Published on Friday, 8 March 2024 at 2:30:00 PM
Transcript:
Hi, I’m Vivienne MacCarthy, President of the Shire of Donnybrook Balingup.
This is my first summary of our monthly Ordinary Council Meetings which are held on the 4th Wednesday of each month. I plan to provide these summaries on the Thursday following the meetings.
At our February Meeting, Council asked the Chief Executive Officer to consider allocating funds to seal 370m of Johnston Street in Yabberup. The request has been made based on the external contribution of $50,000 (or 50%) of the cost to complete the works.
Council considered a proposal to purchase the land and buildings of the Medical Centre in Bentley Street. These buildings are on Crown Land Reserve, which belongs to the State Government. This means the Shire doesn’t have the ownership rights to sell. Council acknowledged the request to purchase, but have deferred the matter. At the same time, Council adopted the recommendation to begin the complex process of acquiring the land from the Crown.
Council received the monthly financial report for the 31st January 2024. The Statement of Financial Position provides a surplus of $4 million, which closely aligns with our budget projections. Cash is also on track with $14 million in ‘Cash at Bank’ with $11.6 million of this held in Term Deposits. Our Capital Expenditure is $4.3 million of $22.6 million, and it is likely that several items will be carried forward to next year’s budget (2024 / 2025 Annual Budget) due to the timing of project schedules.
This year marks the 70th Anniversary of the Donnybrook Apple Festival. Coming back to the Festival after an absence of over 20 years is the Apple Festival Ball that will be held RSL Soldier’s Memorial Hall. To help keep ticket prices to a minimum, Council have approved the recommendation to waive the Hall Hire Fee of $1,830.
Two successful tenders were approved by Council, the first to supply a replacement Tri Axle Trailer, and the second to supply the lighting for the VC Mitchell Park project.
The Ordinary Council meeting on Wednesday night was followed by a Special Council Meeting where Council endorsed recommendations from the newly formed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Recruitment Committee. Council endorsed a Recruitment Action Plan that sets out a structured approach to the Committee’s recruiting activities. We endorsed a Request for Quote (RFQ) to be issued to consultants who will bring expertise to the recruiting process. We also endorsed a suite of Draft documents including the CEO Employment Contract, Position Description and Selection Criteria, to be used in advertising the position.
And finally, Council endorsed the appointment of an External Independent person to join the CEO Selection Panel. The aim from this appointment is to ensure an impartial perspective and well-rounded, objective assessment of candidates.
Council is well on the path to recruiting a new CEO who will provide leadership in implementing the Shire’s strategic and operational goals and will ensure that we remain compliant with statutory obligations and Local Government operational guidelines.
Thank you for listening.
If you would like more information on any of the items mentioned here, you can visit the Shire of Donnybrook Balingup website and follow the links to Council Meetings, 2024, then February.
Thank you.
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