A citizen’s right to know what their councils are considering would seem an essential part of a modern community, however with at least one NSW council currently pursuing their own councillors in the law courts for leaking ‘in confidence’ material to the media and activist websites the fundamental structure of council administration and how it is undertaken should be reviewed as a matter of urgency.
It seems the corporatisation of councils and the introduction of professionally trained executives has ushered in a period of disconnect and a steep rise in community concerns that the ratepayers are being left out of the loop particularly when development matters and DAs are involved.
Gone are the town clerks who by name and deed were real servants of the community and actively addressed ratepayer concerns at the grass roots level.
Admittedly there are compelling reasons to support the need for suitably experienced and tertiary qualified management staff to both head up the increasingly large and complex organisations on a daily basis and to take charge of the development and execution of policies for town planning and economic growth.
But the critical gap or deficiency in the current make up of local councils would on the face of it seem to lie with councillors rather than council staff / CEOs.
Certainly there are instances where CEOs are being targeted for either acting unilaterally or without sufficient liaison with relevant councillors but the creation of organisational structures headed up by elite well paid CEOs with teams of highly trained support staff which have to interact constantly and micro-manage large numbers of poorly remunerated, poorly resourced, part time ‘community minded’ councillors has well passed its use-by date as an effective means of delivering the sort of outcomes communities are now demanding.
The bottom line is 21st century councils need modern and effective organisational structures and well defined reporting procedures to operate efficiently.
What’s more, the councillors need assistance with training and resources in specific areas.
Firstly, they need to acquire the knowledge and skills to develop policy guidelines.
Secondly, they need to develop skills in monitoring and managing the service delivery of council staffers at all levels – CEO down.
Thirdly, they need to improve their access to ratepayers. Not only should they be communicating what’s happening but they should be available to hear legitimate ratepayer concerns in a timely fashion.
If councillors can make these changes it seems likely many if not all the current problems will disappear however I would add the new role is a significantly enlargened one and in fairness should be suitably remunerated.
Although I am unaware of the actual statistics I suspect the amount paid to councillors has not risen in line with CEO pay packages in recent times.
In any event, paying for service delivered is a small price to pay for improved governance.
Let me know what you think. Click Here-> Where does religion fit in the community?
If you had asked this question forty or fifty years ago most people would have responded unhesitatingly that an affiliation with a recognised religion was a major and essential component.
Fast forward to the present day and the old unifying aspects of traditional religion have morphed to become a point of difference and, in some instances, a divisive element in an increasingly complex cultural landscape.
Certainly the black and white distinctions of yesteryear may seem attractive to the older generation when compared with the present day, particularly when the more negative aspects of modern living are so regularly featured in the mass media.
But is this more secular society really to blame for all our perceived ills - or more to the point is a dominant religion of any type an essential component of a healthy community?
This notion may seem provocative but it is essential to examine if we wish to seriously consider what creates a sense of community or, as the demographers say to build social capital.
Let me know what you think. Click Here-> | 
