Day 1 visit by PM to Gilmore
A fresh new era of agri-tourism
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Get ready for the Kazador
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Mario tells his hitchhiker tale p5
Ali Day’s perfect season p13
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23 APRIL 2022
Council backs plan for urgent action Councillors have unanimously given their support to the CEO’s Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP) and agreed to dedicating Council’s resources to its delivery, given future sustainability is the Council’s ultimate priority at this time. The SIP builds on the State of the Organisation Report endorsed in February, and outlines immediate actions required within the next 12 weeks for financial sustainability. It also lists longer term actions which link back to the options outlined in the original Report. The SIP frankly outlines urgent measures that need to be undertaken to improve Kiama Council’s cash flow
and liquidity voluntarily, to ensure the Office of Local Government does not have to step in. Typically, when councils are not seen to be addressing problems, the Office of Local Government issues strategic performance orders, hears a response from the council, and then a decision is made on whether to put the council into administration. “The SIP is a very strategic document that covers areas of improvement, not only financially but culturally; and not only immediately but in the long term sense,” says Mayor Neil Reilly. “It is a living document that will change and grow and shrink as time goes on.
“I am very pleased that all councillors support the initiatives and the methods to be employed to create improvement in our Council. “I see the Council as an extension of the community, and with councillors’ support we will be able to stabilise Council and create a prosperous community.” Councillors also agreed (Mark Croxford against) that Council should apply to increase its rate rise to 2.5 per cent (see page 3). Prior to the meeting the Chair of Council’s independent Finance Advisory Committee (FAC), Graeme Gherashe, came out strongly in support of the plan CEO Jane Stroud had put together. He is one of five Kiama community members with extensive finance, strategy and governance experience on the FAC, alongside the Mayor, Councillor Jodi Keast, and Council’s CEO, CFO and Director of Engineering and Works. “I’ve been impressed with the openness and willingness to resolve the not inconsiderable CEO Jane Stroud with four of the members of the Finance Advisory Committee – financial issues Jim Thomson, Councillor Jodi Keast, Mayor Neil Reilly and Graeme Gherashe
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currently facing Kiama Council and our work has been about moving forward in a positive and sustainable way,” he says. “Since the FAC was established, we’ve been having the difficult but necessary conversations around Council services, revenues and assets. What is outlined in the SIP is the outcome of these conversations.” Ms Stroud, who has been working on these issues since she came to the role last year, says, “We have approached this proactively from the outset and not waited for strategic improvement orders or a public inquiry [from the Office of Local Government]. “We’ve chosen to be very open and address the situation head on. “While we have a healthy balance in our constrained reserves, our available cash is very limited. “It is my professional view that we need to improve the immediate and long-term unrestricted [annual] cash flow by at least $20 million for a business of our size, to avoid ever having to go through these issues again. “At the moment we have an deficit operational budget of $4.8 million without the capital contribution portion.” The urgency for action now
Local youth hands over his car keys
Compassion has led to a local youth donating his recently purchased first car to a victim of the Lismore floods. After fundraising down here, Kiama Downs’ Harry Ledger, 17, and his family headed to Lismore and spent a weekend at the end of March cleaning up and donating funds and basic items to those affected. “We’d seen a lot of the destruction and devastation on the news but we really didn’t know what to expect. I don’t think anyone can anticipate how bad it really is,” says Harry. “There were mounds of furniture and rubbish on the street outside every house and business. “It was very daunting and unnerving but helping out and cleaning up someone’s house in Lismore was a really memorable, enriching experience.” Harry and his family took up $3000 in donations and continued on p8 made packages with food,
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water, cleaning items and medication to give to a few of the Lismore residents. “The packages had $100 in each one, some basic items and a note about how the residents were not alone and as the country was with,” says Harry. While there, Harry felt there was more he could do, and donated his car to a man in Kingscliff. “We were directed towards Dylan Simpson who was having to cycle to work each day, couch surf and couldn’t see his son which was pretty upsetting, so I ended up giving the car to him,” he says. “It was my first car which I bought from a neighbour.
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