Kiama Council’s April Meeting has endorsed the second Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP2) to guide its work over the next few months and beyond.

“The SIP2 is a newly constructed document that captures the actions we must take to meet the Performance Improvement Orders (PIO) issued to us by the State Government, in such a way that connects the strategic development to strategic execution,” says Mayor Neil Reilly.

“It is well written and forms a clear pathway to success.

“In fact, it is a strategy management schedule where each action will be reported in terms of stages of completion, risks, timeline and responsible officer.

“Nothing has been left to chance, and the document was developed in collaboration with staff, councillors and our State appointed adviser, Peter Tegart.”

All of the PIO requirements must be satisfied by the end of June, but some of the 74 actions will require ongoing work.

CEO Jane Stroud (2nd from left) with the new leadership team responsible for implementing SIP2: Jessica Rippon - Director Planning, Environment and Communities; Michael Malone - Director Infrastructure and Liveability; Joe Gaudiosi - Chief Operating Officer; and Olena Tulubinska - Chief Financial Officer

“The SIP is about addressing what needs to be fixed in this business in the areas of financial sustainability, organisational capability and governance,” says CEO Jane Stroud.

“Whilst we have a structural deficit that reappears and jeapordises the business, we cannot afford to take our foot off the pedal.

“We have to keep going with this work, because if we don’t we will find us continually in this cycle.”

SIP1, voluntarily adopted by Council in the first half of last year, had 63 items to be addressed and only 13 of them were not completed, including seven ongoing tasks.

“It was a project that ran for about six months, on top of the organisation’s regular work. I think it was an extraordinary effort,” says Ms Stroud.

SIP2 incorporates the decisions already made by Council, including to sell Blue Haven Bonaira.

SIP2 can be viewed on Council's website, in the April Business Papers

In some good but sobering news, Kiama Council’s accounts for 2020/1 have been finalised by the auditors at last, at a cost of $370,000.

They would normally be expected to be signed off by December 2021, and the audit for the previous year was just $67,000.

Unusually, the 2021/2 audit is to be conducted by the Audit Office itself at a cost of $378,000 and this is expected to be completed in June.

“The most important issue for the Audit Office was our status of a going concern,” says Ms Stroud.

“Now they are satisfied that we are a going concern – that is why they asked for the two year cashflow, so they could make an assessment of that year end position.”

The accounts are still qualified regarding the adequacy of records and internal systems.

This qualification is expected to continue into the 2022/3 financial year.

“I want that qualification to be lifted off us as fast as possible so that the audit fee goes down, and it stops interfering with our ability to attract funding,” says Ms Stroud.

The Meeting also noted Council has been told by ICAC that it will not be investigating further the confidential matter Council self-reported on in November.