Range and level of services review to improve efficiency
Fraser Coast Regional Council has adopted the recommendations of a “range and level of services review” in this year’s budget to improve the organisation’s effectiveness and efficiency.
Cr David Lee said Council had spent more than a year examining what services it could and should deliver to meet community needs while ensuring its ongoing financial sustainability.
“Council funding from government grants is reducing while, at the same time, we have increased costs and demand for services as our community grows,” he said.
“That’s why we’ve put all our services under the microscope to consider what we should maintain at current levels, what we should increase, what we could reduce and where we can be more efficient.
“The recent decision to consolidate our network of waste facilities is an example of that.
“By closing four of our 11 waste facilities, we can still provide a high level of community service while saving ratepayers almost half a million dollars a year and ensuring the remaining facilities operate more efficiently.”
The new five-year Corporate Plan adopted by Council outlines four organisational priorities, which also underpin the range and level of services review. These are:
- Effectively managing and maintaining assets;
- Better planning for the future;
- Providing focused service delivery and
- Maintaining financial sustainability.
Cr Zane O’Keefe said Council would be focusing more on the key priority areas, particularly managing and maintaining assets, and planning for the future.
“The Fraser Coast has been growing rapidly, and that growth is expected to continue with another 30,000 people expected to call our region home over the next two decades,” he said.
“Council’s assets – our roads, bridges, parks, buildings and other facilities and infrastructure - are valued at about $2.7 billion, so we must manage and maintain those assets for those who live here now and those who will come here.
“That’s why we’re directing more resources towards improving building maintenance, centralising planning work, ensuring developments comply with conditions, and increasing service standards in civil infrastructure design and delivery, and road and bridge inspections, to name a few examples.
“We also recognise the importance of ensuring developers pay their fair share of the infrastructure costs of new developments so existing residents don’t bear an unfair burden.
“The cost of delivering new roads, water treatment plants, parks and other infrastructure has increased significantly over the past few years, which is why Council has begun a review of our infrastructure charges.
“We currently charge less than what the State Government allows, and over the next couple of months, we will be engaging with the development industry and other stakeholders to ensure development infrastructure charges keep up with the rising costs of providing infrastructure.”
Cr Lee said Council had considered how to reduce service levels or deliver services differently to be more efficient.
“These are tough times, and we have had to make some tough decisions, but we need to take action now to ensure our long-term financial sustainability,” he said.
“The decisions we are making now will help us move from a deficit budget this year to a balanced budget in coming years without overburdening the community.
“It’s all about balancing the needs of the present with the needs of the future to ensure our region can continue to flourish.”
Examples of changes to service delivery to ensure Council is more efficient and focuses more on its priority areas include:
- Increasing animal management staffing levels to provide services for extended hours;
- Reducing the frequency of beach cleaning at some locations;
- Reducing Council’s involvement in State Government responsibilities in Community Development;
- Standardising opening hours at galleries and museums;
- Discontinuing heritage grants and reducing the amount available for sport and recreation grants;
- Handing back maintenance of State roads to the Queensland Government to focus resources on maintaining Council roads; and
- Discontinuing the green waste loyalty card and a minor reduction in opening hours at the Maryborough and Nikenbah waste facilities.
A copy of the 2023/24 Range and Level of Service report is available at www.frasercoast.qld.gov.au/budget