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Organisational structure to deliver what the community wants

Once the community had clearly indicated the outcomes it expected Council to deliver, it was vital to have the right organisational structure in place to achieve this. Similar to the development of the Vision 2005, a high level of consultation with staff was a hallmark of this reform process.

"We received extensive feedback from staff on the proposals for change including 67 written submissions," said Chief Executive Officer Hayden Wright. "Our primary motivation was to have an organisation in place which would deliver on the outcomes the community says it wants.

"A second consideration was to establish a specifying/provider separation of functions. This is in line with current expectations for greater efficiency, effectiveness and accountability."

The restructure has resulted in Council now operating in four new divisions. These are Community Planning, Corporate Governance, Corporate Management, and Client Services.

The Community Planning Division works with the community to articulate its plan. This entails ongoing consultation to see what the community wants. Council may then provide the service itself or lobby other bodies on behalf of the community to achieve the desired outcome.

Corporate Governance looks after Corporate Planning, that is internal actions required to be undertaken by Council to achieve the outcomes the community has enunciated. This Division also is responsible for policy development and performance measurement.

The Corporate Management Division has been established based on the six goals set out in the Corporate Plan. This is the 'Specifying' side of Council, that is, it decides what activities will be undertaken, such as better roads and which ones.

It then hands responsibility to the Client Services Division, which goes out and gets the job done, that is, achieves the outcomes the community wants. "The restructure process is now almost complete," Hayden Wright said. "It will be up and running by early July."

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