Council discusses Commonwealth Games athlete recognition
Mayor Vic Pennisi asked Councillors if there was anything they would like to do for Southern Dows’ athletes returning from the Commonwealth Games
Morning tea, public or at Council
Cr Stephen Tancred said that “whatever we do, we should involve the public and possibly the school children”.
He stated that “athletes are pretty busy people” and it would be a shame to miss the opportunity to have them interact with local kids.
Cr Cynthia McDonald endorsed Cr Tancred’s comments, stating she would like to see a representative from some of the schools “because obviously that’s where we draw our aspiring athletes from”.
“It’d be fantastic for them to come along and see their mentors.”
Mayor Pennisi suggested including the Scots PGC pipers in the event, while Cr Sheryl Windle suggested a parade.
Councillors decided to delegate the organisation of the event to the CEO.
Disappointed by Financial Assistance Grants
Southern Downs Regional Council received a letter from the Queensland Local Government Grants Commission at the recent Ordinary Council Meeting, stating that Council would receive an allocation for 2022-23 of $6,874,235 and that this was a four per cent increase on their 2021-22 allocation.
Cr Stephen Tancred stated that he was disappointed by this not meeting inflation.
He also stated that the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) has taken the position that the Financial Assistance Grants (FA Grants) are not what they used to be.
“It’s a long way from what we need.”
SDRC to hang Torres Strait Islander flag
Councillors discussed hanging a Torres Strait Islander flag at the recent Ordinary Council Meeting after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk offered to send the Council one in a letter tabled at the meeting.
Cr Jo McNally stated in the meeting that she thought they should accept the flag and hang it.
“We’re the only country in the world that recognises Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal people.
“We’re the only country in the world so we should be displaying it.
“I’m pretty sure there’s enough room up there…so that would be great.”
Christmas operations approved
Council staff will cease work, with offices and libraries closing over the Christmas/New Year period from 12 noon on Friday, 23 December 2022. Normal business operations will resume on Tuesday, 3 January 2023. Skeleton work crews and on-call staff will remain on duty for essential services to the community.
Financial report tabled at Ordinary Council Meeting
The financial report was tabled at the recent Ordinary Council Meeting. Staff reported an operational revenue of $30.9M, which is $1.5M under budget compared to the YTD budget of $32.4M. Fees and charges are under budget by $226K due to the timing of when the State Waste Levy and Waste Disposal Fees were received. Interest income is over budget by $64k mainly relating to higher-than-expected cash balance and changes in Reserve Bank cash rates. Operational grants and subsidies are under budget by $1.0M due to timing differences with grants associated with Floods and the Warwick Dragway.
Staff reported an operational expenditure of $4.9M, which is $3.2M under budget compared to the YTD budget of $8.0M. Employee expenses are under budget by 31.4 per cent which is $656K. Depreciation and Materials/Services are lower than budget by $2.5M.
Staff reported that revenue from capital grants is over budget by $502K. As the timing of the receipt of capital grants is hard to predict they are often budgeted in period 12. Budget timelines will be reviewed and aligned with funding milestones in the First Quarter Review.
As of 31 July 2022, Council had $70.6 million in cash at the bank and investments.
Capital works expenditure to 31 July 2022 is $220K which is 0.5% of the adopted capital works budget of $46.1m. There are committed costs of $10.6M meaning $10.8M has been spent or committed, representing 23.4% of the adopted budget.
