AT LAST Tuesday's meeting of Kempsey Shire Council, the first quarterly report on our Operational Plan for the financial year was tabled. It detailed an outstanding three months of work.
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The headline was the bottom line. In the first quarter, council implemented our financial sustainability strategy and we are now reporting a nett operating result up $2.2m against budget.
The budget not only improved but reflected the extraordinary scale of the work being undertaken.
Additional items that were incorporated into this quarterly budget review added a further $4.2m in spending on capital works, increasing the total proposed consolidated capital expenditure for the 2020-21 financial year to $68.1m. This represents a hugely ambitious capital program.
It also reflects the large number of grant-funded projects that are set to be delivered.
To put the figure of $68.1 million it into context, approximately $30m worth of capital works were delivered in the 2019-2020 financial year.
Some of the key works include Gowings Hill Rd, South West Rocks Rd, Maria River Rd and a program to reseal rural roads. There is also the Back Creek Foreshore project.
We are also doing a great deal of vital water and sewer work including Stuarts Point Reservoir, Hat Head water treatment plant and a variety of water renewal projects and pump station upgrades.
The good news didn't just extend to the capital projects. Our Operational Plan for this financial year outlined 221 planned actions designed to improve the shire's health, wealth, safety, connectedness and governance.
After three months, strong progress has been achieved across each of the five theme areas with 198, or 90 per cent, of the 2020-21 Operational Plan actions being either underway or completed.
Of course it is great to get work done for the community and council has always aimed to do that as best it can, but unless we set out a plan and report against it, there is no guarantee that the most pressing work is being done. This report highlights just how well council has focused on our agreed plans.
The full set of reports are available on council's website under the Latest Council Meeting menu item and I would highly recommend any interested citizen of the shire to read up on the success that council is delivering.
