12th meeting of the Local Implementation Committee

The twelfth meeting of the Local Implementation Committee (LIC) was held at the Shire of Murray on 11 December 2014.

Chairperson of the LIC, Mayor Henry Zelones welcomed the return of Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale to the LIC with both Shire President Councillor Keith Ellis and Chief Executive Officer Richard Gorbunow in attendance. Both expressed their commitment to the LIC and to making progress on reform to ensure as smooth a transition as possible for the Serpentine Jarrahdale community.

“The LIC re-confirmed the Terms of Reference which were adopted earlier this year and a Memorandum of Understanding between the three local governments was also executed. This provides a framework for transition through the reform process.

“The LIC expressed its disappointment at the news from the Department of Local Government and Communities that a date for the release of the Governor’s Orders was still to be confirmed. The LIC acknowledged the delay is holding up the advancement of the Ward structure and representation process.

“The Human Resources Working Group presented an overview of a dedicated staff website to aid employees of all three organisations through the transition process to the LIC. The site contains valuable information for all staff and includes an extensive FAQ section that is updated regularly.

“The LIC noted that 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 again expressed its concern at the severe lack of funding available for reform, and noted that the process of preparing funding applications further confirmed that the amount available falls well short of anticipated expenditure.

“Further disappointment was expressed by the LIC highlighting the emphasis on loans as opposed to a grant, and the onerous compliance process the Department had developed, all of which combine to make the package less than attractive”, said Mayor Zelones.

WALGA is continuing to facilitate workshops for local government reform, with two held in December focussing on organisational cultural change, IT, road asset management and benefits analysis.

The next meeting of the LIC will be held on Tuesday 20 January 2015 at the City of Armadale.