AGENDA Extraordinary Council 22/01/2020
Subject: DISCLOSURES
OF INTEREST
RECOMMENDATION
That Disclosures of Interest be presented
DISCLOSURE OF
INTEREST DECLARATION
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Name of Meeting:
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Meeting
Date:
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Item
Number:
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Subject:
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I,
the undersigned, hereby declare the following interest:
Pecuniary:
 Take no part
in the consideration and voting and be out of sight of the meeting.
Non-Pecuniary
– Significant Interest:
Take no part
in the consideration and voting and be out of sight of the meeting.
Non-Pecuniary
– Less than Significant Interest:
May participate in
consideration and voting.
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For
the reason that:
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Name:
Signed:
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Date:
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Please submit to the
Governance Support Officer at the Council Meeting.
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(Refer
to next page and the Code of Conduct)
Pecuniary Interest
4.1
A pecuniary interest is an interest
that you have in a matter because of a reasonable likelihood or expectation of
appreciable financial gain or loss to you or a person referred to in clause
4.3.
4.2
You will not have a pecuniary
interest in a matter if the interest is so remote or insignificant that it
could not reasonably be regarded as likely to influence any decision you might
make in relation to the matter, or if the interest is of a kind specified in
clause 4.6.
4.3
For the purposes of this Part, you
will have a pecuniary interest in a matter if the pecuniary interest is:
(a)
your interest, or
(b)
the interest of your spouse or de
facto partner, your relative, or your partner or employer, or
(c)
a company or other body of which
you, or your nominee, partner or employer, is a shareholder or member.
4.4
For the purposes of clause 4.3:
(a)
Your “relative” is any
of the following:
(b)
“de facto partner” has
the same meaning as defined in section 21C of the Interpretation Act 1987.
4.5
You will not have a pecuniary
interest in relation to a person referred to in subclauses 4.3(b) or (c)
(a)
if you are unaware of the relevant
pecuniary interest of your spouse, de facto partner, relative, partner,
employer or company or other body, or
(b)
just because the person is a member
of, or is employed by, a council or a statutory body, or is employed by the
Crown, or
(c)
just because the person is a member
of, or a delegate of a council to, a company or other body that has a pecuniary
interest in the matter, so long as the person has no beneficial interest in any
shares of the company or body.
Non-Pecuniary
5.1
Non-pecuniary interests are private
or personal interests a council official has that do not amount to a pecuniary
interest as defined in clause 4.1 of this code. These commonly arise out of
family or personal relationships, or out of involvement in sporting, social,
religious or other cultural groups and associations, and may include an
interest of a financial nature.
5.2
A non-pecuniary conflict of
interest exists where a reasonable and informed person would perceive that you
could be influenced by a private interest when carrying out your official
functions in relation to a matter.
5.3
The personal or political views of
a council official do not constitute a private interest for the purposes of
clause 5.2.
5.4
Non-pecuniary conflicts of interest
must be identified and appropriately managed to uphold community confidence in
the probity of council decision-making. The onus is on you to identify any
non-pecuniary conflict of interest you may have in matters that you deal with,
to disclose the interest fully and in writing, and to take appropriate action
to manage the conflict in accordance with this code.
5.5
When considering whether or not you
have a non-pecuniary conflict of interest in a matter you are dealing with, it
is always important to think about how others would view your situation.
Managing non-pecuniary conflicts of interest
5.6
Where you have a non-pecuniary
conflict of interest in a matter for the purposes of clause 5.2, you must
disclose the relevant private interest you have in relation to the matter fully
and in writing as soon as practicable after becoming aware of the non-pecuniary
conflict of interest and on each occasion on which the non-pecuniary conflict of
interest arises in relation to the matter. In the case of members of council
staff other than the general manager, such a disclosure is to be made to the
staff member’s manager. In the case of the general manager, such a
disclosure is to be made to the mayor.
5.7
If a disclosure is made at a
council or committee meeting, both the disclosure and the nature of the
interest must be recorded in the minutes on each occasion on which the
non-pecuniary conflict of interest arises. This disclosure constitutes disclosure
in writing for the purposes of clause 5.6.
