ANNUAL REPORT 2007-2008 CITY OF GREATER GEELONG

BEST VALUE
Council’s Best Value Policy is to cement a
continuous improvement culture across the
organisation beyond purely complying with
the Best Value legislation. The specific
outcomes of Best Value will guide Council
decisions regarding the future direction of
Council services.
Addressing the Best Value Principles
> Reports quarterly to the community on the progress
of City Plan actions.
> Sets annual business plans at a department level to
address actions and seek improvement opportunities
with the community’s best interest in mind. These
business plans also include audit and risk
management actions.
> Has developed executive and department scorecards
in order to measure performance against targets.
The Best Value Principles are part of the Local
Government Act 1989. They are:
(a) All services must meet quality and cost standards.
(b) All services must be responsive to the needs of the
community.
(c) A service must be accessible to those members of the
community for whom the service intended.
(d) A Council must achieve continuous improvement in
the provision of services for its community.
(e) A Council must develop a program of regular
consultation with its community in relation to the services
it provides.
> Undertakes an annual review of performance
measures and targets at corporate and department
level.
> Conducts a rigorous financial reporting process.
> Has seven customer service centres spread across the
municipality providing easy access for all residents,
and delivers services from numerous locations around
the region.
> Engages Customer Service Benchmarking Australia to
conduct independent mystery shopping research in
order to measure performance against the Customer
Service Commitments and identify opportunities for
continued improvement.
(f) A Council must report regularly to its community on
its achievements in relation to the principles above.
Council is proactive in addressing the Best Value
Principles in that it:
> Voluntarily participates in the statewide Local
Government Annual Community Satisfaction Survey.
Continuous improvement opportunities are identified
from the survey results.
> Consults regularly with the community on projects,
services, events and issues that effect the community.
> Produces an annual report to inform all stakeholders
including ratepayers, residents, businesses, community
and interest groups, news media, all levels of
government, Council staff and the wider general
community, and reflects our commitment to
performance reporting.
> Conducts annual performance reviews with all staff to
set work plans and identify training and development
opportunities.
> Provides internal and external training and
development opportunities to bring staff up to date
with systems and processes, and also to upskill our
workforce.
Council's Customer Service Call Centre
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