Late Items Agenda of Council - 11 November 2015

Council 3 11 November 2015

10. Planning and Development Services Report

10.3 MEELUP REGIONAL PARK MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE - APPOINTMENT OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS

SUBJECT INDEX:	Committee Meetings
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE:	Governance systems that deliver responsible, ethical and accountable decision-making.
BUSINESS UNIT:	Environmental Services
ACTIVITY UNIT:	Environmental Services
REPORTING OFFICER:	Manager, Environmental Services - Greg Simpson
AUTHORISING OFFICER:	Director, Planning and Development Services - Paul Needham
VOTING REQUIREMENT:	Absolute Majority
ATTACHMENTS:	Nil

This item is presented for consideration for acceptance as a late item for the 11 November, 2015 Council meeting to ensure the Meelup Committee can be held and elect a presiding member at the next scheduled meeting on 24 November 2015.

PRÉCIS

In accordance with revised governance arrangements for Meelup Regional Park adopted by the Council on 14 October 2015, and further to the formal re-formation of the Committee and appointment of Councillor members (Crs McCallum and Best, with Cr Paine as a deputy) at the Special Council Meeting on 19 October 2015 (i.e. immediately following the recent local government elections) this report recommends the reappointment of those community members that have expressed an interest in their continued involvement on the Meelup Regional Park Management Committee: That will allow Committee meetings/work to continue, allow the Committee to appoint their Presiding Member, and allow the process associated with filling of vacancies to commence.

BACKGROUND

At its ordinary meeting of 14 October 2015, and following earlier consideration and review by: the Meelup Regional Park Management Committee; a working group formed by the Council; and consideration by the Council itself; the Council adopted revised governance arrangements for the City’s management of Meelup Regional Park, including setting out revised terms of reference for the Meelup Regional Park Management Committee. The revised governance arrangements can be provided to Councillors in full upon request, but the aspect that describes the ‘Process associated with appointing community members to the Committee’ is set out below (see bold text in particular in terms of the recommendation of this report) -

Following the re-formation of the Committee following the 2015 ordinary Council election, at which time it is expected that community members of the Committee immediately prior to that time with an interest in a continuing involvement will be reappointed by the Council, the process associated with appointing community members to the Committee shall be generally as follows -

1. The Mayor, Presiding Member of the Committee and Chief Executive Officer or Chief Executive Officer’s nominee shall meet to discuss and agree the aims/objectives in terms of the skills, background or interests, or mix of skills, background and interests, of the person(s) that it would be most appropriate and desirable to include on the Committee at that time, and the agreed direction in that regard shall be reflected in the process associated with the attraction and assessment of potential community members;

2. City officers shall arrange to publicly advertise community member vacancies, seeking expressions-of-interest from suitable members of the community;

3. Interested members of the community shall be required to submit an expression-of-interest (1-2 pages long only) setting out what value they believe they would bring to the Committee and why they are interested in becoming a member;

4. The Mayor and the Presiding Member of the Committee shall meet again to assess the expressions-of-interest that have been received, identify and agree the preferred candidates to fill one or more of the positions that are vacant at that time, (priority consideration will be given to existing deputy members) following which City officers will present a report to the Council reflecting the assessment of the Mayor and Presiding Member;

5. If there are still vacant positions following the completion of the process set out above, the process will recommence.

As the Council could not formally either re-form or appoint members to the Committee prior to the election, the Council is now asked to make a resolution consistent with the governance arrangements adopted by the Council prior to the election.

STATUTORY ENVIRONMENT

Meelup Regional Park is Reserve 21629, and is Crown Land over which the City has a management order. The reserve purpose is ‘Conservation and Recreation’. The City has power to lease over the reserve, for a maximum period of 21 years and subject to the approval of the Minister for Lands (or their delegate), provided that any such lease is consistent with the reserve purpose. It is an ‘A-Class’ reserve, which means that any change to the management order requires Parliamentary consent.