5.8
How you manage a non-pecuniary
conflict of interest will depend on whether or not it is significant.
5.9
As a general rule, a non-pecuniary
conflict of interest will be significant where it does not involve a pecuniary
interest for the purposes of clause 4.1, but it involves:
a)
a relationship between a council
official and another person who is affected by a decision or a matter under
consideration that is particularly close, such as a current or former spouse or
de facto partner, a relative for the purposes of clause 4.4 or another person
from the council official’s extended family that the council official has
a close personal relationship with, or another person living in the same
household
b)
other relationships with persons
who are affected by a decision or a matter under consideration that are
particularly close, such as friendships and business relationships. Closeness
is defined by the nature of the friendship or business relationship, the frequency
of contact and the duration of the friendship or relationship.
c)
an affiliation between the council
official and an organisation (such as a sporting body, club, religious,
cultural or charitable organisation, corporation or association) that is
affected by a decision or a matter under consideration that is particularly
strong. The strength of a council official’s affiliation with an
organisation is to be determined by the extent to which they actively
participate in the management, administration or other activities of the
organisation.
d)
membership, as the council’s
representative, of the board or management committee of an organisation that is
affected by a decision or a matter under consideration, in circumstances where
the interests of the council and the organisation are potentially in conflict
in relation to the particular matter
e)
a financial interest (other than an
interest of a type referred to in clause 4.6) that is not a pecuniary interest
for the purposes of clause 4.1
f)
the conferral or loss of a personal
benefit other than one conferred or lost as a member of the community or a
broader class of people affected by a decision.
5.10
Significant non-pecuniary conflicts
of interest must be managed in one of two ways:
a)
by not participating in
consideration of, or decision making in relation to, the matter in which you
have the significant non-pecuniary conflict of interest and the matter being
allocated to another person for consideration or determination, or
b)
if the significant non-pecuniary
conflict of interest arises in relation to a matter under consideration at a
council or committee meeting, by managing the conflict of interest as if you
had a pecuniary interest in the matter by complying with clauses 4.28 and 4.29.
5.11
If you determine that you have a
non-pecuniary conflict of interest in a matter that is not significant and does
not require further action, when disclosing the interest you must also explain
in writing why you consider that the non-pecuniary conflict of interest is not
significant and does not require further action in the circumstances.
5.12
If you are a member of staff of
council other than the general manager, the decision on which option should be
taken to manage a non-pecuniary conflict of interest must be made in
consultation with and at the direction of your manager. In the case of the
general manager, the decision on which option should be taken to manage a
non-pecuniary conflict of interest must be made in consultation with and at the
direction of the mayor.
5.13
Despite clause 5.10(b), a councillor
who has a significant non-pecuniary conflict of interest in a matter, may
participate in a decision to delegate consideration of the matter in question
to another body or person.
5.14 Council committee members are not required to declare
and manage a non-pecuniary conflict of interest in accordance with the
requirements of this Part where it arises from an interest they have as a
person chosen to represent the community, or as a member of a non-profit
organisation or other community or special interest group, if they have been
appointed to represent the organisation or group on the council committee.
SPECIAL
DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST DECLARATION
This
form must be completed using block letters or typed.
If
there is insufficient space for all the information you are required to
disclose,
you
must attach an appendix which is to be properly identified and signed by you.
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By
[insert full name of councillor]
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In the
matter of
[insert name of environmental planning instrument]
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Which is
to be considered at a meeting of the
[insert name of meeting]
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Held on
[insert date of meeting]
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PECUNIARY
INTEREST
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Address of
the affected principal place of residence of the councillor or an associated
person, company or body (the identified land)
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Relationship
of identified land to councillor
[Tick or cross one box.]
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The councillor has interest in the land (e.g. is owner or has other
interest arising out of a mortgage, lease, trust, option or contract, or
otherwise).
An associated person of the councillor has an interest in the land.
An associated company or body of the councillor has interest in the land.
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MATTER
GIVING RISE TO PECUNIARY INTEREST
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Nature of
land that is subject to a change
in
zone/planning control by proposed
LEP (the
subject land
[Tick or cross one box]
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The identified land.
