Agenda of Council Meeting

Council Meeting 19 July 2021

9 Council Reports

9.1 City Development

9.1.1 Tender Evaluation (Contract 30218) Parking In-ground Sensor Monitoring

SUMMARY

To consider tenders received for the provision of In-ground sensor monitoring and to recommend the acceptance of the tender received from Data Consultants Australia, trading as DCA.

RECOMMENDATION

That Council:

1. Accept the tender and sign the formal contract document for Contract 30218 for the provision and installation of Parking In-ground Sensor Monitors received from Data Consultants Australia (ABN 28-548-551-396), of L5, 355 Spencer Street, West Melbourne Vic 3003, trading as DCA, for a revenue-share arrangement for a period of five years with an option of two additional years.

2. Authorise the Chief Executive Officer to award extensions of this contract, for a further two years subject to satisfactory performance of the contractor at the conclusion of the initial contract term.

3. Authorise the recruitment of permanent staff to service the contract as detailed in the report

background

Council first commenced using in ground sensor technology in a revenue share arrangement to enforce permissive parking restrictions in 2007. The use of these monitoring devices allows Council to efficiently and effectively monitor vehicle movements in and out of parking bays and detect parking limit over-stays.

In doing so, Council is able to provide fair and equitable access and use of the limited parking spaces available to businesses, residents and visitors to:

· Maximise access to parking in our commercial and retail areas;

· Encourage turnover of trade through improved parking accessibility;

· Deliver appropriate and relevant parking compliance levels;

· Provide a more efficient parking compliance service; and

· Ensure a safer work environment for its staff.

The in ground sensor technology used by Council allows for the monitoring of compliance levels, provides officers with alerts of non-compliance, logs all vehicle movements into and out of permissive parking areas and provides Council with detailed reporting by:

· Individual parking space activity;

· Street, area and municipality wide

Through an on-line graphical reporting system accessible by authorised officers and staff.

The system also provides detailed usage data which informs future parking planning through access to information on parking demand, peak access times, parking duration and parking turn over opportunities.

Since 2015, Council have utilised 1,200 sensors in bays strategically placed across the municipality in areas where parking demands are at a premium and turnover of traffic is essential to support local trade and residents. This tender will provide for an additional 2,000 sensors (to a total of 3,200) providing a greater city wide coverage.

Sensor technology has provided an efficient mechanism by reducing the instances of tyre “mark ups” to determine overstay detection and reduces familiar patrol patterns recognised by motorists looking to take advantage of prime parking opportunities. The system allows for officers to have a greater coverage of parking areas by reducing the time required at each location and only attending to vehicles that have overstayed the parking restrictions.

With the introduction of increased sensor locations and “real time” violation indicators under proposed contract, Officers will be able to cover more of the municipality improving productivity due to having data available via mobile computing technology in any area prior to patrol.

Officers will be patrolling areas to promote turnover opportunities and responding to violations rather than spending time “marking up” which does not always result in positive parking movement and parking opportunities for local business and visitors to the municipality.

DISCUSSION

Tenders were originally advertised in the Age newspaper on Saturday 16 November 2019 and were closed on Wednesday 28 November 2019. Due to COVID-19 this tender was suspended and readvertised on 10 February 2021. Four (4) tenders were received.

The tenders were evaluated against the following the published criteria:

a) Cost to Council;

b) Easily configurable, accurate, reliable and easily maintained Sensor equipment;

c) Easily configurable, easy to use, accessible and timely management system

d) User training and on-going timely maintenance for faulty or damaged equipment from a reliable, experienced and reputable organization committed to an on-going partnership

e) An efficient and expandable system with minimal disruption during installation and de-installation which is undetectable to the casual observer

Equal Opportunity and Occupational Health and Safety

Tenders were also assessed against the following on a Pass/Fail basis:

a) Tenderer’s record, policies and attitude towards Equal Opportunity.

b) Tenderer’s record, policies and attitude towards Occupational Health and Safety.

The evaluation panel (and Steering Committee) agreed the weightings prior to the tender closing and were as follows:

· 40% - Easily configurable, accurate, reliable, easily maintained sensor equipment with incontestable and timely over-stay detection supported by accurate, reliable and easy to use hand-held detectors;

· 40% - Cost-effective and efficient sensor and system implementation and operation (Price);

· 7.5%- Easily configurable, easy to use, accessible and timely system reporting with appropriate privacy protection;

· 7.5% User training and on-going timely maintenance for faulty or damaged equipment from a reliable, experienced and reputable organisation committed to an on-going partnership; and

· 5% - An efficient and expandable system with minimal disruption during installation and de-installation which is undetectable to the casual observer.

Prior to going to Tender consideration was given to the most cost effective model for Council and it was determined that continuing a revenue share model is more beneficial than outright purchase to Council as there is no Capital outlay and payments are based on actual issuance levels. Other advantages of the preferred model include:

·A purchase model will take six to seven years to achieve a return

· Avoid up front cost of in excess of $2,500,000

· The revenue share option is a lower risk option

· The revenue share option encourages optimum operation of the system as both parties benefit.

The tender received from DCA was not the lowest cost of the tenders submitted. However, it is considered to provide the best option for Council’s requirements for the following reasons:

· A proven track record of successful defences of infringements in court;

· High level of accuracy and reliability confirmed up reference checks;

· Five year warranty on all equipment;

· The in ground sensors are discretely installed and back-filled with asphalt thus have a low risk of being vandalised;

· Easily expanded system;

· Infringement issuing and sensing parking overstays are integrated on the one device that enables pre-population of information from the in-ground sensor to the infringement application leading to improved officer efficiency;

· Licence Plate Recognition Technology (LPR) decreasing the time officers are processing a violation and decreasing the instances of incorrect registrations being recorded (Officer Error);

· Comprehensive suite of reporting tools providing timely and accurate data for Council reports and departmental dashboards;

· Continuity of service provision;

· Costs associated with upgrading existing devices and their ongoing maintenance including battery replacement is incorporated in the tender price. No additional costs will be incurred.

