“Some years ago Council realised that for Kojonup to have any impact in the region, to save its rural sector and continue to improve service delivery, a new approach was required,” said Chief Executive Officer, Wally Lenyszyn. “The new Local Government Act gave it the exact direction it was looking for. With Councillors responsible for setting the broad policy directions, the Act enabled Council to devolve more routine decision making to staff.
“Staff are now able to get things happening, responding and reacting to the expectations of the community without the need for unnecessary time spent in meetings.”
Alongside a restructure of senior management positions to facilitate this new approach, a best practice review of all operations was also carried out. Working in close collaboration with the local community, a cultural plan was also developed and a townscape committee established.
“Most importantly, it was realised that for Kojonup to survive and prosper, we could no longer merely rely on rate revenue,” Wally Lenyszyn said.“We needed to be visionary and start sourcing as much revenue as we could from outside the Shire.
“With a rate base of $1.7 million, Kojonup now has an annual budget of $10 million largely through outsourcing funds via grants and other revenues. Our approach is to encourage Federal and State Government personnel to visit the Shire to see for themselves what we are doing. This is much more productive than dealing with people over the phone or by mail.”
In addition to staff pursuing all funding opportunities available, Kojonup has a very active community more than ready to volunteer their time and effort to see projects to fruition.
“Over the years this has saved us millions of dollars,” Wally Lenyszyn said. “Council works closely with a large number of community groups to assist them in their endeavours, and to ensure this strong volunteer ethos doesn’t wane.Supporting community organisations to identify and apply for additional funding helps them to improve their services and extend their activities.”
Council has also expanded its services particularly in the area of aged accommodation, youth and family services. It provides facilities for childcare and playgroups, and supports community committees of management.
Council has recently appointed a Community Services Manager, who has worked with local youth to acquire a $40,000 grant for the construction of a skatepark. Youth forums have also been organised in conjunction with other municipalities in the region.
Council’s strong emphasis on fostering economic development initiatives and tourism promotion is assisting existing businesses to grow and new enterprises to start up. Through the Kojonup Community Jobs Project, a project that is a first, and a pilot for Western Australia, plus a number of new projects on the drawing board, Council is demonstrating its commitment to creating new job opportunities in the Shire.