Land that adjoins or is adjacent to or is in proximity to the identified
land.
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Current
zone/planning control
[Insert name of current planning instrument and
identify relevant zone/planning control applying to the subject land]
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Proposed
change of zone/planning control
[Insert name of proposed LEP and identify proposed
change of zone/planning control applying to the subject land]
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Effect of
proposed change of zone/planning control on councillor or associated person
[Tick or cross one box]
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Appreciable financial gain.
Appreciable financial loss.
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[If more than one pecuniary interest is to be
declared, reprint the above box and fill in for each additional interest]
Councillor’s Signature:
……………………………….
Date: ………………..
This form is to be retained
by the council’s general manager and included in full in the minutes of
the meeting
Last Updated: 3 June 2019
Important Information
This information is being collected for the purpose of
making a special disclosure of pecuniary interests under clause 4.36(c) of the
Model Code of Conduct for Local Councils in NSW (the Model Code of Conduct).
The special disclosure must relate only to a pecuniary
interest that a councillor has in the councillor’s principal place of
residence, or an interest another person (whose interests are relevant under
clause 4.3 of the Model Code of Conduct) has in that person’s principal
place of residence.
Clause 4.3 of the Model Code of Conduct states that you
will have a pecuniary interest in a matter because of the pecuniary interest of
your spouse or your de facto partner or your relative or because your business
partner or employer has a pecuniary interest. You will also have a pecuniary
interest in a matter because you, your nominee, your business partner or your
employer is a member of a company or other body that has a pecuniary interest
in the matter.
“Relative” is defined by clause 4.4 of the Model
Code of Conduct as meaning your, your spouse’s or your de facto
partner’s parent, grandparent, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, nephew,
niece, lineal descendant or adopted child and the spouse or de facto partner of
any of those persons.
You
must not make a special disclosure that you know or ought reasonably to know is
false or misleading in a material particular. Complaints about breaches
of these requirements are to be referred to the Office of Local Government and
may result in disciplinary action by the Chief Executive of the Office of Local
Government or the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
This form must be completed by you before the commencement
of the council or council committee meeting at which the special disclosure is
being made. The completed form must be tabled at the meeting. Everyone is
entitled to inspect it. The special disclosure must be recorded in the minutes
of the meeting.
A pecuniary interest may arise by way of a change of
permissible use of land adjoining, adjacent to or in proximity to land in which
a councillor or a person, company or body referred to in clause 4.3 of the
Model Code of Conduct has a proprietary interest
AGENDA Extraordinary Council
22/01/2020
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Item: 07.01
Subject: Water Restrictions - Level 4
Presented
by: Infrastructure, Dan Bylsma
Alignment with Delivery Program
4.1.1 Plan, investigate, design and construct water supply
assets ensuring health, safety, environmental protection and security of
supply for the future growth of the region.
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RECOMMENDATION
That Council:
1. Implement
Level 4 Severe Water Restrictions in response to continuing intense drought
conditions, for residential use on 28 January 2020, which ban all outdoor use
of drinking water.
2. Noting
the potential significant impacts of Level 4 Severe Water Restrictions on
commercial users, delay implementation of Level 4 Severe Water Restrictions
on commercial users until 25 February 2020, allowing time for engagement to
take place between Council and commercial users on water saving measures that
will assist to minimise the economic impact of these water restrictions on
businesses.
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Executive Summary
The purpose of this report is to provide relevant
information to Council in relation to the current water storage levels for the
Port Macquarie-Hastings Local Government Area (LGA) and to outline what the
restrictions are for residential and commercial users when moving to Level 4
Severe Water Restrictions.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries currently
identifies the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council LGA as being in ‘Intense
Drought’. With limited rainfall on the horizon, Council endorsed the
early implementation of Level 3 Water Restrictions from 25 November 2019.
