It’s been a pretty torrid month, dealing with all the issues arising from merger proposals and their associated inquiries and submissions. In the process, however, I had occasion to reflect on the ways in which a Council interacts with its community. Of course, this happens in various ways, some perhaps more welcome than others.
One of the more positive interactions is through local community associations and facilities management committees.
It would probably come as no surprise to find that rural councils must operate a little differently to urban councils for various reasons, not least of which is the area that must be managed. The Palerang Local Government Area (LGA) covers some 5,147km2, while our urban neighbour, Queanbeyan City Council covers just 172km2. Add to this the fact that the population of Palerang stands at around 15,510 while the current Queanbeyan population is around 40,860 and the challenge faced by rural councils in providing community facilities immediately becomes apparent.
Urban councils can take advantage of economies of scale, locate facilities centrally, and serve their entire population from these single points. Rural councils must necessarily use a different operating model to provide and manage facilities within local communities, a model that invariably depends heavily on the local communities themselves. Fortunately, this is rarely a problem in rural areas because the communities involved are traditionally close-knit and all too willing to pitch in when the need arises.
The operating model used in Palerang is generally based on committees operating under Sections 355 and 377 of the Local Government Act, so-called ‘Section 355 Committees’. At a formal level, these committees are governance structures that are responsible for public assets. At a more practical level, they are the organisational structures through which community facilities are managed and maintained.
Most council-owned facilities in Palerang are managed through one of its 23 active s.355 committees. The committees comprise mainly community volunteers and a councillor or two to help manage the Council side of business. They set the hire fees for, and manage the hire and general maintenance of the facility in question. These facilities include community halls and reserves, our Greenways, cemeteries, and certain Council buildings and structures such as the Braidwood National Theatre and the Bungendore War Memorial.
A lesser known, but important part of the management function is communicating community needs, identifying grant opportunities and coordinating working bees. Without this level of cooperation, it would simply not be possible to provide facilities over such a wide area with such a small workforce.
This is really as much a thank you to those community volunteers who help make all this happen as it is an educational exercise to let people know how their local community hall or reserve is managed.