There is also a formal management plan for the Park, which has been adopted by both the Council

and the Minister for Lands, pursuant to section 49 of the Land Administration Act 1997.

Where a management plan has been adopted pursuant to s49, the management body is required to manage the land in accordance with the plan. The Meelup Regional Park Management Committee is created pursuant to the Local Government Act 1995 (‘the Act’), specifically via a resolution of the Council pursuant to sections 5.8, 5.9(2)(c) and 17(1)(c) of the Act.

The membership of a Committee of Council must be determined by the Council in accordance with Section 5.10 and 5.11A of the Local Government Act 1995. In this regard, an Absolute Majority decision of the Council is required to appoint members to the Committee.

RELEVANT PLANS AND POLICIES

The following is a list of key guiding documents, relevant to governance and operations of the Meelup Regional Park Management Committee:

1. Meelup Regional Park Management Order;

2. Meelup Regional Park Management Plan;

3. City of Busselton Standing Orders Local Law;

4. City of Busselton Code of Conduct;

5. City of Busselton Community Strategic Plan;

6. City of Busselton Long Term Financial Plan;

7. City of Busselton Adopted Annual Budget; and

8. City of Busselton Local Laws, Determinations and Council Policies.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Nil.

Long-term Financial Plan Implications

Nil.

STRATEGIC COMMUNITY OBJECTIVES

The recommendations of this report reflect Strategic Objective 6.2 of the City’s Community Strategic Plan 2013, which is ‘Governance systems that deliver responsible, ethical and accountable decision making’.

RISK ASSESSMENT

An assessment of the potential implication of implementing the officer recommendation has been undertaken using the City’s risk assessment framework. The assessment sought to identify ‘downside’ risks only rather than ‘upside’ risks and where the risk, following implementation of controls has been identified, is medium or greater. No such risks were identified.

CONSULTATION

Expressions of interest for continuing involvement and reappointment to the Meelup Regional Park Management Committee as a member and as a deputy member have been received from the following community members:

Member (total of six required)	Deputy Member (total of two required)
Mr Peter Randerson	Mr John Lang
Dr Bob Jarvis	Mr Robert Ginbey
Mrs Shirley Fisher
Mr Albert Haak

Membership of the Committee shall comprise six community members and two deputy community members as appointed by the Council. Subject to endorsement of the officer recommendation, the two vacancies on the Committee will subsequently be advertised following a meeting of the Mayor, Presiding Member of the Committee and Chief Executive Officer or Chief Executive Officer’s nominee to discuss and agree the aims/objectives in terms of the skills, background or interests, or mix of skills, background and interests, of the person(s) most appropriate and desirable to include on the Committee.

It is envisaged that, following a 28 day public advertising period, the expressions-of-interest from those interested community members seeking membership on the Committee will be reviewed and assessed by the Mayor and Committee Presiding Member, and subject of a further report to the Council.

OFFICER COMMENT

The reappointment of previous Committee members that have expressed an interest in the Meelup Regional Park Management Committee will ensure continuity of the current work and projects that being undertaken within Meelup Regional Park.

Nominations from the position Presiding Member and Deputy Presiding Member will be called for at the next meeting of the Meelup Regional Park Committee.

CONCLUSION

In order to continue the valuable contribution to the City made by the Meelup Regional Park Management Committee, it is considered that community members with an interest in a continuing involvement be reappointed to allow the work of the Committee to continue.

OPTIONS

The Council may choose to review nominations for reappointment on the Committee and advertise some or all the community positions on the Committee.

TIMELINE FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF OFFICER RECOMMENDATION

Immediately upon the making of a Council resolution consistent with the officer recommendation.

OFFICER RECOMMENDATION

ABSOLUTE MAJORITY DECISION OF COUNCIL REQUIRED

That the Council endorses the appointment the following persons as members and deputy members on the Meelup Regional Park Management Committee –

Members

Mr Peter Randerson

Dr Bob Jarvis

Mrs Shirley Fisher

Mr Albert Haak

Deputy Members

Mr John Lang

Mr Robert Ginbey