The Bureau of Meteorology indicates that February to April
has roughly equal chances of being wetter or drier than average for most of
Australia. While outlooks for drier than average conditions have eased compared
to those issued for late 2019, several months of above average rainfall are
needed to see a recovery from current long-term rainfall deficiencies. With
record low rainfall throughout 2019 and the uncertain rainfall outlook for February
to April, reliance on our stored water remains over this period. It is
anticipated that river flows enabling daily extraction to Cowarra Dam would be
required for at least 4 months to replenish total combined storage levels above
the 45% needed to relax Level 4 Severe Water Restrictions.
Since November 2019 the total combined water storage level
has dropped to 39% (as at 20 January 2020). In light of this, it is now
proposed to move to Level 4 Severe Water Restrictions for residential and
commercial use prior to the adopted trigger level of 355 being reached, in an
effort to further reduce overall demand and extend the water availability from
our current limited water storages.
Noting the potential significant impacts of Level 4 Severe
Water Restrictions on commercial users, it is proposed to delay the
implementation of Level 4 Severe Water Restrictions for commercial users until
25 February 2020. During this time, Council staff will engage with businesses
around water saving measures that can be implemented, in order to minimise the
economic impact these restrictions may have on some businesses.
While the area has experienced good rainfall over recent
days at the time of writing this report, it will take further above average
rainfall and sustained extraction from the Hastings River to replenish total
combined storage levels above the 45% needed to relax the Level 4 Severe Water
Restrictions.
Discussion
The Port Macquarie-Hastings Council (PMHC) Water Supply
Policy 2015 (further amended 4 December 2018), under sections 2.2.5 -
Restrictions during Drought or Emergency Situations, includes that:
PMHC may interrupt, limit or place restrictions on the
supply of water including:
· the purposes for
which the water can be used, or
· the times when the
water can be used, or
· the methods by
which the water can be used, or
· the quantities of
the water that can be used.
These restrictions may be applied if there is a drought, or
if the available stored water, or the available capacity of supply, is so
limited as to make extraordinary measures necessary in the general interest of
water consumers.
A link to Council’s Water Supply Policy 2015 is as
follows: https://www.pmhc.nsw.gov.au/About-Us/Publications/Council-Codes-and-Policies-Register
As per the Water Supply Policy, if restrictions are to be applied,
Council will publish a notice in a newspaper circulating within the LGA.
Council adopted revised water restriction trigger levels, in
line with the 2014 Uniform Regional Water Restrictions at the Ordinary Council
meeting of 20 July 2016. The purpose of the Uniform Regional Water Restrictions
is to ensure water restriction trigger levels adopted by adjoining Councils
have the same meaning. In the past, individual Councils have adopted unique
water restriction trigger levels.
These trigger levels and general restrictions for
residential outdoor use are as follows:
The need for Level 4 Severe Water Restrictions
The collective efforts of our community in conserving water
under the first 3 Levels of Water Restrictions throughout 2019 has provided Council
with the ability to extend water availability, however the prolonged drought
period, bushfire fighting and limited rainfall enabling extraction from the
Hastings River has seen water storage approaching unprecedented levels. The
recommended move to Level 4 Severe Water Restrictions signals a further
commitment to water demand management in order to prolong current water
supplies. Furthermore, should there be no additional water extraction
opportunities and if consumption remains consistent with our current demand, we
will need to consider moving to Emergency Water Restrictions within the next 2
months.
The aim of Level 4 Severe Water Restrictions is to reduce
overall demand by 20% or around 4-5 megalitres (ML) per day. To ensure
commitment from all water users, Council have developed end user Information
Guides for Level 4 Severe Water Restrictions to cover both residential and
commercial users, as well as Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to provide
guidance for our community on specific uses and restrictions as detailed below:
For Residential Use
·
There is a total ban on all outdoor
residential water use.
·
- Only use buckets or watering cans
containing recycled, grey water or rainwater on gardens.
- No handheld hoses, sprinklers,
micro-sprays or drip irrigation systems.
- No car or boat washing. Boat
motor flushing is only permitted for 3 minutes using a container to recycle
flushing water.
- No cleaning driveways, paths or
hardstand areas. Cleaning for health or safety reasons can only be undertaken
via written exemption from Port Macquarie-Hastings Council.
- No swimming pool top-ups with
town water. Consult your pool supplier for advice on managing your pool
equipment.
