auditors.

Financial Management


R e n e w a l a n d R e p l a ce m e nt o f A ss e t s

Consistent with the principles of financial sustainability, Council is committed to continuing its development of comprehensive asset management plans. The operations of Council are highly asset intensive – the Council has assets and infrastructure valued in excess of $200 million – and the further development of long term asset management plans will deliver significant improvements to our strategic decisions.

Strategic decisions and budget allocations on capital can be significantly improved through the use of long term infrastructure and asset management plans. Recent amendments to the Local Government Act now require all Councils to have long term infrastructure and asset management plans for all of its assets.

Working with the Asset Management Coordinator, there is a continuing focus on asset accounting through: robust asset information, data and assessment to accurately reflect asset valuation, condition and local use. A rolling asset class program for revaluation and condition assessment was expanded to ensure Council’s assets are appropriately managed and records maintained.

A n nu a l B u s i n e ss P l a n

Pursuant to the provisions of Section 123 of the Local Government Act 1999 (“the Act”) each Local Government Authority is required to develop an Annual Business Plan and a Budget for each financial year.

Council adopts an annual Business Plan that outlines the Council’s objectives (as set out in the strategic management plans) for the financial year and assesses the financial requirements to meet those objectives.

The Annual Business Plan is available on Council’s website, www.tatiara.sa.gov.au or at Council’s Bordertown and Keith Office and the Bordertown Library. Key business priorities, as detailed in the Annual Plan, include:

• Sustainability: ensuring Council’s ability to manage its finances so it can meet spending commitments, both now and in the future.

• Asset management: implementing a systematic, structured approach to the maintenance, upgrade and operation of assets.

Council has taken a 10-year approach to addressing the above priorities, including plans for:

• Committing to expenditure on buildings, plant and equipment including the development of community hub facilities.

• Committing budget funds to road and footpath infrastructure.

A strategic focus is a must if long-term issues are to be managed responsibly, while community assets must be protected and preserved for future generations to use and enjoy, as many of these assets have useful lives of 100 years, perhaps longer.

Most importantly, Council implements a budget review process to ensure Council realigns the budget to the business plans and reassesses its service level requirements, resourcing needs, other inputs, outputs and outcomes for service in each area. This ongoing work will help monitor that outcomes from Council’s strategic plan are budgeted, measured, reviewed and reported.

2015/16 I n Fo c u s

Throughout 2015/16 Council continued with its rigorous approach to financial accountability, where it not only met all of its financial and statutory reporting requirements, but it also managed its expenditure and income in line with the discipline of a far-sighted Long-Term Financial Strategy. By focusing on the renewal of ageing infrastructure and responsible financial management, Council is protecting future generations by funding a sustainable future today. This resulted in Council adopting a responsible 2015/16, budget which saw funds allocated to core and essential services.

The strategy outlines a number of approaches we will employ in setting our budgets over the next three years including:

• Concentrating on existing projects and plans.• Using reserve funds where appropriate.• Maintaining project and capital works

budgets at current levels.• Reviewing our Major Projects to ensure we are

within our borrowing capacity resulting from our Long Term Financial Plan.


• Building capacity to respond to external funding opportunities in the areas of community and economic development.

• Realigning existing services.• Identifying savings in our operating costs.• Ensuring responsible rate increases.• Providing contingency funds to ensure we have

capacity to respond to funding opportunities and the ability to absorb unforeseen financial shocks.

• Defining targets for our key financial performance indicators.

• Concentrating on existing projects and plans.• Using reserve funds where appropriate.• Maintaining project and capital works budgets

at current levels.• Reviewing our Major Projects to ensure we are

within our borrowing capacity resulting from our Long Term Financial Plan.

• Building capacity to respond to external funding opportunities in the areas of community and economic development.

• Realigning existing services.• Identifying savings in our operating costs.• Ensuring responsible rate increases.• Providing contingency funds to ensure we have

capacity to respond to funding opportunities and the ability to absorb unforeseen financial shocks.

