Delivery Program and Community Strategic Plan

Council’s recent survey into the delivery of key services across the shire has highlighted the value of quality roads and water infrastructure to the Tweed community.

Road services (including traffic, footpaths and cycleways) were rated a priority by almost two thirds of Tweed residents, followed by Water Supply and Parks and Gardens.

The survey also measured community satisfaction with the delivery of 34 Council services and showed, on average, residents were ‘very satisfied’ with the services they used with an overall satisfaction rating of almost 85 per cent.

Cemeteries, the Art Gallery and Aquatic Centres were among the top rating services in terms of satisfaction while Roads had the lowest satisfaction score of 67 per cent.

Click here to see a summary of the survey results

Click here for the Council services descriptions and full results

Council General Manager Troy Green said almost 1700 responses to the survey were received from 82 different localities across Tweed Shire.

“On behalf of Council, I would like to thank everyone who participated in the survey, through the Tweed Link, online or at one of our many Community Engagement Network events,” he said.

“The overall satisfaction rating of almost 85 per cent is particularly encouraging, while the priority and importance ratings covered the span of Council’s functions from infrastructure and planning, to environmental, cultural and community services.

“The survey also asked residents to share their vision for the Tweed of the future. The recurring themes for Council were about listening to the community and finding the balance between supporting community growth and protection of the environment.

“These individual responses also highlighted important areas where Council has room to improve.

“All the information has been provided to Councillors and the responses have now been incorporated into key Council planning documents including our Delivery Program/Operational Plan which are soon to go on public exhibition.

“Many individual survey comments also feature throughout our Draft Community Strategic Plan 2017–2027.”

The survey was distributed to households late last year via a special edition of the Tweed Link and was available online.

The team from Council’s Community Engagement Network also completed hundreds of surveys with Tweed residents at public events and locations across the shire.

The survey asked respondents to provide feedback on:

Council priorities - what five services do you feel should be an increased priority for Council? (results below listed by percentage of respondents who identified service as a priority)

The formal exhibition period for Council’s Draft Community Strategic Plan 2017-2027 has closed with hundreds of local residents from across the Tweed taking the opportunity to have their say.

Council’s Director of Corporate Services Liz Collyer said there has been a significant response from the community to the plan’s theme of ‘Living and Loving the Tweed’.

“This process really demonstrates that Tweed people are passionate about their community and want to have a say in its future direction,” she said.

“In recent weeks, the team from Council’s Community Engagement Network has been out and about at markets, shopping centres and community events across the shire with more than 300 community members taking the time to join the conversation.

“It’s also been a really positive process to have our elected Council representatives joining staff at many of the Community Engagement Network events.

“We’ve also made presentations and ran information sessions for a range of ratepayer associations, community groups and business chambers

“Feedback from almost 1700 responses to a Council survey also contributed to the plan, as well as several dozen formal written submissions.

The submissions and feedback will be incorporated into the final version of the Community Strategic Plan which will be presented to Council at the end of March, accompanied by a Delivery Program which outlines how to achieve the plan’s broader visions.

Join the conversation with Council's Community Engagement Network

Council has added community engagement events into the mix as part of the ongoing conversation about ‘Living and Loving the Tweed’, Council’s Draft Community Strategic Plan 2017-2027.

The 10-year plan aims to document the community’s priorities for the next decade and to define Council’s related goals, strategies, actions and targets. It went on public exhibition earlier this month.

To learn more about the plan come and meet the team from Council’s Community Engagement Network at:

· 24 January - Tweed City Shopping Centre

· 25 January – Caldera Farmers Market – Murwillumbah

· 26 January – Tweed Shire Australia Day event – Twin Towns

· 2 February – Casuarina Shopping Village

· 5 February – Pottsville Beach Markets

· 9 February – Murwillumbah Sunnyside Mall

· 11 February – Kingscliff Markets

Click here to access the Draft Community Strategic Plan or for information about making a submission please visit www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/OnExhibition(External link)

A message from the General Manager

I’m sure most of you would agree that the Tweed is a great place to live. You may not have thought much about it, but the services your local council provides are a big part of the overall quality of life in the Tweed.

‘Tweed the Future is Ours’ is one of the most important community engagement and planning projects our council has undertaken – it will help to shape the very nature of the important services we deliver.

The Community Strategic Plan and related Delivery Program are key milestones as part of the project.

Council's services include roads, waste collections, community events, cultural activities, community services, recreation and sporting fields and many more.

Council delivers more than 50 services – that’s a lot. We also manage and maintain a large number of assets, such as roads, footpaths, cycleways, community buildings, swimming pools, civic centres, auditoriums and water treatment plants.

The NSW Government’s local government reform process “Fit for the Future”, has presented the opportunity to look at what we do, why we do it, how well we do it and at what cost.

What excites me the most about ‘Tweed the Future is Ours’ is the opportunity for myself and other Council staff to listen to as many Tweed residents as possible during the project, which is expected to take around 18 months. This is a genuine commitment by Council to continue to build relationships and have meaningful conversations with as many locals as we can.

The good news is Tweed Shire Council is in a strong financial position. We want to maintain this position and find the best balance of providing quality services and the right infrastructure and delivering value for money for the Tweed community into the future.

I look forward to catching up with you through ‘Tweed the Future is Ours’.