Increasing the in ground sensor footprint by approximately by 270% will have significant impacts on the Community Safety Department’s capacity to deliver its current services. Approximately 14,400 infringements are generated annually through the existing sensor network. It is anticipated that the output of infringements generated through the proposed expansion program will result in excess of 24,000 additional infringements annually. Importantly this is through more efficient coverage and response to overstays not by a change to a harder enforcement standard.

To effectively manage the increased volume of infringements and community engagement, the following additional staff will be required:

· Two Parking Services Officers to effectively ensure appropriate levels of patrols are maintained for the additional devices to ensure a consistent parking presence in the expanded in ground sensor program.

· One Community Safety Support Officer and an additional Infringement Review Officer to maintain a high level of customer engagement in timely response to the expected increase of infringement appeals (approximately 5,000 per annum) and enquiries ensuring Council meets the Infringement Acts 2006 guidelines and expectations, Departmental KPIs and providing audit oversight.

The costs associated with the new positions will be offset by the additional income generated and is detailed below.

It is anticipated that the in ground sensor program will be installed and tested during August 2021 and with a go live date by the end of September 2021. This contract also includes maintenance and upgrade plans for the equipment and management software with mutually agreed service level agreements. The implementation will be a phased implementation with agreed timelines.

The preferred contract term is five years with a negotiable commencement date. In addition, it is proposed to have a further 2 year extension at the discretion of the CEO depending on satisfactory performance of the contractor.

RISK ASSESSMENT

The operating risk is to meet the agreed minimum transaction and revenue levels. However, as the minimum issuance levels are set as one infringement per device per month, it is anticipated this will be effectively managed as a low risk.

CONSULTATION

The following consultation was undertaken:

Internal:

· Parking Services Team members through presentations and on-site visits of potential sensor locations

· Community Safety Administration Team via meetings

· Finance department regarding revenue projection and cost for service.

External:

· Reference checks and site visits with the Cities of Maribyrnong, Casey, Bayside, Port Phillip and Mornington;

· All tenders originally gave presentations on 18 February 2020, with tenderers presenting again to Council during the week of 10 May 2021.

· Product demonstrations at Maribyrnong City Council and Casey City Council.

Site Visits:

Maribyrnong City Council (DUNCAN SOLUTIONS)

Council’s Community Safety Manager, Parking Services Coordinator and Improvement Officer attended Maribyrnong Council and viewed the operational model of one of the tenderers being used by Maribyrnong staff. Observations indicated that whilst sensor technology operation is similar to preferred supplier, the reporting component was extremely cumbersome with no ability to generate their own reporting and product additions (which are standard with preferred supplier) were not available.

Casey City Council (SMART PARKING)

Council’s Parking Services Coordinator and Improvement Officer attended Casey Council. Due to COVID19 restrictions, officers were unable to view product being used. Officers spoke with Casey’s Manager of City Safety and Parking Coordinator and were advised that sensors were installed at 2 locations (Bunjil Way and outside Arts Centre) to provide visitors with “way finding” parking. Casey staff advised that sensors are not primarily used for enforcement purposes and the system being used requires multiple integration as the Sensors do not talk to the officer’s handheld devices and to issue an infringement you need to use a competitor’s infringement module. Sensors are also flush mounted and staff were unable to confirm if sensor data or integrity is compromised being visible to the motorist or general public.

Bayside City Council (DUNCAN SOLUTIONS)

Council’s Community Safety Manager, Parking Services Coordinator and Improvement Officer attended Bayside Council and met with Bayside’s Local Laws & Parking Coordinator as well as other key staff and viewed the model being used. There are a total of 449 Sensors being used for enforcement across the municipality. Whilst Bayside are happy with the service, there are no tailored reports used, however standard reporting is provided and the contractor is very accommodative and is looking at developing a more tailored reporting system for their clients.

Port Phillip Council (DCA)

Council’s Community Safety Manager, Parking Services Coordinator and Improvement Officer attended Port Phillip Council and met with Port Phillip’s Parking Coordinator and viewed the model being used. Port Phillip currently have 1,571 in-ground sensors in operation in many locations across the municipality. Contractor has set up a tailored reporting system which Port Phillip are very happy and the “back of house” service provided by contractor.

Issuing devices being used are Samsung with LPR technology included, Devices are upgraded every 2 years (in a three year Contract).

Mornington Peninsula Shire Council (SMART PARKING)

Council’s Community Safety Manager, Parking Services Coordinator and Improvement Officer met with Mornington’s Transport team and Parking Coordinator via zoom to discuss the models being used at Mornington. Mornington currently have 520 in-ground sensors in Main Street Mornington, Rye and Sorrento.

450 sensors were introduced in 2019 and then a further 70 in 2020. Mornington have partnered with RMIT in certain areas and they are testing different providers with no contracts currently in place. Mornington are trialling all tenderers. Initially, the trial was purely for Parking Management and way finding, investigate paid parking, the sensor trial was not used for enforcement initially but have since commenced enforcing. Mornington have found instances of Incorrect reporting- false negative- no vehicle when sensor reported vehicle. They have more issues with these sensors than with other providers. The sensors are flush mounted and have found that sand or other items over the sensor hinder the vehicle being registered. Reporting seems to be off the shelf - However, the Council has confirmed they can be customised.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

To effectively manage the contract, Council’s statutory responsibilities and to enhance the customer experience, additional resourcing will be required. The existing staffing levels to manage Council’s current in ground sensor footprint (1,200 devices) is seven EFT Parking Services Officers with customer enquiries and infringement appeals support provided by dedicated staff.

The additional 2000 devices proposed (tripling the existing footprint) will increase parking infringement volumes by 50%. To achieve this, two additional dedicated parking officers will be required to monitor and respond.

It is also anticipated that this increase of activity will see increased community enquiries and parking infringement appeals. To maintain Council’s Grades of Service standards and statutory response standards an additional infringement review officer and customer support officer will need to be engaged.

