Theme 7
Civic leadership and governance
Strategic objective
Ensure that ethical, financial and socially responsible decision making reflects community needs and is based on principles of accountability, transparency, responsiveness and consultation.
Key figures
- $30.2 million net operating cost
- 225,606 total customer contacts
- 77,686 rateable properties.
Achievements
Community Pavilions - Sport and Recreation Policy
Commitment
During the facility renewal process, identify opportunities to support increased community group usage at sporting pavilions. Council’s Assets Leasing and Licensing Policy will prompt multi-use of sporting facilities.
Project overview
Sport and recreation pavilions are traditionally heavily utilised in the evening and over the weekend; however, they are often underutilised during the day. Conversely, the growth of population in Boroondara and the ever-expanding need from a variety of community groups and organisations has meant that difficulties have been experienced in finding space to run community programs during the day.
There was an opportunity during the project to consider how to incorporate use by other community organisations of sport and recreation pavilions during the day. This could improve the utilisation of the pavilions as well as meet the need of community groups for space.
The Community Pavilions - Sport and Recreation Policy was developed, which encourages multi-use of sport and recreation pavilions in the community. The policy outlines standard component sizes for clubs, ensuring equitable use of resources and prioritises renewal based on service demand, functionality and condition.
Sporting clubs were engaged to help shape and develop the policy.
Project aims
Overall the project aimed to better utilise sporting pavilions to ensure they benefit as many people in the community as possible, as well as ensuring the responsible usage of a Council asset.
Project outcomes
The Community Pavilions - Sport and Recreation Policy was endorsed by Council.
The project has also seen new relationships created with the shared use of the newly built Matlock Centre by the Canterbury Neighbourhood Centre during the day and the Camberwell Hockey Club during the evening and on the weekend.
The project also formed the joint use of the newly built Balwyn Park Centre by U3A Deepdene, the Balwyn Park Tennis Club, Balwyn Football Club and the Balwyn Cricket Club.
For more information, contact the Senior Coordinator Recreation and Wellbeing on 9278 4765.
Summary of other achievements
- Created and launched online forms for Council’s booked waste services (hard waste, Christmas tree and bundled green waste collections), allowing customers to make requests 24/7 and providing a more efficient means of Council servicing those requests.
- Developed and launched online forms allowing customers to lodge and pay for residential parking permits, disabled parking permits and new animal registrations. This shift to a digital platform allows customers to have 24/7 access to permit applications and offers the ability to lodge the application with payment where applicable.
- Developed an electronic version of the Boroondara Bulletin.
- Conducted 5 pop-up Councils at festivals and farmers markets, allowing for increased community interactions with Council.
- Developed and adopted the Budget 2019-20 document in accordance with the Victorian Local Government Model Budget and aligned its structure to the Boroondara Community Plan 2017-27.
Capital projects completed - based on number of projects
Percentage completion of Audit Committee annual plan
Challenges
- Increased building costs associated with a desire to provide more underground car parking to help minimise impacts on public open space and improve public amenity.