- New pools may be filled to 300mm
below the skimmer box to prevent structural damage via written exemption
approval from Port Macquarie-Hastings Council.
- No exemptions for establishing
new turf are available from Council.
All restrictions apply to any rainwater tank where mains water
top up or automatic changeover devices are in use or tank is filled via Mobile
Water Tanker delivery. No restriction applies to rainwater collected in
rainwater tanks.
For Public Areas
- Sporting fields can only use recycled water.
- Community gardens can only use recycled or rainwater.
- There is a total ban on top-ups for fountains and garden
ponds.
- Public swimming pool top-ups are permitted provided
water-use reduction measures are undertaken.
- Public outdoor showers, fish cleaning tables and boat
cleaning areas will be disabled.
For Commercial Use
Water use is limited to critical commercial
use only.
- Nurseries, market gardens, landscapers and turf suppliers: Must apply for written exemption from Council for water
use, demonstrating how water saving will be achieved and why alternate water
sources are not available.
- Bowling Greens and golf courses: Recycled water only.
- Construction industry: Minimise
all water use on the work site. Hoses must be fitted with a hand-held cut-off
trigger or control nozzle that shuts off when released.
- Public pools: Top ups
are permitted with water-use reduction measures.
- Commercial cleaning: Permitted
for health and safety reasons only or via written exemption from Council.
- Car, boat and caravan dealers and detailers: Use of recycled water or handwashing with buckets is
permitted for safety reasons e.g. windscreens and lights.
- Washing of buses, taxis and emergency services vehicles: Use of recycled water or handwashing with buckets is
permitted for safety reasons e.g. windscreens and lights.
- Commercial car wash: Facilities
must use recycled water where available. Use of drinking water for commercial
car wash requires a Water Savings Action Plan (WSAP) and written exemption from
Council.
- Industries requiring water for hygiene purposes: No restrictions for commercial kitchens, garbage trucks,
food transport etc. to ensure health standards are maintained.
- Washing down of hard areas, driveways, roofs, walls and
paths: Permitted for health and safety
reasons only with written exemption from Council. Efficient high pressure, low
flow rate cleaners with trigger control are to be used.
- Primary Production: Washing
animals using a bucket or handheld hose fitted with cut-off trigger or control
nozzle is permitted for health and safety reasons only. Clean pet pens using
recycled or greywater only. Recycled water is approved for livestock (excluding
pigs and cleaning of milking equipment) and will require a site management plan
to be approved. Recycled water has limited daily availability.
- Tourist accommodation: Use
of water outside is not permitted. Pool top-ups are permitted subject to
implementation of WSAP and written exemption from Council.
- Road works and
land developments: Recycled water only. Use of drinking water for road
works and land developments requires WSAP and written exemption from Council.
For
all other commercial use, refer to the RESIDENTIAL Water Restrictions
Information Guide.
Exemption process
Residential or commercial customers who are unable to comply
with the Level 4 Severe Water Restrictions are required to apply for an
exemption. Exemption requests will be received via an Exemption Application
Form available on Council’s website or from local Council offices.
A member of the Water Supply Team will assess each request
on an individual basis. Consideration around granting exemptions will be given
to those uses outlined in the Residential and Commercial Information Guides and
further, in commercial circumstances where there are demonstrated water saving
measures in place or underway.
The intent is for Council to provide written responses to
Residential or Commercial Exemption requests within 10 working days, outlining
the approval or decline on the request, or if any further information is
required.
In addition to this, staff from the Engagement, Education
and Water Supply Teams will work with residents and businesses to reduce their
water use by assisting in completing a Water Savings Action Plan (WSAP). As an
example, a WSAP that can demonstrate improved water efficiency in line with
targeted reductions under Level 4 Severe Water Restrictions could support an
Exemption Application from a Residential or Commercial customer.
Copies of Residential and Commercial Information Guides,
FAQs and samples of the Exemption Application and Water Savings Action Plan
(WSAP) and exemption process are saved as attachments to this report. Please
note these documents are still in draft and will be finalised in the coming
days.