These positions will be fully funded through this initiative. Costings for the five year term of the contract are detailed below.

In consideration of the financial impacts of selecting the preferred supplier, there are some significant costs that Council would incur should a change be made from our current service provider. These are:

· The cost of removing the current footprint of sensors across the municipality is $110 per sensor. With 1,200 sensors in operation this would equate to $132,000;

· In accordance with Council’s retention and disposal policies, Council are required to keep all infringement data (including owner details, court results and current infringements) for a period of 7 years. The costs associated with maintaining and migrating this data to a new system would be approximately $60,000 per month.

The financial implications are detailed in Appendix 1.

APPENDIX 1

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

	Income $	Expenditure $
Net Revenue 5 years (based on one infringement per device per month including non-payments)	11,745,000
Preferred tenderer’s revenue share (5 years)		*1,957,500*
Advisory Signage and line marking at new areas		20,000
Additional FTE administration officer (Band 5A) X2		920,000
Additional FTE Parking Services officer (Band 4A) X2		720,000
Vehicle and other equipment		60,000
Total Expenditure Over 5 years		3,677,500
Net Revenue after expenditure over 5 years	8,067,500

Whitehorse City Council

Council Meeting 19 July 2021

9.2 COMMUNITY SERVICES

9.2.1 Whitehorse Community Grants Program 2021/2022

FILE NUMBER: 21/180490, 21/180495, 21/180503

SUMMARY

The purpose of this report is to provide Council with the recommendations for the 2021/2022 annual Community Grants Program (cash grants), to seek approval to administer a second round of Community Grants in the 2021/2022 financial year, as well as provide the recipients of the Discount Support Hall Hire and Free Tipping program. This report also seeks Council’s approval to tender to suitably qualified and experienced organisations for the provision of the Whitehorse Youth & Family Services program for the Whitehorse community, for a four year period (concluding 2025).

RECOMMENDATION

That Council:

1. Endorse the recommendations of the Councillor Assessment Panel (appendix A) for the Whitehorse Community Grants program (cash grants) for the 2021/2022 financial year.

2. Endorse a second round of Whitehorse Community Grants (cash grants) to open in August 2021.

3. Note the recipients of the Discount Support Hall Hire and Discount Support Free Tipping programs (Appendix C).

4. Note the recipients of the Category 1 Community Partnership Grants (appendix B).

5. Endorse the Family Access Network (FAN) to deliver the Life Skills Program for Young People for the next two years (concluding July 2023).

6. Endorse Uniting Care East Burwood Centre to deliver the Emergency Relief and Coordination Program for the next two years (concluding July 2023).

7. Approve officers to tender to suitably qualified and experienced organisations for the provision of the Whitehorse Youth & Family Services program for the Whitehorse community, for a four year period (concluding 2025).

background

Whitehorse City Council’s vision for a healthy, vibrant, prosperous and sustainable community supported by strong leadership and community partnerships is implemented though the Whitehorse Council Plan.

The Council Plan guides the work of Council and contains five key strategic directions:

1. To support a healthy, vibrant, inclusive and diverse community.

2. To maintain and enhance the built environment to ensure a liveable and sustainable city.

3. To protect and enhance open space and natural environments

4. To provide strategic leadership and open and accessible government

5. To support a healthy local economy

The Whitehorse Community Grants Program responds to Strategic Direction 1, ‘To support a healthy, vibrant, inclusive and diverse community’. Over many years, the Whitehorse Community Grants program has been providing financial support to not-for-profit organisations and incorporated associations within the municipality to provide a range of programs, services and activities that align with the community priorities and strategic directions contained in the Whitehorse Council Plan and contribute to the health and wellbeing of the community.

In addition to meeting a set of essential criteria, all applicants are required to demonstrate that their proposed activity is directly responding to at least one of the five strategic directions set out in the Council Plan, a specific community need, interest, or service gap in the community.

The Community Grants program consists of four grant streams:

1. Annual Community Grants

2. Discount Support hall hire

3. Discount Support free tipping

4. Partnership Grants

The overall Community Grant Budget for the 2021/2022 financial year is $1,234,138. The overall Community Grant Budget is broken down further under ‘Financial Implications’.

Administration:

Council’s online grants management system, SmartyGrants, was again used to successfully administer all Community Grant programs (cash grants, discount support and partnership grants). The online program allows community groups and organisations to submit applications and acquittals online, and also allows Council to communicate with grant applicants instantly. In addition, the system provides an excellent audit trail.

Upon submission in SmartyGrants, Council Officers assessed each application against key eligibility and community grant criteria and their recommendations were presented for consideration by the Councillor Panel at a meeting held on Monday 24^th May 2021.

Information sessions/Grant writing workshops:

Two general information sessions were held for community groups and organisations to enhance their understanding of the community grant guidelines and provide guidance for using the SmartyGrants system.

Council also delivered two grant writing workshops which provided expert advice on how to apply for funding as well as how to acquit grants. The sessions were well attended, with 35 community organisations attending the information sessions and 50 attending the grant writing workshops.

Officers held two drop in sessions in the Red Pod at Box Hill Mall, with Mandarin and Cantonese translators available for those who required it. Officers also provided over the phone, email and face-to-face support to community organisations as requested.

Cash Grants:

For the 2021/22 financial year, the Whitehorse Community Grants Program received 191 applications from 140 community groups, for both the annual cash grants round as well as both of the Discount Support grant programs.

The Councillor Assessment Panel met on Monday 24^th May 2021 to consider the annual Community (Cash) Grant applications. At the meeting, the Councillor panel determined the recommendations to be put forward to the Whitehorse Councillor group, which are included as Appendix A to this report.

Discount Support (hall hire & free tipping)

There are three levels of Discount Support Hall Hire based on eligibility and group type:

· 90% for seniors groups

· 75% for service clubs

· 50% for all other organisations

Discount Support Hall Hire also includes the option of one free hall hire fundraising event annually, per organisation. The Discount Support Hall Hire grants operate on a calendar year cycle and to date have been approved if they meet Council’s criteria. Further applications will continue to be received to the end of December 2021 and will be approved if applications meet the specified criteria and there is the budget to do so.