Troy Green, General Manager, Tweed Shire Council

Thank you Tweed residents for having your say on the Tweed of tomorrow.

Council's Service Planning Survey has now closed, almost 2000 Tweed residents took the time to rate Council's services in terms of importance, satisfaction and their priorities as well as providing their vision for the Tweed of the future.

Council will use the results to help plan to deliver future services and to provide input into important planning documents such as the Community Strategic Plan.

The draft of the Community Strategic Plan will be on display in the New Year for community members to provide further feedback on.

Community engagement on ‘Tweed the Future is Ours’ has already started.

Our Community Engagement Network is a team of Council staff who are passionate about having conversations and sharing information about the Tweed.

The Community Engagement Network has already conducted a series of focus group sessions at Banora Point, Kingscliff and Murwillumbah to gain a sense of community knowledge of - and current satisfaction with - Council services and assets.

Participants also discussed the ways they like to communicate and engage with Council, providing great feedback on the most effective ways to conduct the ‘Tweed The Future is Ours’ community engagement.

“We want to continue to build relationships with the community, so the engagement will be conducted by Council staff from across the organisation, not consultants,” Council’s Director Corporate Services, Liz Collyer, said.

“One of the strong messages which came through the focus groups is that people want us to come to where they are with Council information and that’s what we’ll be doing with ‘Tweed The Future is Ours’.

“You’ll see us out and about at community events, markets and shopping centres over the next 18 months, so please come and say hello and have a chat.

“We want to present to the community a clear, simple and understandable picture of the current state of Council’s infrastructure, services and financial position.

“But don’t let that scare you off – we’ll be having a lot of fun too.”

These days, Councils provide much more than roads, rates and rubbish.

Tweed Shire Council is involved in community services, environmental protection, providing recreational facilities, economic development and many other areas which have direct impact on our lives.

However, many of these assets and services have evolved over time without any real consideration of the long-term implications on Council resources or alternative methods of delivering the service.

Through the Tweed The Future is Ours process, Tweed Shire Council aims to become a more contemporary organisation that provides assets and services at the levels the community wants, that are financially sustainable.

In phase one of the process, Council has undertaken a thorough internal review to come to an agreed position and understanding of the assets we control and the services we currently provide.

This information will form the basis of a comprehensive program of community engagement which will provide Council an understanding of the level of community satisfaction with Council services and assets as well as clear direction and service priorities for the future.

Phase one of the Tweed the Future is Ours process has been about assessing the state of play in terms of the assets and services Council is responsible for.

The next phase involves taking that information to the community

Council has identified more than 50 services that are broken down into four streams.

We’ve grouped our services into four streams:

· People places and moving around – who we are and how we live

· Leaving a legacy – looking out for future generations

· Making decisions with you – we’re in this together

· Behind the scenes – providing support to make it happen

“Through our Community Engagement Network and our Service Planning survey, Council is having important conversations with our communities about the level of services and infrastructure ratepayers and residents prefer,” Council’s Director Corporate Services, Liz Collyer, said.

“It’s a conversation we haven’t had to date and it is crucial in determining what services the community would prefer Council to deliver and to what levels.

“When it comes to Council’s built assets and infrastructure an example could be while many of us would love to drive on seamless smooth surfaces on all our roads, we have to able to afford them, so there will also be financial implications to consider.

"We will be providing a number of scenarios relating to our assets for the community to have a look at and consider within budget constraints.

“We really want to hear what residents think and make sure we’re planning the right future for everyone in the Tweed,” Ms Collyer said.

· 1079km of sealed roads

· 164km of unsealed roads

· 210km of footpaths

· 790km of kerb and gutters

· 208 concrete bridges

· Clarrie Hall Dam, capacity 15,000 mL

· Bray Park (640 mL) and Tyalgum Weir (10 mL)

· 3 water and 8 wastewater treatment plants

· 28 water and 190 wastewater pump stations

· 43 reservoirs and 706km of water mains

Infrastructure for flood protection:

· 376km of drainage

· 10.4km of levee banks

· 400 flood gates

Recreational and other assets:

· 378 parks

· 37 sports fields

· 82 playgrounds

· 78 picnic areas with barbecues within 39 Council Parks

· 3 aquatic facilities as the Tweed Regional Aquatic Centres

Public toilets and amenity blocks:

· 11 cemeteries

· A public plant nursery

· Community buildings:

· 33 community buildings

· 3 community centres

· 3 libraries

· 2 civic centres

· Regional museum and regional art gallery

While Tweed Shire Council has demonstrated through the Fit for the Future process that it is in a good position, there is always room for improvement.

Asset management is a particular area of focus, according to Council’s Manager Financial Services, Michael Chorlton.

“When you own a car, you know you need to do maintenance from time to time to ensure the vehicle remains roadworthy, safe and comfortable,” Mr Chorlton said.

“If you don’t set aside enough money for maintenance, you run the risk of the car breaking down or costing you more to fix in the longer term.

“Council needs to consider similar issues for Council’s assets.

“For example, how much do we need to spend each year to ensure a public swimming pool is maintained at a level which is safe and meets community expectations? At what point should our planning indicate that we renew the asset or replace it?

“Part of this process is increasing community understanding of Council assets so residents are interested and can make informed choices.

“We want to know if the assets are adequately delivering the services the community wants."

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