As Christmas draws near and we turn our attention to downtime with family and friends, I’d like to reflect on the positive steps Ipswich City Council has taken as we work to achieve VISION2020.
VISION2020 is Council’s plan to address urgent and important issues and implement positive, ethical change before the next local government elections in March 2020, in order to become an exemplar which our communities will be proud of once again and other councils strive to emulate. That is my goal.
Over the last month, we’ve held two internal strategy sessions and we’ve also run a number of business improvement focus groups.
The goal of these sessions was to flesh out the key issues facing Council, agree on priorities, consider solutions, and put together a plan that will help us to bring about proper and ethical practice with a positive culture for Ipswich City Council. This program will be implemented under the three pillars of operational reform business transformation program, and major city projects.
We have also reviewed and updated Council’s standing committee structure so it aligns with the five Advance Ipswich themes of economic development, communities, growth and infrastructure, environment, and governance.
While it’s important that we focus on internal processes, it’s also imperative that we continue to engage with the community to ensure we understand your needs and aspirations. With this objective in mind, we’ve conducted a review of how we can do this better, and recently announced the formation of five new community reference groups that align with the Advance Ipswich themes as a primary way for Council to seek the community’s input.
Early in the New Year, Council will seek expressions of interest to establish membership in these groups, which will each consist of between 12 and 20 residents. We welcome all applications.
Let’s not forget that the foundation of any organisation is its people. I have been incredibly impressed by the passion and dedication of your Council’s staff during this period. Not only have staff continued to deliver the highest level of service, but many go above and beyond, as was evidenced at Council’s recent Service Excellence Awards night.
In addition to the presentation of Ipswich Service Excellence, Ipswich Community Spirit, ‘Confidence in Doing Right’ and Unsung Hero Awards, two staff were recognised for 45 years’ service with Council, two for 40 years and seven for 30 years. Congratulations to all.
Special mention to Safe City operators Kerry Steven and Mick Boyes who were recently awarded for potentially life saving action with a Queensland Police District Officers’ Certificate, and to the teams behind the 2018 International Data Corporation Smart Cities Asia Pacific Award for Administration, and 2018 Smart Cities Council Australia and New Zealand – Leadership City Award (Highly Commended) victories.
This year, Council will be holding a 12-day Christmas Wonderland, unlike anything Ipswich has seen. Head to Ipswich.qld.gov.au/wonderland to learn about the many events to be held in and around Ipswich this Christmas.
