FAQ

The Delivery Program 2011/2015 details the activities Council will commit to over the next four years, to achieve the objectives outlined in the Tweed Community Strategic Plan 2011/2021.

The Community Strategic Plan is the visionary strategic document in Council's new Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework, identifying the community's objectives and priorities for the Tweed for the next 10 years.

It is supported by the Delivery Program, which establishes clear priorities, activities and specific actions Council will undertake during the fixed four-year period. It is a statement of commitment that all Council's resources are committed to achieving the agreed 10-year vision for the Tweed.

Both the Community Strategic Plan and Delivery Program are underpinned by the Operational Plan, which specifies individual actions that will be undertaken for the coming financial year.

The Operational Plan incorporates an annual budget and revenue statement including proposed rates, fees and charges.

The NSW Government requires all NSW Council to produce a Delivery Program and Operational Plan as part of their Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework. Both these documents complement one another and Tweed Shire Council decided a combined document was the best way to present their information.

It presents the individual actions of the Operational Plan within the context of the Delivery Program's four-year agenda. This document is supported by a separate Draft Budget 2011/2015.

The Delivery Programs' four-year periods will ultimately coincide with the terms of each panel of elected Councillors, setting out the actions they will aim to undertake during their tenure. Combining the two documents effectively presents the progression of each Operational Plan to achieve the overall objectives of that panel of Councillors.

The NSW Government is requiring all NSW councils to produce an Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework to ensure Local Government operations and strategic planning are meeting the needs of the community. The framework provides an overall vision for each local government area, while establishing the tools to pursue these visions and assess the Council's success in achieving the objectives. It helps councils identify and plan for funding priorities and service levels in consultation with their community.

This long-term strategy equips Council to deal with major issues that will confront the Tweed in the future. It identifies the shire's assets and strengths and defines the broad objectives needed to protect and enhance the qualities that make the Tweed a great place to live, work and play.

Council's Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework comprises the:

Community Strategic Plan 2011/2021 (adopted by Council on 14 December 2010)

Delivery Program 2011/2015 and Operational Plan 2011/2012

Budget 2011/2015

Resourcing Strategy 2011/2015, which outlines Council's capacity to manage its assets and deliver services. The Resourcing Strategy consists of a:

* Four-year Workforce Management Plan

* 10-year long-term financial plan

* 10-year asset management strategy

See the diagram below to see how the documents relate to one another and how Council will report on its progress.

Rates in 2011/2012 will be increased by between four per cent and 7.5 per cent. The minimum rate will rise by 7.5 per cent, in line with ministerial approval for Council's 7 Year Infrastructure and Services Plan. However, the ad valorem ratepayers who are not paying the minimum rate (approximately 45 per cent of ratepayers) will benefit from a diminished increase of between four and 7.5 percent, depending on the unimproved value of their property.

This is because in 2004, the NSW Minister for Local Government approved a special rate increase from 2004/05 to 2010/11 to enable Council to fund its asset maintenance and road sealing projects. This approval was granted on the condition Council reduce its general income in 2011/12 by the amount of the special variation granted in 2004/05, plus the equivalent cumulative proportion of this increase from any variation increases or special variation increases approved from the 2005/06 to the 2010/11 rate years.

The projects included in the final two years of the 7 Year Infrastructure and Services Plan have been included in the draft Delivery Program, within the appropriate themes.

Council's capital expenditure for 2011/2012 will be $78.4 million, in a total Council budget of $220 million. The major capital projects include:

Banora Point Sewerage Treatment Plant Effluent Quality Upgrade ($11.4m)

Bridges ($750,000)

Burringbar Sewerage Reticulation ($5.3m)

Burringbar Sewerage Treatment Plant ($3.5m)

Drainage ($1.7m)

Pottsville Beach Neighbourhood Centre ($1.1 million)

Preferred Water Supply Augmentation Option ($4.1m)

Road Construction ($7.4m)

Tweed River Regional Museum ($3.2m)

Water Mains ($6.8m)

The Community Strategic Plan 2011/2021 is the community's aspirations and priorities for the Tweed for the next 10 years. It was produced from an extensive program of consultation from 27 September to 8 November 2010, which revealed the community's objectives under four themes:

Civic leadership

Supporting Community Life

Strengthening the Economy

Caring for the Environment

The Delivery Program and Operational Plan are Council's strategy to achieve the objectives contained in the Strategic Plan, setting out the specific actions Council will undertake over the next four years. Council is seeking community feedback on the Delivery Program and Operational Plan's actions and priorities, during a community engagement campaign from 27 April to 27 May 2011.

That feedback will be used by Council to finetune the Delivery Program and Operational Plan, to ensure their actions are in line with community objectives.

All of the documents in Council's Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework must be completed and adopted in time for implementation by 1 July 2011.

Individuals and organisations will be given a variety of options to comment on the draft Delivery Program and Operational Plan. Engagement methods such as information sessions in shopping centres and markets take the discussion out into the community, while this online forum offers a convenient way to have your say.

It enables groups and individuals to easily provide input at a time and place which suits them. This webpage features all the documents and podcasts relevant to the Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework.

Alternatively, write a submission and email it to tsc@tweed.nsw.gov.au, post it to General Manager, Tweed Shire Council PO Box 816, Murwillumbah 2484 or fax it to (02) 6670 2429.

For more details about the various options available for input contact Council's Community Engagement Officer on (02) 6670 2751.

Councillors will be available at a series of Community Information Stalls being held throughout the shire to inform and consult with the community about the Delivery Program and Operational Plan (See 'Where will the information sessions be held?'). You can also book a timeslot to speak at the monthly Community Access session to express your thoughts on the contents of these documents.

A series of community information sessions will be held at shopping centres and markets throughout the Tweed. Councillors and Council staff will be on hand and information will be available to explain the

Delivery Program and Operational Plan and enable you to provide your input. The sessions will be

held at:

Pottsville Markets, Sunday, 1 May 8am-noon.

Sunnyside Shopping Centre, Murwillumbah, Monday, 9 May 10am-3pm.

Kingscliff Markets, Saturday, 14 May 8am-noon.

Uki Markets, Sunday, 15 May 18am-noon.

Tweed City, Wednesday, 18 May 10am-3pm.

Copies of the draft Delivery Program and Operational Plan can be downloaded from the Library section of this website. Printed copies and versions on CD will be available at a series of community information sessions being held throughout the Tweed during May. Printed versions can also be read at Council's offices at Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads and its Kingscliff, Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads libraries.

Submissions close at 4pm on Friday, 27 May 2011.

It will not be possible to extend the exhibition period because the completed Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework must be in place by 1 July 2011. Council is working to a tight timeframe to get all the documents in the framework completed by this deadline, which has been set by the NSW State Government.