Relaxing of restrictions
According to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM 16/1/2020), for
the remainder of January, a wetter than average week is likely across much of
eastern Australia. February to April has roughly equal chances of being wetter
or drier than average for most of Australia. This means there is no strong push
towards wetter or drier than average conditions for the coming three months for
most of the country. While outlooks for drier than average conditions have
eased compared to those issued for late 2019, several months of above average
rainfall are needed to see a recovery from current long-term rainfall
deficiencies. It is anticipated that river flows enabling daily extraction to
Cowarra Dam would be required for at least 4 months to replenish total combined
storage levels above the 45% needed to relax Level 4 Severe Water Restrictions.
Impacts of growth on demand
Growth over the last 20 years has seen a large number of new
connections on the water supply network, however the demand on the water supply
has remained relatively steady with a slight downward trend in line with
improved water conservation measures and greater community awareness of the
need to conserve water.
The graph below shows the relationship between the number of
metered connections on the water supply network, as an indicator of population,
to the annual consumption over a 15 year period between 1995 and 2015. It shows
that while there has been over 50% more connections on the network there has
been an approximately 9% decrease in demand.
While our LGA has seen a
large increase in population there hasn’t been the same level of increase
on the water supply demand. The water supply schemes for our area are dependent
on river flows with two off-creek storage dams in reserve, which provide
approximately 625 to 730 days of storage and with 2019 being one of, if not the
driest year on record, this has largely contributed to the need to introduce
water restrictions as dam storage levels decrease. Also during dry times, the
number of users drawing water from the dam supply increases as properties that
solely rely on rainwater start needing to have water delivered via tanker from
the town water supply.
In order to adequately plan for the predicted future
population growth, Council has engaged Public Works Advisory to complete an
Integrated Water Cycle Management (IWCM) strategy to outline the long-term
plans for the water and sewer schemes and strategic stormwater management. This
will effectively provide an Options Report for any future projects over a
30-year horizon, with an investment of approximately $500Million worth of
capital works over that time.
A key first step of this project is a water secure yield
analysis that looks at future population growth and climate modelling, as
recommended by the CSIRO, to determine the relevant secure yield figures and
solutions to achieve the determined secure water yield for the predicted
population out to 2050. Secure yield is defined as the highest annual water
demand that can be supplied from our water supply system whilst meeting
specific design rules. Water security is achieved if the secure yield of a
water supply is at least equal to the unrestricted dry year annual
demand.
Council’s current water supply system is appropriate
for our growing population as determined by the Department of Planning,
Industry and Environment under the NSW Guidelines on Assuring Future Urban
Water Security.
Another element of reducing the demand on the drinking water
supply is the use of recycled water, which Council has gained approval for
irrigation, toilet flushing, truck/car washing, laundry, industrial and
commercial construction, dust suppression and for agriculture and livestock use
(excluding pigs and cleaning of milking equipment). Council is working on
completing the current approved domestic recycled water systems, with
construction completed on the Bonny Hills Recycled Water Supply Mains and construction
commencing in early 2020 on the interim Thrumster Recycled Water Supply Mains
connection to deliver recycled water to these areas.
Alternative Water Supply Security
Noting the reliance on river flows for water supply, Council
is currently investigating alternative water supply solutions to cover the
demand (under water restrictions) during times of extreme dry weather, as well
as solutions to filter poor quality water from the Hastings River during high
flows following large rain events.
Investigation of technical solutions involve the following:
· Temporary
filtration plant to enable Council to extract from the Hastings River even with
poor water quality. This plant can also treat the poor water quality risk at
Cowarra Dam as water levels drop.
· Upgrade of the
Wauchope Water Treatment - Current capacity of this plant is 7ML/day with the
upgrade ensuring 21ML/day capacity. This will enable dirty water to be
extracted from the river, treated and pumped directly into the reticulation
system. Once this upgrade is complete, the above temporary solution can be
repurposed as part of a desalination plant.
· Desalination Plant
- a desalination plant in the order of 20ML/day has been identified as being
required as a reliable alternative supply and will be required in the event
insufficient rainfall continues over the coming months.
Further information on actions to provide a secure water
supply during prolonged dry periods, such as those currently being experienced,
will be provided in a report to the February 2020 Council Meeting.