The Discount Support Free Tipping program also operates on a calendar year cycle and to date Council has received 31 applications. The budget for the 2021/2022 financial year has been fully allocated. Therefore, no further applications for Free Tipping will be considered for the remainder of the 2021 calendar year.

Partnership Grants:

The Partnership Grant process was endorsed by Council at the April 2021 Ordinary Council meeting. The partnership grants are broken down into two categories:

· Category 1 –

Organisations that have a unique role in regard to service provision. These organisations have a strong connection with a particular local community or regular event, and/or are the only organisation that can provide the particular initiative, service or program offered.

· Category 2

· The initiatives, services and programs that fall within this category can be provided by a range of services/organisations within the City of Whitehorse.

Officers have written to Category 1 organisations who have all confirmed their interest in a two year contract and have filled in the required paperwork on the Smarty Grant system (Appendix B).

An EOI process was put out for Category 2 funding and two applications were received (Appendix B). Further details are provided in the body of the Report and the criteria and scoring is included as Appendix E.

Whitehorse Youth & Family Services Program:

Historically, Council manages a contract for the delivery of specific Youth & Family Services programs for the Whitehorse community. This contract primarily focuses on the delivery of specialised youth and family counselling support services, which are very different to the other services Council provides through its Youth Services department, which were provided in-house prior to 2000. For the past approximately 20 years, as part of a competitive process, Council has tendered four year contracts to suitably qualified and experienced organisations to undertake this work. The current contract concludes at the end of October 2021. Further information is provided in the body of the report.

DISCUSSION

The Community Grants Program is divided into four separate components:

1. Cash Grants - Annual

2. Partnership Funding

3. Discount Support - Hall Hire

4. Discount Support- Free Tipping

Cash Grants - Annual Grants

Annual Cash Grants (Senior’s Participation Grants up to $1000, Equipment Grants up to $1,000, Minor Grants Up to $3,000 & Major Grants $3001 to $10,000) were considered by the Councillor Panel on Monday 24^th May 2021. The Panel recommendations are detailed in Appendix A.

For the 2021/2022 financial year the Councillor Panel recommended funding to a total of $77,492. This allocation means that there is $79,248 remaining in the annual Community Grants budget for this financial year.

The lower than usual number of grant applications (and therefore funding allocated) is a result of:

· Many groups and organisations still not operating at the same level they were prior to COVID-19

· Some groups and organisations asking for extensions to their existing funding arrangements and therefore not applying for another grant before expending the grant they already have.

· There being a lot of funding available to community groups and organisations from other levels of Government and philanthropics.

As a result of the unallocated amount of funding remaining, the Councillor panel recommended that a second round of community grants funding is offered to the Whitehorse community for the 2021/2022 financial year. If, after this second round there is still an unallocated amount remaining, the current process will be implemented which entails an application being submitted, the application being assessed by the relevant officer and the Mayor of the day then approving, or not approving the community grant application, which has come into Council outside of the usual Community Grants application period.

If Council approves a second community grant round, this will need to open in August 2021 so that officers have time to promote, implement and assess the applications prior to them going to the Councillor Assessment panel to determine the recommendations. In addition, this timeframe gives community organisations enough time to expend their funding prior to the end of the financial year and enables the second round recipients to be in place prior to opening up applications for the 2022/2023 financial year (in February 2022).

Partnership Grants

Category 1:

As endorsed by Council:

1. Officers wrote to the Category 1 Community Grants Partnership recipients (organisations that have a unique role in regard to service provision. These organisations have a strong connection with a particular local community or regular event, and /or are the only organisation that can provide the particular initiative, service or program offered) inviting them to apply for a two year Community Partnership Grant. Each of those organisations have confirmed their interest by completing an application form in the SmartyGrants system.

2. The Asian Business Association of Whitehorse (ABAW) were notified of Councils resolution regarding the name change to the Lunar New Year’s festival, which has been accepted.

These are detailed in Appendix B.

Category 2:

As endorsed by Council:

1. A competitive EOI process was implemented in regard to Category 2 funding where funding is offered to community organisations to provide initiatives which align with the Council Plan, other Council plans and policies and priorities. The initiatives, services and programs that fall within this category can be provided by a range of services/organisations within the City of Whitehorse and are therefore put out to the community via and expression of interest process, as part of a contested funding round.

The funding available in Category 2 relates to:

1. Contract 11041 - Life Skills program for Young People

2. Contract 11042 - Emergency Relief and Coordination Program

The EOI opportunity for both contracts were promoted via the following methods: a direct email to 412 community contacts through the Community Engagement & Development eNewsletter; a direct email to 200 community organisations via SmartyGrants; and promotion through Council’s corporate website.

Council received one application for each program. Family Access Network (FAN) applied for contract 11041- Life Skills Program for Young People and Uniting Care East Burwood Centre applied for contract 11042 - Emergency Relief and Coordination Program.

Both of these organisations are the existing recipients of this funding and both have demonstrated a high level of proficiency in delivering these programs. Therefore, officers are confident that both organisations can fulfill the requirements of their respective service agreements over the next two years, to the very high standard expected by Council. These are detailed in Appendix B.

Youth and Family Services Tender

Council currently has a contract with Eastern Access Community Health Service (EACH) to deliver the Youth & Family Services program contract to the Whitehorse community. The contract is primarily for specialised Counselling support services which prior to 2000 had been delivered by council employed social workers. This contract concludes at the end of October 2021.

The Youth and Family Services tender was established approximately 20 years ago when Council resolved to no longer provide these services in house, but committed to providing funding to a community organisation to deliver youth and family services, to respond to community need. As part of a competitive process, Council has tendered this contract since that time to suitably qualified and experienced organisations to undertake this work.

Officers are now seeking Council support to advertise a four year contract to suitable organisations, to continue to deliver youth and family services programs to the Whitehorse community.

