Guest Speaker 4 February 2014 - City of Belmont Mayor, Cr Phil Marks

Local Government Reform 
In July 2013 the State Government announced a range of changes to Local Government in metropolitan Perth. The reform plan affects the City of Belmont through a proposed merger with the Shire of Kalamunda. The City was required to liaise with the Shire of Kalamunda and submit either jointly or on its own, a merger proposal to the Local Government Advisory Board (LGAB) before 4 October 2013. 
However, since the issue of LG reform was raised by the State some four years ago, the City has consistently and strongly objected to amalgamations and expressed the view that it did not wish to or see the need for it. The Belmont community also strongly believes that this merger would not be in their best interests and the Council supports this view. 
Key Points 
The City has clearly stated in its previous submissions to the State Government that amalgamation was not its preferred option. Any merger with Kalamunda holds many financial, economic and community interest risks and disadvantages for the Belmont community. 
The City of Belmont believes it has no choice but to seek a boundary change to ensure the outcome of equal representation and achieve the most efficient and cost effective solution to achieve the State Government’s Reform agenda, in the case of the City of Belmont and Shire of Kalamunda. 
It has submitted a proposal to the Local Government Advisory Board that recommends the creation of a new City and the extension of City of Belmont boundaries to encompass Kalamunda. In addition, portions of the City’s of Swan and Canning are to be included in the newly-formed district to encompass the Strategic Industrial precincts in Welshpool and Kewdale and the entire area of Perth Airport as detailed by the Minister for Local Government. 
The City of Belmont: 
 Undertook to work with the communities of the new district to establish a fresh name and identity for the new City. 
 Committed to all staff of the Shire of Kalamunda and the City of Belmont that employment continuity, as laid down by the State Government will be adhered to and that a consultative approach in the development of the new organisation will occur. 
 Committed to delivering elected member representation in a fair and equitable manner and with careful consideration to the diverse communities of the new City. 
Benefits of the City of Belmont proposal 
The boundary extension proposal is considered by the City to be the most efficient and cost effective option to achieve the State Government’s Reform agenda in the case of the City of Belmont and Shire of Kalamunda. 
The City is a leading reputable Council and has a highly qualified and stable executive and management team demonstrating wisdom and with many years of experience. It will welcome the opportunities presented by boundary changes to provide optimum services to a larger population. 
Residents and businesses throughout the new district will potentially receive significant benefits from: 
 Rates managed using the proven, sustainable and prudent financial control that has delivered minimal rate increases for many years while at the same time, building substantial reserves, extensive assets and high quality infrastructure. The City considers it a key requirement that rates do not rise excessively as a result of any change 

 Strong community service focus that has seen City of Belmont receive the highest score of 88% of residents being satisfied with it as a governing organisation, in a recent independent Catalyse Community Perceptions survey. This survey helps us understand the community’s overall satisfaction with the City and compares the results with other participating local government authorities 

 Living our values (Teamwork, Leadership, Integrity, Innovation and People Focus) in all aspects of our activities, and the regular application of our principle of being a ‘facilitator’, not just a ‘regulator’ 
 Rolling out of the City of Belmont’s industry-recognised business systems and leadership. It is a mature, quality assured organisation, independently assessed (SGS Australia Pty Ltd) and certified with best practice systems of operation and governance having been utilised for a period in excess of 7 years. (AS/NZS ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems, AS/NZS 4801:2001 Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems, AS/NZS ISO 
14001:2004 Environmental Management Systems). The City of Belmont is one of only two Western Australian local governments with these system certifications. This certification demonstrates our commitment to productivity, reduced waste, less rework and continual improvement 
 Reduced implementation costs associated with the expansion of established business management systems and information technology platforms to accommodate the size and complexity of the new local government 
 Our demonstrated commitment to the provision of high quality parks and reserves, effective road maintenance, enhancing the natural environment and provision of relevant and functional community facilities 
 Strong support for the development and growth of substantial commercial and industrial business areas in appropriate locations within the district.