• Defining targets for our key financial performance indicators.

F i n a n ci a l Acco u nt a b i l i t y a n d R e sp o ns i b i l i t y

Council’s Strategic Plan stipulates that Council will continue to develop and implement a robust and transparent system of financial management aligned to its Strategic Management Plan and maintained to a category 3 level of financial sustainability. Category 3 financial sustainability is described as ‘financially sustainable with a moderate margin of comfort’. It is calculated by dividing the operating surplus (before capital revenues) by the rate revenue for the year and adjusting for any significant capital backlog. Category 3 equates to an operating surplus of between 0% - 5%. In 2014/15 Council achieved an Operating Surplus, and continued to reverse the prior trend of Operating Deficits. The commitment of Elected Members and staff over recent years in achieving financial sustainability in accordance

with the Strategic Plan has ensured the Tatiara District Council has secured a solid financial position.

Council maintains its focus through a Corporate Reporting Framework that identifies financial and non financial measures to ensure our performance can be assessed against stated objectives. Included in the regular schedule of reports are:

• Monthly financial reports to Council.• Quarterly budget reviews to Council and Audit

Committee.• Quarterly key financial indicator updates to

Council and Audit Committee.• Annual Report.

The Framework is continually being reviewed to ensure it delivers the most informative and effective reports to Council.


F i n a n ci a l I n d i c ato r s

In accordance with Section 122 of the Local Government (Financial Management and Rating) Amendment Act 2005, Council is required to introduce measures to assess it performance over the financial year. The Local Government Financial Sustainability Program has defined a series of financial indicators that have been incorporated into the Model Financial Statements. These indicators provide information on financial performance, financial position and long term viability. The Operating Surplus before capital items for 2012/13 was above budget and continues our strong performance over recent years. It provides a sound base for the achievement of our financial sustainability objectives into the future.

Council, by using a number of key financial indicators, assesses its financial sustainability to determine its financial performance and position. Council’s long term financial performance and position is sustainable where planned long-term service and infrastructure levels and standards are met without unplanned and disruptive increases in rates or cuts to services.

Long term financial sustainability promotes fairness in distributing public resources between current and future ratepayers, that is inter generational equity, it maintains a healthy financial position and provides greater stability and certainty of financial outcomes. It also ensures continuation of delivery of essential community services and the efficient operation of infrastructure and a reasonable degree of stability and predictability in overall rates burden over time.

The financial measures adopted by the Council, which are in line with those recommended for all councils by the Local Government Association of South Australia, are contained in Note 15 of the financial statements and are commented on below.

O p e r at i n g Su r p l u s /(D e f i c i t )

Indicator: An operating surplus before capital revenues indicates the extent to which operating revenue is sufficient to meet all operating expenses including depreciation. An operating deficit occurs when total operating expenses exceed total operating revenues and consequently the burden of a portion of expenses will need to be met by future ratepayers. For the Tatiara District Council,

this indicator is being used to measure the ‘gap’ from our operating result to break even.

Target: At the end of the five year period to 2014/15 we will achieve an accumulated operating surplus/(deficit) position that will be within a band of +/-5% of rate revenue without requiring significant increases in rates or decreases in services throughout the period.

Result: In 2015/16 Council recorded an operating deficit of $1,004,000. As illustrated by the following graph, while this result reverses a 5 year trend of operating surpluses, the 5 year trend average is a surplus of $501,145 and the 10 year average being a surplus of $565,972.


O p e r at i n g Su r p l u s /(D e f i c i t ) R at i o

Indicator: This ratio expresses the operating surplus / (deficit) as a percentage of general and other rates, net of rebates. A negative ratio indicates the percentage increase in total rates required to achieve a break-even operating result. A positive ratio indicates the percentage of total rates available to fund capital expenditure over and above the level of depreciation expense without increasing council’s level of net financial liabilities.