Discount Support Hall Hire

Discount Support Hall Hire relates to discounted hall hire charges at Council owned and operated venues. If community groups meet the criteria, Discount Support Hall Hire is automatically granted within the allocated budget. Groups applying for discount support have already been notified in writing of their success or otherwise and this information is included in Appendix C. The Discount Support Hall Hire budget for the 2021/2022 financial year is $310,093.

Further applications for Discount Support Hall Hire will be received by Council as the year progresses and will be approved if organisations/groups meet the criteria, up to the budgeted allocation.

There are three levels of discount support based on eligibility and group type: 90% for seniors groups, 75% for service clubs and 50% for all other organisations. Discount Support Hall Hire also includes the option of one free hall hire fundraising event annually, per organisation.

Discount Support Free Tipping

Council offers discount support to not for profit community groups for free tipping at Council’s Recycling and Waste Centre. A nominal amount of $220 has been allocated per voucher for general waste and $125 per voucher for green waste.

Each trailer load of waste is weighed and the actual cost based on the tonnage rate, is recorded against the Community Grants Program. A total of 170 tipping passes are recommended for the 2021/2022 financial year and the groups are listed in Appendix D. The budget allocation has already been expended this year and therefore no new applications will be funded. The budget for Discount Support Free Tipping is $34,151.

CONSULTATION

The 2021/2022 Whitehorse Community Grants program was advertised extensively within the municipality:

· In the Whitehorse News

· Direct email to all previous applicants via SmartyGrants

· In the Community Engagement & Development eNewsletter (sent to 412 community organisations)

· On Council’s web site and Facebook page

· In Asian Multimedia newspapers

· Through posters at community venues

· Through articles highlighting previous successful applicants telling their stories

Officers from various service areas across Council were consulted in regard to their initial assessment of each grant application.

As previously detailed, Council Officers held two Information sessions, two grant writing workshops, two drop in sessions with translators and over the phone, email and in person support was provided.

Over the next 12 months:

An important part of the continuous improvement process is to develop and implement strategies to reach the “hard to reach” so as to ensure that Council receives a diversity of applications for community grants into the future.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The Overall Community Grant Budget for the 2021/2022 financial year is detailed below:

2021/2022 Financial Year – Cash and Discount Support	Total
Cash Grants (Annual & Partnership Grants)	$889,894
Discount Support Hall Hire	$310,093
Discount Support Free Tipping	$34,151
TOTAL OVERALL GRANTS BUDGET	$1,234,138

The Cash Grant Budget for the 2021/2022 financial year is detailed below:

2019/2020 Financial Year – Cash Grants	CASH GRANT BUDGET
Partnership Grants	$734,026.81
Annual Grants considered by Councillor Panel	$155,868
TOTAL CASH GRANTS BUDGET	$889,894

POLICY IMPLICATIONS

The Whitehorse Community Grants program, aligns with the Whitehorse Council Plan and the Whitehorse Health and Wellbeing Plan, particularly in relation to serving and strengthening our diverse community to be inclusive, vibrant and engaged.

In the future, the Whitehorse Community Grants program will be aligned with the recently adopted Whitehorse Community Vision 2040, the Whitehorse Community Plan 2021-2025, the Whitehorse Municipal Public Health & Wellbeing Plan 2021-2025, as well as other relevant Whitehorse strategic plans and policies.

APENDIX A – ANNUAL CASH GRANTS

Applicant	Funding
1st Heatherdale Scout Group	$1,000.00
1st Mont Albert Scout Group	$909.00
1st Nunawading Scout Group	$1,000.00
1st Tally Ho Scout Group	$500.00
Aces Netball Club Inc.	$1,138.00
Australian Oriental Martial Arts Tai Chi Inc.	$2,000.00
Blackburn Football Club Inc	$1,000.00
Blackburn Vikings Basketball	$750.00
Box Hill Little Athletics Centre	$1,000.00
Box Hill Senior Art Group	$400.00
Box Hill South Neighbourhood House	$1,000.00
Centre for Holistic Health	$3,000.00
Chinese Health Foundation of Australia	$580.00
Chinese Parents' Special Support Network	$3,000.00
Cootamundra Walk Advisory Committee	$1,200.00
Eastern Emergency Relief Network Inc	$9,000.00
Eastern Volunteers	$1,992.00
Elderly Citizens of the Greek and Cypriots Eastern Suburbs	$1,000.00
Fang Hua Senior Arts Performance Club Inc	$510.00
Forest Hill Woodturners (Seniors) Inc.	$999.00
Forum on Australia's Islamic Relations aka Islamicare Australia	$2,649.00
Girl Guides Association of Victoria - Donvale Nunawading Guides	$1,000.00
Jing Song Senior Chinese Men's Incorporation	$1,000.00
Kerrimuir United Cricket Club	$1,000.00
Ladies Probus Club of Blackburn South Inc	$500.00
Lianmeng Auschina Senior Choir Incorporated	$1,890.00
LinC Whitehorse Inc	$350.00
Melbourne East Disability Advocacy (MEDA)	$1,000.00

Applicant	Funding
Melbourne Korean Senior Citizens Community Incorporated	$320.00
Mitcham Bowls Club	$1,000.00
Mun Wha Gyo Sil Incoporate	$250.00
Nieuw Holland Dutch Social Club.inc	$250.00
North Box Hill Tennis Club Inc	$635.00
Nunawading Gymnastics and Sports Club	$1,000.00
Nunawading Toy Library	$1,000.00
Probus Club of Blackburn Central Inc.	$880.00
Probus Club of Mont Albert Inc.	$550.00
Rejoice Chinese Christian Communication Centre Inc.	$1,000.00
Scout Association of Australia Victorian Branch Mont Albert North Scout Group	$1,000.00
Scouts Australia (VIC) 1st Mitcham Scout Group	$1,000.00
Scouts Australia (VIC) Whitehorse District	$673.10
Scouts Victoria - Scouts Performing Arts Activity Centre	$1,000.00
Senior Citizens Club - Nunawading	$1684.00
Taiwanese Business Association of Melbourne	$10,000.00
The Generosity Collective Inc	$1,000.00
The Ladies Probus Club Of Blackburn Lake Inc.	$250.00
The Ladies Probus Club of Box Hill South Inc	$340.00
The Men's Table Ltd	$1,465.00
The Probus Club of Mitcham Nunawading Inc	$800.00
The Whitehorse Club	$2,000.00
U3A Box Hill	$705.00
U3A Nunawading Inc	$1,000.00
Vermont South Community House Inc (Trading As Vermont South Learning Centre)	$1,000.00
Whitehorse Arts Association Inc.	$933.00
Whitehorse Colts Junior Football and Netball Club	$1,000.00
Whitehorse Historical Society Inc.	$2390
Whitehorse Orchestra	$1,000
Total recommended	$77,492.30

