Delivery Program and Operational Plan 2012 - 2013 - Ku-ring-gai ...

how Council
decisions are made
Council meetings
Decisions are made at Council meetings
about issues that affect Ku-ring-gai and its
people. Under the NSW Local Government
Act 1993 there must be at least 10 meetings
each year. The public is welcome and invited
to attend these meetings and may address
Council. Most decisions are made at these
meetings, which are generally held in the
Council chambers every second and fourth
Tuesday of the month at 7pm. The dates of
the meetings are available on our website.
These meeting are known as ordinary
meetings of Council and all councillors
attend. Extraordinary council meetings are
called at short notice from time to time to
deal with particular issues. The dates of
these meetings are published in the local
newspaper.
The Mayor and Councillors can also raise
matters to be debated at Council meetings
through mayoral minutes, notices of motion
and rescission motions. A decision is made
when a majority of Councillors vote in favour
of a motion. When motions are adopted,
Council staff undertake the necessary
actions to implement the decision of Council.
When motions are lost, no further action is
taken on the matter.
All Council meeting proceedings are
recorded. This is one important way of
making our decision making processes
transparent. Council meeting business
papers are available to the public on our
website, at our Customer Service Centre
and all libraries on the Wednesday prior to
the meetings and in the Council chamber
on meeting nights. Meeting minutes are
available on our website.
Forums, reference groups
and committees
To assist in the decision making process
and the operation of Council, reference
committees and supporting groups provide
advice, assist in managing facilities or
services and perform other functions.
These groups often include members
of the community as well as some or all
Councillors. As part of the decision making
process, recommendations made by these
formal and informal forums may be referred
to an ordinary meeting of Council or general
committee of Council for a decision.
With each election of a new Council it
brings changes to the previous committee
structures. The new committee structure
includes:
• Community Reference Committee -
comprising Councillors and community
representatives
• Bicycle Reference Committee -
comprises of Councillors and community
representatives to provide advice on local
cycling issues and broader planning issues
like the NSW Bike Plan
• Planning and Heritage Reference
Committee - comprising all Councillors
with community and external professional
representation
• Open Space Reference Committee -
comprising councillors, the community,
other experts and relevant government
agency representatives. This committee
brings together two previous committees
concerned with sport and recreation and
with the natural environment
• Sustainability Reference Committee -
comprising Councillors, the community and
other experts.
Community involvement
We acknowledge the importance of good
governance in an environment where a
quadruple bottom line (QBL) approach
(discussed earlier) is essential. The QBL
approach facilitates delivery of high-quality
services to residents who increasingly
wish to engage in their role as citizens as
well as Council’s customers. The focus on
good governance means we have a strong
commitment to engaging its community
in order to shape decisions and gather
feedback on services, projects and planning.
In recent years, Council has consulted with
the community on the development of a
sustainability plan which underpins a 20-year
Community Strategic Plan, planning for
each of the six town centres, various Plans
of Management as well as the development
of a Community Facilities Strategy. These
are among a range of projects that direct
services and capital works.
Our consultation policy guides its work and
ensures that all consultation is equitable
and accessible. As such, it engages the
community in a range of ways, including
through:
• increased communication and reporting
• e-registers, including online forums such as
web surveys and polls
• community meetings, forums and
information sessions
• five reference committees that bring
together local resident experts, academic
and professional representatives
• summits and other “roundtable”
opportunities.
22 Delivery Program and Draft Operational Plan 2012 - 2013