Investment in Water Infrastructure
Over the last five years Council has invested over $41.3
Million in water infrastructure to improve the supply network. Key projects
include the construction of the Sancrox Reservoir and continuing the
construction of the Southern Arm Trunk Main and Port Macquarie Recycled Water
Treatment Plant upgrade.
Strategic planning via the IWCM process has identified a
future investment of approximately $300Million in water infrastructure over the
next 10 to 20 years to continue to provide a secure water supply.
Options
Council can resolve in line with the recommendation included
in this report, or resolve in some other manner.
Community Engagement &
Internal Consultation
Council’s Engagement, Education and Communications
(EEC) Teams are continuing to work with Water Supply staff to develop a
comprehensive EEC Plan of activities associated with moving both residents and
commercial users to higher level water restrictions ahead of adopted triggers.
The key objectives of the EEC Plan are to:
· Communicate that Level 4 Severe Water Restrictions are in
place.
· Educate and inform the community of Level 4 Severe Water
Restriction requirements.
· Educate and inform the community about responsible water
use and everyone’s responsibility in conserving our precious water
resource i.e. encouraging behaviour change.
A
multi-channel communications approach (including social, television, radio,
print media and outdoor signage) will be adopted to ensure broad awareness
across the LGA.
This communications activity will
take place alongside a community engagement
and education program including outdoor/community pop-ups, face-to-face
meetings and/or direct mail with industry and community groups; school
workshops and education resources.
An online portal (Water Hub) including a range of resources and
tools e.g. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), water updates, videos, water
saving tips and Water Savings Action Plan is also being developed to support
residents and commercial customers.
Further to this and as mentioned earlier in this report,
members of the Engagement and Education Teams will work with Water Supply staff
to specifically consult and engage with key commercial operators ahead of the
implementation of Level 4 Severe Commercial Water Restrictions to:
· Advise them of the
restrictions applicable to their business;
· Educate them on
ways to reduce water use in their business by completing a Water Savings Action
Plan; and
· Inform them of the
exemption process (where applicable).
The intention is to reduce overall commercial water use
whilst, wherever possible minimising economic impacts on our local businesses.
Planning & Policy
Implications
Should Council support the
recommendations as included in this report, it should be noted that this will
vary from the current Water Supply Policy. As also detailed in this report, any
move to Level 4 Severe Water Restrictions will include broad engagement with
commercial users as well as a detailed Engagement, Education and Communications
Plan.
Level 4
Severe Water Restrictions documentation is attached for information
(Attachments 1-6) and will form part of future updates to the Water Supply
policy.
Updates on the total combined
storage levels will continue to be updated weekly on the Council
website.
Financial & Economic
Implications
Should Council support this
recommendation, any reduction in water usage will result in a reduction of
water revenue from water consumption usage charges Tier 1 and Tier 2. Level 4
Water Restrictions is targeting a 20% reduction in water usage across the
scheme. This reduction target is the total including all previous
restriction levels which, if achieved would result in a minimum 20% reduction
in water usage revenue compared with nil water restriction revenue. Further
details on the usage charges are contained within the Water Supply
Policy 2015 (further amended 4 December 2018) and in the Schedule of Fees and
Charges 2019-2020.
With further employment and
economic growth remaining an important objective for the region, Council staff
will seek to minimise the economic impact of Level 4 Severe Water Restrictions
by proactively working with local businesses to implement measures that will
reduce their water consumption. Key efforts include a rolling triage, audit and
engagement with the region’s largest commercial water users, alongside
implementation of Water Savings Action Plans for key industries. Exemptions are
expected to be granted for necessary outdoor use of water for core business -
noting many local industries are also recovering from the indirect impact of
the recent serious bushfires. Level 4 Severe Water Restrictions are expected to
impact on water use for commercial customers, however it is important Council
seeks to prevent immediate or ongoing employment losses from the proposed
changes.
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Attachments
1⇨. Residential
Information Guide
2⇨. Commercial
Information Guide
3⇨. FAQs
4⇨. Exemption
Application
5⇨. Water
Saving Action Plan
6⇨. Exemption
Process
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