APPENDIX B – PARTNERSHIP GRANTS

Category 1

Applicant	Funding
Asian Business Association of Whitehorse Inc (Lunar New Year Festival)	$25,351
Avenue @ Eley Neighbourhood House	$39,418
Bennettswood Neighbourhood House	$31,813
Box Hill South Neighbourhood House	$31,813
Burwood Neighbourhood House	$31,813
Clota Cottage Neighbourhood House Inc	$31,813
Kerrimuir Neighbourhood House	$31,813
Koonung Cottage Community House	$31,813
Louise Multicultural Centre	$28,647
Mitcham Community House	$39,419
Vermont South Community House	$38,646
Whitehorse Pre School Association	$32,829
TOTAL CATEGORY 1 PARTNERSHIP GRANTS	$395,192

Category 2:

Applicant

Funding

Family Access Network (FAN)

Contract 11041 – Life Skills Program for Young People

$39,691

Uniting Care East Burwood Centre

Contract 11042 – Emergency Relief and Coordination Program

$27,782

Youth & Family Services Tender

Tender	Funding
For the provision of Youth & Family Services (2021/2022)	$271,361.81

APPENDIX C – DISCOUNT SUPPORT HALL HIRE

Applicant	Funding
Ankh Antiquarian Books	$347.70
Association Of Independent Retirees, Melbourne Eastern Branch.	$1,335.04
Australia-China Veterans Club Inc.	$4,818.66
Australian Red Cross Blackburn Branch	$1,071.81
Bonsai Society Of Victoria Inc	$649.04
Box Hill Art Group	$3,682.05
Box Hill Ballet Association Inc.	$4,227.98
Box Hill Chorale	$1,150.25
Box Hill Clayworkers	$2,517.50
Box Hill Community Gardens Inc	$75.64
Box Hill Hand Spinners And Weavers Inc.	$1,936.40
Box Hill Life Drawing Group	$304.78
Brotherhood Karyas Olympou	$289.64
Cake Decorators Association Of Victoria	$869.25
Circolo Pensionati Italian Nunawading Box Hill	$4,005.12
Combined Probus Club Of Blackburn South Inc	$1,043.00
Community Of Cypriots Of The Eastern Suburbs Elderly Citizens Club Incorporated	$3,337.60
Contemporary Women Painters	$1,140.00
Eastern And Mountain District Radio Club Inc.	$714.54
Eastern District Budgerigar Society INC	$428.83
Eastern Districts Aquarium Society	$357.27
Eastern Suburbs Scale Modelling Club Inc.	$607.96
Forest Kyokushin Karate Incorporated	$1,599.42
Greek & Cypriot Elderly Citizens Club Of Whitehorse & Districts Inc	$3,337.60
Hand Tool Preservation Association Of Australia Inc.	$306.79
Idlers 4WD Club Of Victoria Inc	$278.16
Knitting For The Needy Community Support Group Inc	$357.27
Ladies Probus Club Of Vermont South	$750.96

Applicant	Funding
Melbourne Ai-Yue Choir	$901.00
Melbourne Numismatic Society Inc.	$107.68
Melbourne Taiwan Ladies’ Association	$241.56
Melbourne Taiwanese Ladies Association	$903.21
Melbourne Warbles Choir Incorporated	$874.50
Nunawading Community Gardens Incorporated	$649.04
Nunawading Gymnastics And Sports Club	$46.36
Nunawading Hungarian Senior Citizens Club Inc	$2,065.14
Orchid Species Society Of Victoria	$347.70
Papermakers Of Victoria Inc	$234.10
Playhouse Players Incorporated	$1,923.94
Poetica Christi Press	$109.09
Probus Club Of Forest Hill	$750.96
Probus Club Of Mitcham Nunawading	$1,929.24
Probus Club Of Mitcham Orchards	$1,929.24
R & S Chrysler Valiant Car Club Of Victoria Inc	$388.26
Russian Senior Citizens Club Box Hill	$1,690.91
Sathya Sai Organisation	$1,483.52
Senior Citizen Of The Greek Community Of Forest Hill	$5,110.70
Senior Citizens Club Of Nunawading	$2,252.88
St Andrews Greek Orthodox Elderly Citizens Group	$1,627.08
Taiwanese Women's Dancing Club	$1,166.00
The Boite Vic Inc	$436.50
The Hispanic Society Of Victoria Inc	$791.55
The Hong Kong Club Inc.Vic	$1,293.32
The Melbourne Chinese Choir	$218.16
Vermont Cancer Research Fundraising Group	$1,786.35
Vermont Garden Club Inc.	$579.50
Victoria Hua Xin Chinese Women's Association	$742.00
Victorian Bulb Society	$347.70

Applicant	Funding
Villa Maria Catholic Homes Limited (VMCH)	$938.79
Whitehorse Activities Club Incorporated	$2,920.40
Whitehorse Cyclists Inc	$231.80
Whitehorse Film Society Inc	$1,830.00
Whitehorse Orchstra	$2,014.00
Whitehorse Pioneers Football & Netball Club Inc	$1,387.27
Whitehorse Toastmasters	$1,877.58
Total Approved 1 Jan - 30 June 2021	$85,667.29

