Pressures on Local Government in service delivery, increasing regulatory roles and the challenges of obtaining and maintaining high quality staff, ensure that councils must work together to draw on their collective knowledge and skills.
Tasmania’s Brighton Council is leading the field in this area, providing a range of important and vital ongoing services to other councils.
These services range from the provision of senior management personnel, engineering and technical services and other advice and support, to unique information technology and software development and implementation that facilitates the business of Local Government.
This Common Service Provision Model was recently recognised at the 2010 Local Government Association of Tasmania (LGAT) Awards for Excellence, taking out the Demonstrating Operational Excellence category.
Brighton Mayor Tony Foster said the unique resource sharing model is built around Council’s talented staff.
“The model enables us to manage our resources in a way that not only provides assistance to other councils, but also brings in revenue for the benefit of Brighton’s ratepayers.
“Last year, we put in over 9,000 hours for our client councils. Not only did we gain revenue from this, but the client councils saved time and money on acquiring resources that they did not have.
“As a bonus, the Brighton community benefits through enhanced services and minimal rate increases. It is an example of how entrepreneurship and resource sharing can help Local Government achieve sustainability in the long term.”
Council’s wholly owned business MicroWise Australia Pty Ltd oversees the development and ditribution of operational software that is currently being used by nine Tasmanian councils, three councils in Western Australia, two in New South Wales and the Suva City Council in Fiji.
The software can be tailored to the specific needs of a council and is used to promote best practice.
It helps councils with IT development, meeting regulatory requirements, planning and compliance, as well as payroll and rates management.
Not only does the MicroWise program stimulate Tasmania’s Information Technology industry, but it helps the State retain highly skilled Local Government professionals.
In the 2008/2009 financial year, 20 per cent of Brighton’s revenue came from the Common Service Provision Model and MicroWise operations.
Microsoft has recognised the potential of the MicroWise model, with its largest business solution centre, Eclipse Computing, creating a strategic alliance with the business to ensure growth.
For further information contact Brighton Council’s General Manager Ron Sanderson on (03) 6268 7000.
