Greater Shepparton City Council and Strathbogie Shire Council have been recognised for their service sharing efforts.
The Goulburn Valley Regional Collaborative Alliance (GVRCA) was established in 2014 as a service-sharing partnership between the two Victorian councils.
Projects have included Graders without Borders, joint legal services procurement, organisation development and working together to establish a bridge asset management plan.
In the 2014-15 financial year, both councils made a saving of $1.96 million. The expected savings for the 15-16 financial year is $2.16 million.
At the Victorian LG Professionals Awards for Excellence in February, the two Councils took home the award for Innovative Management Initiative.
Greater Shepparton City Council Chief Executive Officer, Peter Harriott, said at the time, “We are very excited to have won the award with Strathbogie Shire Council last night, this shows councils working together can achieve a great deal”.
Strathbogie Shire Chief Executive Officer Steve Crawcour accepted the award at the ceremony and said, “As rural and regional councils, collaboration offers us a mechanism through which to manage declining grant allocations and maximise opportunities to achieve cost savings through improved purchasing power and shared functions, while retaining our independence.
“We [the GVRCA] are fully committed to the future success of the alliance and are keen to build on the range of services that are shared between our respective regions for the improvement of services, efficiencies and costs for our communities.”
Strathbogie Shire Mayor Colleen Furlanetto said the award reflected the strategic leadership the councils have shown in the development of the project.
“Through strategic processes, investment and agreement has seen us achieve better outcomes for the community at large now [and] into the future.”
It was announced last month that Moira Shire would also join the alliance.
Moira Shire Chief Executive Officer Mark Henderson said the Alliance was a logical step for Moira and will support the member councils to respond to the impact of rate capping and changing grant funding.
“The Alliance is a good fit for Moira Shire and is a proven performer that has delivered real savings and operational efficiencies to its founding members.”