Appendix D- Discount Support Free Tipping

Applicant	Funding
1st Bennettswood Scout Group	$440.00
1st Heatherdale Scout Group	$440.00
1st Tally Ho Scout Group	$440.00
9th Box hill Scout Group	$440.00
Alkira Centre Box Hill	$2,200.00
Bennettswood Bowls Club	$500.00
Blackburn Lions club	$750.00
Box Hill Central Rotary Recycle Opportunity Shop	$880.00
Box Hill Community Gardens Inc	$875.00
Burwood Community Garden Inc	$500.00
Doncare Community Care & Counselling Centre Inc.	$2,640.00
Florence Road Preschool	$440.00
LinC Whitehorse Inc	$2,200.00
Mitcham Angling Club and Fish Protection Society	$345.00
Nillumbik Community Health Service	$880.00
Nunawading Community Garden	$875.00
Nunawading Toy Library Inc	$440.00
Pope Road Kindergarten	$440.00
Rotary Club of Mitcham Inc	$1,320.00

Applicant	Funding
Royal Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty to Animals Victoria (RSPCA Burwood)	$4,840.00
Scout Association of Australia (Vic Branch) Whitehorse District	$440.00
Scout Association of Australia Victorian Branch Mont Albert North Scout Group	$440.00
Scouts Australia (Vic) 1st Mitcham Scout Group	$440.00
Scouts Victoria - Scouts Performing Arts Activity Centre	$440.00
Senior Citizens Club - Nunawading	$440.00
South Vermont Lions Club Inc	$500.00
The Eastern Emergency Relief Network Inc	$5,720.00
The Generosity Collective Inc	$440.00
The Whitehorse Club	$250.00
Vermont Uniting Church	$880.00
Whitehorse Rotary Farmer Market (Rotary Box Hill Burwood)	$2,200.00
Total	$34,075

Whitehorse City Council

Council Meeting 19 July 2021

9.3.2 Review of Council's Meeting Cycle

ATTACHMENT

SUMMARY

The existing Council meeting cycle has been in place for over three Council terms. With the changing local government landscape and the election of the new Council group in October 2020, it is an opportune time to review this critical element of Council’s operations.

RECOMMENDATION

That Council:

1. Gives in principle support to undertake community consultation on a proposal to dissolve its Delegated Committee and to adopt a fortnightly Council meeting cycle between the months of February and December (in part) each calendar year.

2. Request the Chief Executive Officer to ensure that the community consultation is supported with relevant information, as reflected in the body of this report, so that residents of Whitehorse are properly informed in regards to this proposal.

3. Receive a further report, following the conclusion of its community consultation period on this proposal.

4. Adopt the Meeting Cycle for the period October 2021 to December 2021 as detailed in Appendix A to this report (noting that meeting dates may be varied or altered if required).

background

The existing Council meeting cycle has been in place for over three Council terms and has worked well for the organisation, Councillors and the wider community.

With the passage of time, the changing local government landscape, together with the recent overhaul of the Local Government Act, it is time to review whether Council meeting arrangements and associated procedures are responsive to the needs of Council and its community.

DISCUSSION

Council has conducted a review of its meeting cycle, with the overriding objectives being to simplify the nature and frequency of Council meetings to support greater Council effectiveness, provide better accessibility to Councillors and to reinforce the transparency of Council’s meetings.

At present, Council generally holds two formal meetings each month, from February to December each year, namely Council and the Delegated Committee of Council. However, the Delegated Committee of Council does have a number of limitations on its capacity to make decisions, when compared to Council, including:

1. To exercise the powers which, under s 11(2) of the Local Government Act 2020 or any other Act cannot be delegated to the Committee.

2. To enter into contracts, or incur expenditure, for an amount which exceeds the approved budget;

3. To consider any planning matters; and

4. To exercise any function or power or perform any duty if it is something which Council has previously designated as something which must be the subject of a resolution of Council.

Consequently the proposed approach is -

1. Council meetings will be held fortnightly on the 1^st and 3^rd Monday of the month (excluding January) each year; and will commence at 7.00pm.

2. All proceedings at Council meetings (excluding confidential matters) will continue to be live-streamed.

3. The Delegated Committee of Council meetings will discontinue, as a result of 1 above.

4. The Public Submissions element of the Delegated Committee of Council meetings will be incorporated into Council meetings and –

a) Be retitled as Public Presentations to reinforce the purpose and remove any possible ambiguity for the wider community;

b) Be listed as a separate item of business within the Council meeting, allowing up to 30 minutes (maximum), with each registrant given up to 3 minutes to speak on their topic (10 presenters maximum).

c) Will require persons to register on Council’s website by no later than 12:00 noon on the Council meeting day, to make a presentation to Council (maximum 10).

d) Seeks to encourage the consideration of a diverse and broad range of municipal related issues and as such, no more than two registrants may speak on the same issue.

e) Will not operate as a Question and Answer forum, (as dedicated Public Question Time is available for this purpose at a Council meeting.)

f) Will require the suspension and the resumption of standing orders in order to facilitate individuals making presentations to Council, without the constraints of the formal meeting procedures.

It is considered that the above approach delivers on its stated objectives of simplifying the meeting cycle, enhancing better community understanding of when meetings are held (1^st and 3^rd Monday of each month - February to December) and incorporating Public Presentations into each fortnightly Council meeting. It is also anticipated that the greater accessibility to Council by members of the community will foster a better understanding and interest to participate with Council’s processes.

As changes flowing from items 3 and 4 above will impact the Governance Rules, it is recommended that these and other listed changes be presented by Council for community consultation, as required under the Local Government Act 2020. It is recommended that Council extend the current meeting cycle to the end of 2021 to allow the community consultation process to be undertaken and for a further report to be prepared and listed for Council’s consideration. Scheduled meeting dates may be varied or altered if required.

Accordingly, it is intended that the following changes be made to the Governance Rules:

A) All references made to a Delegated Committee will be removed from the Governance Rules.

