Barossa Council recently took out the Leadership and Management Excellence Award (Rural Councils SA/NT) at the 2010 Local Government Managers Australia (LGMA) Leadership Excellence Awards.
Announced in March, these awards recognise rural South Australian and Northern Territory councils that apply superior leadership and management skills to achieve outstanding benefits for their community.
Barossa Council, located in South Australia’s popular tourist destination the Barossa Valley, was recognised for its community consultation process for the new Barossa Aquatic and Fitness Centre (BAFC).
The award recognised Council’s comprehensive program of communication and community consultation, which gave all ratepayers and local residents an opportunity to comment on their preferences for the proposed centre via community surveys, submissions and web based responses.
BAFC working party member, Councillor Patsy Biscoe, said it was critical that ratepayers were given a voice and influence in the decision making process for the $13.5 million project.
“The community consultation proactively engaged the entire Barossa community and returned a 33 per cent community response rate – the second highest response to a consultation process in Council’s history,” Councillor Biscoe said.
Fellow BAFC member, Councillor Scotty Milne, said the data collected from this robust community consultation gave Council the evidence and mandate to build the centre, even in the face of a minority of community opposition.
“This project has not been universally popular, but the comprehensiveness of the consultation process made Council confident that the community supported a new facility,” he said.
Mayor Brian Hurn said the prestigious award was a pleasing outcome for Council’s dedicated managers and staff, who worked hard to plan and coordinate the process.
Construction of the BAFC began in April and is expected to be complete by December.
