AS THIS month’s council elections loom, South Gippsland Shire Council’s Performance Statement and Financial Statements for the past financial year were certified at Wednesday’s council meeting, the documents detailing how council acquitted itself across a range of services, and its financial position.
While deciding planning applications within the relevant required time remains a challenge, the allocation of extra resources to tackle the backlog of planning applications has driven improvement compared to the previous financial year, the Performance Statement shows.
The success rate for meeting planning application timeframes rose to 32.24 per cent for the Financial Year that ended this June, compared to the 2022/23 figure of just 25.27 per cent.
Council is upbeat about its maintenance of local sealed roads, with 99.83 per cent not requiring renewal, council attributing that to its funding levels for the renewal of sealed roads.
A sharp rise in the number of successful animal management prosecutions is another feather in council’s cap, that figure jumping from 66.67 per cent to 100 per cent from the 2022/23 Financial Year to that for 2023/24.
“Council plays a proactive role directly resolving animal-related issues with the involved parties,” it is stated.
On the negative side, there is acknowledgement of a slight decrease in council’s Community Satisfaction Result in relation to its consultation and engagement efforts compared to the previous Financial Year.
The figure was at 50 out of 100, falling to 47 for 2023/24, one point lower than the average score for similarly sized large rural councils.
There has also been a drop in following up critical and major non-compliance notifications to local food premises in the shire, from 98.51 per cent for Financial Year 2022/23 to 78.26 per cent for the 2023/24 Financial Year.
“This result is within the expected range, although slightly lower due to a temporary decrease in food premises follow-ups due to staff shortages,” the Performance Statement explains.
There were 54 critical and major non-compliance outcome notifications about food premises followed up over the most recent financial year, with council stressing that any high risk issues are identified during an assessment and are attended to immediately.
While council has seen a slight decrease in kerbside collection waste diverted from landfill during the 2023/24 Financial Year, with a nine per cent decrease in the weight of recyclables collected, it is noted the introduction of the Container Deposit Scheme throughout Victoria last November is a contributing factor.
Library membership is a newly introduced measure for 2023/24, with that figure put at 34.63 per cent of the South Gippsland Shire population.
Standing in for Mayor Clare Williams at Wednesday’s council meeting, Deputy
Mayor Nathan Hersey highlighted some of the above items discussed in the
Performance Statement and spoke about key figures in the Financial Statements.
He noted council’s working capital ratio, which is a measurement of current assets compared to current liabilities, explaining the applicable figure of 1.88 indicates a sound financial position.
“This indicator conveys that for every dollar of current liability, council has $1.88 in current assets,” Cr Hersey said.
He also addressed council’s adjusted underlying results that show a deficit, explaining that is partly attributable to council receiving 100 per cent of the 2023/24 Financial Assistance Grant from the Victorian Grants Commission during the previous Financial Year.
A significant increase in natural disaster costs related to the February 2024 storm that devasted Mirboo North and impacted much of South Gippsland Shire was a further factor driving the deficit, Cr Hersey said.
Council budgeted for a surplus of $8,666,000 but finished with a deficit of $9,834,000, a variance of $18,500,000 or 213 per cent.
Notes to the Financial
Statements detail the reasons for the substantial variance.
It is explained that the full $12.1 million allocation for the 2023/24 Financial Assistance Grant was provided in advance in the previous Financial Year.
Furthermore, higher materials and services expenses are attributed primarily to unbudgeted costs of $7 million relating to storm events, including the significant storm on February 13.
“Additionally, there was a $2.5 million adjustment to the landfill provision in recognition of the present value of the expected cost of works to restore the Koonwarra landfill site,” it is noted.
Council’s Performance Statement and Financial Statements for the year ended June 30, 2024, will now be sent to the Victorian Auditor General’s Office for certification.
Once the Independent Auditor’s Report is received, it will be included with the Performance Statement and Financial Statements, with these documents combined with the Report of Operations to be endorsed by council on October 16, forming the full 2023/24 Annual Report.