Moving to fortnightly Council meetings will negate the need to continue with Council’s Delegated Committee meetings.

B) Division 2 – Quorums

Amend clause 16. Time limits for Meetings

Amend clause 16.1 to read: A meeting will progress in 2 hour blocks from the time of commencement and allowing for a 5 minute break after each 2 hour block, unless resolved otherwise by the majority of Councillors at the meeting.’

Delete clauses 16.2 and 16.3

The insertion of this new clause provides for the wellbeing of Councillors, especially when a meeting is dealing with numerous and time consuming issues.

C) Division 3 - Business of Meetings

Insert new clause 18.2 – Agenda and the Order of Business

18.2 In doing so, the Chief Executive Officer will be guided by the following Order of Business:

i. Welcome

ii. Apologies

iii. Disclosures of Interests of Conflict

iv. Confirmation of Minutes

v. Public Presentations

vi. Petitions and Joint-Letters

vii. Public Question Time

viii. Notices of Motion

ix. Urgent Business

x. Council Reports

xi. Confidential Reports

xii. Close

The insertion of this new clause generally provides greater clarity and removes any potential confusion on the new order of business for Council meetings.

Delete Clause 24 - Introducing a Report –

“24.1 Before a written report is considered by Council and any motion moved in relation to such report, a member of Council staff may introduce the report by indicating in not more than 2 minutes:

24.1.1 Its background; or

24.1.2 The reasons for any recommendation which appears.”

In practice, this has not operated to any extent to date and therefore there is no benefit in continuing to having it listed.

D) Division 8 - Public Presentations

Insert new clause 52 Public Presentations.

Insert sub-clauses 52.1-52.6.

52.1 There must be a public presentation segment at every Council meeting fixed under Rule 9 to enable members of the public to make presentations to Council.

52.2 Sub-rule 52.1 does not apply when a meeting is closed to members of the public in accordance with section 66(2) of the act.

52.3 Public presentations will not exceed 30 minutes in duration.

52.4 A person must register on Council’s website by no later than 12 noon on the day of the Council meeting, with a maximum of 10 persons being granted up to 3 minutes to present their subject matter.

52.5 No more than two persons may speak on the same subject matter at any one meeting.

52.6 The Chair will seek the suspension and subsequent resumption of standing orders to allow for the conduct of the Public Presentations segment at all Council meetings.”

The inclusion of these clauses is to accommodate and govern Public Presentations segments at Council meetings, and to provide clarity and certainty around the process of Public Presentations.

E) Division 9 - Public Question Time

· Amend Clause 53.4.2 to read

“Lodged electronically or in person at the Nunawading Civic Centre, by 12:00 noon on the day of the Council meeting.”

The introduction of electronic public questions time forms is a positive initiative for our community. However the existing 5pm cut-off for public questions, continues to pose challenges for officers, in coordinating and preparing responses for questions lodged. It is recommended that the cut-off be changed to 12 noon to allow senior officers more realistic timelines to prepare responses (where possible) and ensure that relevant other officers are available to assist as required.

F) Division 9 - Petitions and Joint Letters

· Delete Clause 54.9

“Council may consider electronic petitions similar to the procedure applying to State Government.”

Only the Victorian Legislative Council provides for the reception of so called epetitions, based on software prepared specifically for the Legislative Council. Other widely available electronic petition templates pose privacy and ownership issues, which are generally not acceptable to Council. It is recommend that this clause be deleted, until such time that identified issues are addressed.

· Insert new Clause 54.7

“A petition or joint letter may nominate a person to whom a reply may be sent, but if no person is nominated, Council may reply to the first or any person whose signature appears in the petition or joint letter.”

The inclusion of this new clause, provides clarity and certainty about Council’s process for informing a lead petitioner that the petition or joint letter has been tabled and confirms Council’s proposed course of action.

· Insert new Clause 54.8

“Where a petition or joint letter relates to a current planning application, the petition or joint letter will be considered as an objection in accordance with the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and will not be tabled at a Council meeting, as a separate matter.”

The inclusion of this new clause, removes any ambiguity about how Council will deal with any petitions or joint letters that relate to a current planning application.

Note: In recent weeks, Council has received some community interest in the suitability or otherwise of the opening prayer included in the welcome segment at Council meetings.

An updated Governance Rules document which captures the above-noted changes, is provided as Attachment 1.

CONSULTATION

Officers have provided Councillors with various briefings on this topic, in the lead up to the preparation of this report for Council’s formal consideration. As some of the proposed changes will impact Council’s Governance Rules, it is a legislative requirement that Council undertakes a proper community consultation, in line with its Community Consultation Policy.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Any financial implications resulting from the passage of this report, can be accommodated from Council’s operating budget 2021/22.

POLICY IMPLICATIONS

Section 61(2) of the Local Government Act 2020, clearly provides that “Except as provided in this Act and subject to the Governance Rules, the conduct of Council meetings is at the Council’s discretion.”

APPENDIX A

WHITEHORSE CITY COUNCIL MEETING CYCLE

OCTOBER TO DECEMBER 2021

*October 2021*
Delegated Committee of Council Meeting	11
Council Meeting	18
*November 2021*
Statutory meeting Election of Mayor and Deputy Mayor	8
Delegated Committee of Council Meeting	15
Council Meeting	22
*December 2021*
Delegated Committee of Council Meeting	6
Council Meeting	13

· All meetings will be held on a Monday, in the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, 379 Whitehorse Road Nunawading (or virtually as practical to ensure any appropriate health and social distancing measures which may be in place.)

· Council is following the directions of Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, and following the Minister for Local Government’s Good Practice Guidelines in the conduct of its meetings.

· Additional meetings may be called as required and will be advertised via public notice on Council’s website.

· Meetings will be open to the public, unless Council resolves to close the meeting to the public to consider an item ‘in camera’ as per the provisions of the Local Government Act 2020.

Attachment

1 Governance Rules (Draft) July 2021