Communicator Summer 2016
Mr Robert Veitch has been appointed to the role of General Manager – Development and Community Robert has an extensive background in local government spanning some 25 years, having worked in both an outer metropolitan and rural setting with councils including Salisbury, Clare & Gilbert Valleys, Wakefield and, more recently, Playford Council. Robert brings with him a wealth of experience in all of the key fields of the newly created department including a strong understanding of the development and regulatory realm (policy and statutory). Rob has a Diploma in Built Environment and Certificate in Urban and Regional Planning
Ms Sheree Schenk has been appointed to the role of General Manager – People and Communications In what has been a relatively short period of time in local government, Sheree inherited perhaps the single biggest challenge that the District Council of Mallala had on its doorstep; correcting and advancing our governance platforms. Sheree has a Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology) and a Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice (With Distinction). Following successful completion of her Laws and Legal Practice degree, and satisfying the admission requirements, she was admitted to practice as a Solicitor in the Supreme Court of South Australia (mid-2015).
CEO Message James Miller I must firstly take this opportunity to express my heartfelt sympathy to all of our residents who were impacted as a result of the recent flood events that ravaged our community. The heavy and consistent rainfalls over the winter season wreaked havoc across our Council area with significant damage resulting from the Light and Gawler Rivers. In the face of adversity however there are always some wonderful stories to be told and it was heartening to witness the hundreds of men, women and children who assisted the SES and CFS over that challenging period. Council is now firmly in the recovery phase as we look to replenish our damaged infrastructure, notably our road networks, which amounts to approximately $1.05 million and we will target all avenues to ensure the monetary impact on our community to make good our assets is minimised. The preceding period has seen some significant change for the Council following the decision rebrand and amend the Council name. We are now Adelaide Plains Council; a symbolic move to connect all our communities together under the one umbrella which identifies the entire Council region. This initiative primarily seeks to build on a platform of reconnecting the community with one another as well as rebranding the Council as a place where people wish to live, work, recreate and invest. In mid-July Council adopted its budget for 2016/17; a conservative budget with a very conservative rate increase.
The 2016/17 financial year is one of consolidation for Council and the budget reflects this. From my perspective, an emphasis over the preceding period has been on rebuilding the organisation and establishing a management structure that will lead the organisation going forward. The past year has seen very much a depleted management structure, placing enormous strain on the moderate level of staffing resources we have available. However recruiting talented personnel in key areas of Governance, Planning, Infrastructure and Finance is key to Adelaide Plains’ long term sustainability and I have every confidence that from an administration perspective we are well positioned. Of course as with any organisation there are always areas for improvement and having attended a recent public meeting of the Ratepayers and Residents Association, I became aware of the immediate need to place a strong emphasis on our communications and responsiveness when interacting with our community. This will be a core area of focus for our organisation going forward. In closing, I wish all of our community a safe and joyous Christmas and look forward to a prosperous and rewarding 2017.