THE response to the Bass Coast Shire Council’s annual report was chalk and cheese this week; council dissenter Les Larke was the chalk and Crs Whelan, Halstead, Rooks and Le Serve were the cheese.
Where the Mayor, Cr Michael Whelan, who controversially moved the motion to adopt the report from the chair, was effusive in his praise of council’s performance, highlighting its completion of 118 capital works projects, in a record $34.9 million program, Cr Larke was scathing.
He said the shire had continued to run up debt levels that would “adversely impact our residents and ratepayers' cost of living standards” well into the future, unless there was an “urgent and significant overhaul” of council’s finances.
But Council’s borrowings have been higher. In 2018/19 they finished the financial year owing $17.85 million, where borrowings in June 2022 stood at $16.409 million, after council paid back $11.8 million in the year, and borrowed an additional 13.6 million.
The shire’s total liabilities are valued at $75.3 million, however that consists not only of the loans, but also amounts owed to suppliers, provisions for landfill rehabilitation and amounts owed to employees for leave entitlements.
The shire disclosed an operating surplus of $23.9 million for the 2021/22 year, primarily due to the receipt of $13.9 million in developer infrastructure assets and $11.2 million in capital grant funding.
The adjusted underlying result for 2021/22 was a deficit of $0.7 million.
Where Cr Larke accentuated the negative, it was all positive from Cr Whelan.
In moving the motion, he focussed on the shire’s record capital works program, about double the previous year, but also highlighted the shire’s sector-leading initiatives on gender equality within its own workforce, the development of a social and affordable housing strategy and success diverting rubbish away from landfill.
“For the third year in-a-row, Bass Coast was top of the state for recycling and diversion from landfill. Bass Coast was nearly 10% better than the next-best local government area in the state this year,” Cr Whelan said.
Of the gender equality drive, Cr Whelan said there was a “clear link between gender equity and a reduction in the impact of family violence”.
He said council’s biodiversity program saw the establishment of 268,000 new indigenous plants and the protection of an additional 25 hectares of bushland while making significant progress towards the achievement of the target of net zero emissions by 2030.
He said a successful grant application process had delivered more electric vehicle charging stations, a community battery and increased solar on council buildings.
The council, he said, also had its sights firmly set on Wonthaggi’s future role.
“Looking to the future, Council delivered the Wonthaggi ‘Opportunity Unlocked’ campaign, linking multiple projects to unlock Wonthaggi’s full potential as an important Victorian regional centre.
“It aligns with the objectives of key state and federal planning strategies, relating to regional regeneration, urban decentralization, population growth, investment and visitor attraction.”
He said the past financial year, to the end of June 2022, was also a big year for completing significant strategic policies including the council’s 20-year community vision, long term financial plan, health and wellbeing plan and workforce plan.
Overall, he said, Council had delivered 23 of its 26 Council plan actions with significant progress made towards the achievement of the remaining three actions.
“Council also achieved 20 of 29 service performance indicators,” he said in a year of “significant achievement for the council.”
Cr Rochelle Halstead focussed her remarks on local industry and small business which she said had been heroic in the way they had battled through the 2021-22 year, also praising the role of volunteers in the shire’s prosperity.
Cr David Rooks said nothing about the overall performance of the shire or how it had delivered for the community, identifying the shire’s biggest achievement being equal-opportunity employment at the shire where 50 per cent of staff were women, but more than 50 per cent in the shire’s higher-ranking roles.
Cr Clare Le Serve simply congratulated the shire ,council and staff on delivering a record program of capital works.
However, there was still quite a bit of petrol left in the shire’s tank.
It will carry forward more than $20 million in capital works funding to the next financial year as part of cash reserves of almost $47 million.
The council adopted the annual report on a vote of 7:1, with Cr Bruce Kent absent, only three days before the statutory cut-off time.
You’ll find a copy of the Bass Coast Shire Council’s Annual Report 2021-22 at https://www.basscoast.vic.gov.au/about-council/council-meetings Scroll down to the attachments for the October 26, 2022 council meeting.