Target: at the end of the five year period to 2015/16 we will achieve an accumulated operating surplus/ (deficit) ratio that will be within a band of +/-5%. This ratio is consistent with the Operating Surplus indicator.

Result: Council achieved a ratio of -7.0% in 2015/16, however the 5 year average is 11% and the 10 year average is 9%.


N e t F i n a n ci a l L i a b i l i t i e s

Indicator: Net financial liabilities measure a council’s total indebtedness. Net financial liabilities is a broader measure than net debt as it includes all of a council’s obligations including provisions for employee entitlements and creditors. The level of net financial liabilities increases when a net borrowing result occurs in a financial year and will lead to a council incurring liabilities and/or reducing financial assets. The level of net financial liabilities decreases when a net lending result occurs in a financial year and will result in a council purchasing financial assets and/or repaying liabilities.

Target: Over the five year period to 2015/16 our net financial liabilities will not exceed 65% of our forecast annual operating revenue.

Result: In 2015/16 Council recorded a negative indicator of -$5,086 million. The 5 year trend average is -$4,295,200 and the 10 year average being -$3,716,300.

N e t F i n a n ci a l L i a b i l i t i e s R at i o

Indicator: This ratio indicates the extent to which net financial liabilities of the council can be met by the Council’s total operating revenue. Where the ratio is falling, it indicates the council’s capacity to meet its financial obligations from operating revenues is strengthening. Where the ratio is increasing, it indicates a greater amount of council’s operating revenues is required to service its financial obligations.

Target: Over the five year period to 2015/16 our net liabilities as a percentage of total operating revenue will not exceed 65%. This ratio is consistent with the net financial liabilities indicator.

Result: This ratio indicates the extent to which net financial liabilities of the Council could be met by its operating revenue. The Council achieved -38% in 2015/16, with a 5 year trend average of -29.8% and a 10 year average of -28.7%.


A ss e t Su s t a i n a b i l i t y R at i o

Indicator: This ratio indicates whether a Council is renewing or replacing existing non- financial assets at the same rate that its overall stock of assets is wearing out.

Target: The target for this ratio is an average between 90% and 100% over any five-year period. This would mean that Council is replacing 100% (or all) of the assets that require renewal.

Result: In 2015/16 Council achieved a ratio of 69%, which is well below Council’s target of between 90% and 110%. However, Council is expecting to significantly improve its performance in relation to asset management from 2015/16, where it intends to spend in accordance with its 10 year infrastructure and asset management plans. In 2015/16 Council’s Asset Renewal Funding Ratio was 112%, which highlights the “cash flow from Council’s operations expressed as a percentage of the average asset replacement required from the Asset Management Plans and Schedules.


The LGA SA Information paper 12 (published in 2007): targets for Local Government Indicators: Suggests that Council’s can choose one of two options for their Asset Sustainability Ratio:

• Option 1: Capital outlays on renewing/replacing assets net of proceeds from sale or replaced assets is greater than 90% but less than 110% of depreciation over a 3 year rolling period.

• Option 2: Capital outlays on renewing/replacing assets net of proceed from sale of replaced assets is greater than 90% but less than 110% of the level proposed in the infrastructure and asset management plan over a rolling 3 year period

Information paper 12 was discontinued in 2012, and its contents were merged into LGA Information Paper 9 (published in 2015), which suggests that option 2 is the preferred option with no mention of the first option.

Historically Council initially decided to use depreciation in the calculation of this ratio because Asset Management Plans had not been completed for all categories of Council’s assets. However, AMPs have now been completed for the majority of assets, making option 2 the most suitable for our Council.

Option 2 ensures we are spending the appropriate amount on asset renewals as per Council’s current asset management plans, taking into account the current position of our assets in their lifecycle which is not currently consistent with our depreciation costs. According to our Asset Management Coordinator, “the risk of adopting this indicator is that we don’t have the capacity to fund renewals in the long-term. To overcome this we need to maintain accurate asset management plans and condition monitoring so that we have a good understanding of the peaks and troughs well in advance so Councillors can make informed decisions when setting rates. We also have significant capacity to reduce upgrade funding in the future to pay for renewals.”

