MITCHELL Shire councillors are satisfied with the organisation’s delivery of both capital works and significant projects at the midway point of the financial year.
At last month’s meeting councillors reviewed second-quarter updates for council’s 2022-23 capital works program, as well as its slate of significant projects.
Councillors said the reports provided people with valuable information on the status of council endeavours across the shire.
The significant projects report outlines the status of 51 council projects that either cost more than $200,000 or cost less but are still considered significant, enabling projects necessary to complete other projects, projects of a strategic nature, and those that council deemed the community would view as significant.
Of the 51 projects, 26 are reported to be on track, nine were not scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2022-23, one was deferred and five had been completed.
The remaining 10 projects were behind target but considered recoverable, including Kilmore’s Sydney Street rejuvenation, which was listed as 70 per cent complete compared to a 90 per cent target.
Cr Bill Chisholm said the report made it easy for readers to understand the completion level of each project.
“The report comes in a traffic light [layout] that shows you the individual status of each,” he said.
“If people have got the time and want to understand what council is doing, this is a great report.”
Cr Rob Eldridge said the term ‘significant projects’ would mean different things to different people.
“If you don’t think [the report] does reflect what the community sees as significant, we’d be happy with the feedback,” he said.
Also presented was an update on council’s $77 million capital works program, of which a total of nearly $56 million is forecasted to be spent during 2022-23.
The report listed wet weather as a factor behind delays to several projects including the Sydney Street rejuvenation, Seymour Resource Recovery Centre and Kilmore East Road bridge upgrade projects, while noting that flooding throughout the region in October also caused supply chain issues for multiple projects.
Cr Rhonda Sanderson reminded people the entire cost of the capital works program was not borne solely by ratepayers.
“It’s a $77 million program, but if you exclude purchases of land, developer contributions and infrastructure contributions, which are required, it’s a $51.6 million program,” she said.
“One part of this report includes new grants, so obviously the ratepayers of Mitchell Shire can’t fund the whole of our capital works program – we rely substantially on grants.
“It’s a huge capital works budget, and it’s great to see a lot of green lines on the report, which shows there is a fair amount of progress, especially for a half year. I think we’re doing really well … considering the challenges we’re still facing with COVID, getting materials and als staffing and contractors.”
Mitchell Shire Council’s significant projects listed
Projects are listed with their target completion percentage, followed by their actual completion percentage.
Council
- Technology strategy: 50 per cent target, 25 per cent complete
- Customer channel strategy: 50, 50
- Project management software: 40, 40
- Customer request management software: 40, 40
Nature
- Urban forest strategy: 30, 30
- Mitchell open space strategy: 15, 15
- Rural land and activities review: complete
- Rural landscape assessment study: 50, 50
- Sustainable resource management strategy review: complete
- Climate emergency action plan: 25, 25
- Waste management strategy: 90, 90
- Greenhill Precinct masterplan: 10, 10
- Chittick Park Seymour masterplan: not scheduled to start in quarter two
- Harley Hammond Reserve Broadford masterplan: not scheduled
- JJ Clancy Reserve Kilmore masterplan: not scheduled
- Monument Hill environmental management plan: 30, 15
- Safer places review: deferred
- Northern Council Alliance Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project: complete
Built Environment
- Mitchell integrated transport strategy: 50, 25
- Wallan Structure Plan and neighbourhood character study: 10, 10
- Wallan Structure Plan peer review: complete
- Hidden Valley controls review: 20, 10
- Kilmore and Broadford neighbourhood character studies: not scheduled
- Heritage gap study: not scheduled
- Anzac Avenue revitalisation plan: 25, 25
- Broadford development contribution plan: 10, 10
- Wallan Town Heart, stage two: 10, 10
- Powlett Street, Broadford Town Square revitalisation: not scheduled
- Kilmore rejuvenation streetscape upgrade: 90, 70
- John Street Kilmore development plan: not scheduled
- C157 planning scheme review implementation: 80, 80
- C163 Kilmore south east development contributions plan overlay: 50, 50
- C133 Seymour Structure Plan modifications and planning scheme amendment: 50, 40
- C152 Beveridge Township Development Plan: 80, 80
- Broadford Structure Plan planning scheme amendment implementation: 60, 60
- Wallan South Precinct Structure Plan: N/A
- Beveridge North West Precinct Structure Plan: N/A
- Wallan East Precinct Structure Plan: N/A
- Precinct Structure Plan to subdivision, streamlining for growth: 50, 10
Community
- Economic development strategy: 50, 5
- Tourism destination plan and local area action plan: 10, 10
- Affordable housing strategy: 60, 50
- Accommodation strategy: 100, 80
- Hilldene employment precinct, stage one: 80, 80
- Hilldene development plan: 80, 80
- Hilldene landfill rezone: 50, 25
- Business survey: complete Health and community services gap analysis: 10, 15
- Aquatics strategy: 5, 5
- Gambling and packaged liquor strategy: 5, 5
