Integrated Planning and Reporting Manual - Division of Local ...

5. THE OPERATIONAL PLAN
5.1 Preparing the Operational Plan
Local Government Act
Council must have an annual Operational Plan, adopted before the beginning of each financial year,
outlining the activities to be undertaken in that year, as part of the Delivery Program.
Local Government Regulation
The Operational Plan will include the Statement of Council’s Revenue Policy, in accordance with the
Regulation.
Essential Element 3.13
The Operational Plan must be prepared as a sub-plan of the Delivery Program. It must directly address
the actions outlined in the Delivery Program and identify projects, programs or activities that Council will
undertake within the financial year towards addressing these actions.
Essential Element 3.14
The Operational Plan must allocate responsibilities for each activity.
Essential Element 3.16
The Operational Plan must include a detailed budget for the activities to be undertaken in that year.
The Operational Plan is a sub-set of the Delivery Program – not a separate entity. The new
framework calls for fully integrated plans, so the Delivery Program and the Operational Plan need to
be wholly complementary. The Delivery Program spells out the strategies and the Operational Plan
spells out the individual actions that will be undertaken in a financial year to achieve those
strategies.
The Operational Plan must include Council’s detailed annual budget and include the Statement of
Council’s Revenue Policy which includes the proposed rates, fees and charges.
For example, if one of the activities identified in the Delivery Program is “Continue sewerage capital
works program” the Operational Plan would include details of which works will be constructed this
financial year and the annual budget attached to the Operational Plan would spell out how much
they will cost.
The examples in Section 4-Delivery Program show how activities can cascade from the Delivery
Program to the Operational Plan. Because the Delivery Program must address all of Council’s
operations, the Operational Plan must also address all of Council’s operations.
There is no set format for the Operational Plan, councils are free to develop the format that best
suits their existing business systems.
Because the Operational Plan will, of necessity be a large and detailed document, it is important to
organise it in a clear and accessible way. Activities should be presented in the same groupings as
they are in the Delivery Program, so the cascade from one plan to the other is clear.
For example, if there are a series of actions grouped under the heading “A safe and healthy
community” in the Delivery Program, this heading and the actions should be carried through to the
Operational Plan, so people can see that they are connected.
Planning & Reporting Manual Page 101 of 115