T h e Co m i n g Ye a r

As our local community becomes more aware of the services and amenities we provide as local government, our Council will continue to focus on responsible financial management and improving service delivery.

Among the goals we have set for 2016/17 is:

• Ongoing consultation with our community on budget and rating arrangements.

• Addressing rating and fiscal management issues including reviewing services, retaining assets, resource sharing opportunities and the income base of Council.

• Addressing long-term financial sustainability of Council owned assets.

• Developing and completing Council’s internal control policies and procedures.

• Developing Council’s regional tourism management and economic development strategy.








































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Association (LCLGA) Report



Association (LCLGA) Report


O f f i ce B e a r e r s 2015 -16

In accordance with the LCLGA Charter, the positions of LCLGA President and Vice President are appointed at the Annual General Meeting, held in February.

At the Annual General Meeting in February 2016, Mayor Erika Vickery was again elected as LCLGA President, to serve in the position for a period of 12 months. Mayor Richard Sage was elected as LCLGA Vice President.

During 2015 - 2016, the Executive Officer role was filled by Ann Aldersey until (19th August). Dominic Testoni (commenced 9th November).

Galpins are the appointed Auditor.

During 2015 - 2016, LCLGA engaged the following staff to deliver regional programs:

STAFF MEMBER REGIONAL PROGRAM

Tony Elletson STARCLUB Field Officer

Rob Forgan Regional Community Road Safety Officer

Daniel Willsmore (until 24th July 2015)

June Saruwaka (commenced 13th October 2016)

Regional Waste Management Co-Ordinator

Michaela Bell Project Manager

Biddie Shearing Tourism Industry Development Manager

Jackie Hao (commenced 14th March 2016)

Economic Development Officer

Alice McLeod Administration Officer

LCLGA BOARD MEMBERS 2015-16

COUNCIL DELEGATE DEPUTY BOARD MEMBERS

District Council of Grant Mayor Richard SageCr Brian Collins

Cr Bruce Bain

Kingston District Council Mayor Reg LyonsCR Kay Rasheed

Cr Chris England

City of Mount Gambier Mayor Andrew LeeCr Penelope Richardson

Cr Ian Von Stanke

Naracoorte Lucindale Council Mayor Erika VickeryCr Scott McLachlan

Cr Craig McGuire

District Council of Robe Mayor Peter Riseley Cr Harvey Nolan

Tatiara District Council Mayor Graham ExcellCr Diana Penniment

Cr Robert Mock

Wattle Range Council Mayor Peter Gandolfi Cr Robert Dycer


DELEGATES TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

COUNCIL LC LGA REPRESENTATIVE

LGA Board Mayor Erika Vickery

Mayor Richard Sage (Proxy)

SAROC

Mayor Erika Vickery

Mr Dominic Testoni

Mayor Richard Sage (Proxy)

SAROC is an imprtant LGA committee for non-metroplitan Councils. Membership is drawn from each of the six non-metropolitan Regional Local Government Associations with members meeting bi-monthly to discuss the key issues affecting non-metropolitan Councils.

Temply Annual Report 2015 Designed By Temply130 Tatiara District Council - 2015/16 Annual Report

Tatiara District Council - 2015/16 Annual Report 131Tatiara District Council - 2015/16 Annual Report

Tatiara District Council - 2015/16 Annual Report 132 Tatiara District Council - 2015/16 Annual Report



Acknowledgements

Tatiara District Council would like to thank the following:

• Volunteers and the Community for their valued input.

• Anthony Cirocco for the use of photographs.



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TELEPHONE(08) 8752 1044

FACSIMILE(08) 8752 1442

43 Woolshed Street Bordertown SA 5268 (PO Box 346)WEBSITE: www.tatiara.sa.gov.au EMAIL: [email protected]
