11th meeting of the Local Implementation Committee

The eleventh meeting of the Local Implementation Committee (LIC) was held at the City of Armadale on 18 November 2014.

Chairperson of the LIC, Mayor Henry Zelones said “The LIC is awaiting the release of the Governor’s Orders for the changes that were announced on 22 October 2014, which will formally implement the boundary amendments affecting the City of Armadale, Shire of Murray and the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale.

“It is likely the Governor’s Orders will be issued in stages, with the first stage describing the details of the newly enlarged districts created by the boundary adjustments, the starting date, and whether there will be wards. These initial Orders will also include the designation of names for those other Councils undergoing amalgamation.

“Once the Orders are complete and signed by the Governor, they will be published in the Government Gazette and become law.

“The Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale has confirmed its intention to return to the LIC following the issue of the Governor’s Orders.

“There are likely to be subsequent Governor’s Orders for those Councils undergoing amalgamation following the outcome of any polls and addressing any minor anomalies from the first Orders.

“Both Armadale and Murray are drafting applications for grants under the funding scheme announced by the Government to support the process of reform.

“The LIC expressed considerable concern at the severe lack of funding, noting that 75% of the funding package had to be borrowed and therefore paid for by ratepayers.

“Indications are that only a fraction of the costs of reform will be met by grants; and the Government has stated that no costs related to staff (redundancy, wage parity) will be accepted for coverage through grant funding.

“Both Armadale and Murray are working on proposals for ward structures and representation which will be submitted to the Local Government Advisory Board in the near future, with the intention that a decision on these proposals be available in time for the next local government elections in October 2015,” said Mayor Zelones.

WALGA is continuing to facilitate workshops for local government reform project staff with one held in October, focussing on human resources. Two are planned in December covering organisational cultural change, IT and road asset management.

The next meeting of the LIC will be held on Thursday 11 December 2014 at the Shire of Murray.