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Have your say

Help shape the next four years - Council's roadmap ahead

Have your say on Council's suite of key planning documents that will guide how Council services are delivered over the next four years.

Council has developed eight planning documents that will guide the way services are delivered over the next four years.

The Delivery Plan outlines the services and projects Council will provide, the stakeholders we will collaborate with and the advocacy we will undertake to other levels of government on behalf of our community. Council’s Delivery Plan is our response to the aspirations and objectives included in the Community Strategic Plan 2042.

The Delivery Plan is supported by the Long Term Financial Plan, Workforce Strategy, Digital Services Strategy and Strategic Asset Management Plan. Our annual Fees and Charges and Revenue Policy outline how we will collect funds to deliver the projects and services we have planned. All of these documents are developed as part of Councils obligations under the Local Government Act 1993 and the Integrated Planning and Reporting framework.

We really encourage everyone to take a few minutes to have a look and let us know what you think. It’s your chance to be involved in creating a future we can all be proud of. These plans outline how your rates and Council resources will be used, and we know there is a lot to consider.

We will be holding a range of community meetings in May to share details on key projects and priorities and hear your feedback on what we have planned.

Copies of each document are available under the Documents on exhibition section to the right of this page, and hard copies are available for review at our customer service centre in Bega and our libraries across the shire.

We welcome your feedback and if you have any questions, please reach out through one of the channels listed below.

We also have some handy FAQ’s below.

How provide your feedback

There are many ways you can provide feedback and comments on the draft planning documents, as well as find out what we will be working on in your community.

Join us

We will be holding information sessions in Eden, Bega, Merimbula and Bermagui to discuss these plans and hear your feedback.

  • Eden: Eden Log Cabin, Bass Street
    Tuesday 20 May
    5pm to 6pm
  • Bega: Bega Commemorative Civic Centre Centre, Zingel Place
    Thursday 22 May
    5pm to 6pm
  • Merimbula: Club Sapphire, Main Street
    Tuesday 27 May
    5pm to 6pm
  • Bermagui: Location to be confirmed
    Thursday 29 May
    5pm to 6pm

Submissions on any of the draft documents can be made to the Chief Executive Officer via:

If you have any questions please get in touch with us. Call (02) 6499 2430 or email ksmerdon@begavalley.nsw.gov.au for assistance.

All submissions received during the exhibition period will be considered by Council before the documents are finalised. Your submission will be made public in a report to Council.

Documents on exhibition:

 

Who's listening

Kaliegh Smerdon
Corporate Planning and Improvement Manager
Bega Valley Shire Council
Phone: (02) 6499 2430
Email: ksmerdon@begavalley.nsw.gov.au

 

Timeline


  • 8 May 2025 - Community Engagement commences

    There are 28 days to have 'Your Say' and comment on the planning documents.

     

  • 5 June 2025 - Community engagement concludes

    We will review your feedback before adopting these documents. You can review a consolidated report of all feedback received at the Council meeting on 23 June 2025.

  • 23 June 2025 - Adoption of planning documents

    Once the plans are adopted by Council, we will publish them on our website and get to work implementing them.

 

Submissions must be received by close of business on Thursday 5 June 2025.

 

Frequently asked questions


Since the first Community Strategic Plan (CSP) was developed over a decade ago, it has been used by Council to inform decisions and set the agenda for long-term planning of projects, infrastructure and services. Council has a custodial role in initiating, preparing and maintaining the CSP. Its implementation draws on the continuing partnerships with all levels of government and agencies, non-government organisations, businesses and the community. It is the highest-level plan that a council and its community will prepare under the Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework.

The Bega Valley Shire Community Strategic Plan 2042 documents the aspirations and priorities of our community. It sets out a long-term vision for the region to 2042 and identifies the key priorities and strategies for achieving this.
Council can play a couple of different roles in delivering on the objectives in the CSP.

  • Provide: Services, facilities, infrastructure, programs, planning and engagement.
  • Collaborate: Partner with community, business and industry, other councils, and other tiers of government.
  • Advocate: Amplify the voice of our community to get the best possible outcomes.

The CSP has 5 themes- our community, our economy, our environment, our infrastructure and our civic leadership. Every aspect the work that Council delivers meets one or many of these CSP themes. Our Delivery Plan and Resourcing Strategy documents outline our efforts in reaching the objectives outlined in the CSP.

The Delivery Plan details the services and projects Council will deliver over the next four-years. It is the result of rigorous planning and prioritisation and aims to provide the best value services to the community. The Delivery Plan outlines what Council is committed to delivering in the next 4 years. It includes a detailed capital works plan and projected operational budgets from 2025-2029.

The Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework outlines that Councils are to develop a 4-year Delivery Program and 1 year Operational Plan. Council has evolved its planning practices and now fully integrates these two documents into a single Delivery Plan that covers a 4-year period. The Delivery Plan is structured around the different roles that Council plays- Deliver, Collaborate and Advocate.

The Resourcing Strategy is comprised of 4 separate documents; the Long Term Financial Plan, Workforce Strategy, Digital Services Strategy and Strategic Asset Management Plan.

These four separate, yet integrated documents detail the money, people, assets and systems Council will need to deliver services for the community.

Long Term Financial Plan

The Long Term Financial Plan (LTFP) is compiled using a range of estimates and assumptions to project the future revenue and expenditure required by Council to deliver the services and projects we have planned. These estimates and assumptions are based on what we know now and will change as we understand more about the external impacts on our plans.

The LTFP helps to make informed decisions about what we can afford and when we need to invest funds to keep services running smoothly, avoid running out of cash and to ensure future generations are considered.  

The LTFP includes 3 options for the general fund- Option A, Option B and Option C. These options show differing levels of services and projects that can be achieved aligned with the income needed to make it possible. Both Option A and B need significantly more funding and we have outlined options to make that possible.

Strategic Asset Management Plan

Council manages and maintains more than $2 billion worth of assets, which enable us to provide services to our community. These assets include roads, drainage, pathways, water and sewer infrastructure, community facilities, parks and recreational facilities, administration buildings, cemeteries, works depots, plant and vehicle fleet and the Merimbula Airport. The level of service delivered by these assets is largely determined by the way they are maintained and operated within Council’s available resources.

The Strategic Asset Management Plan (SAMP) sets out the broad framework for undertaking structured and coordinated management of Council’s assets in accordance with Council’s Asset Management Policy. It outlines key principles that underpin our approach to providing the assets that are essential to our community. Supporting the SAMP are detailed Asset Management Plans (AMP’s) for each asset class, which are living documents that are continually updated and refined. Summaries of the AMP’s are included in the SAMP.

The SAMP must be considered in conjunction with the Long Term Financial Plan that outlines the available funding under three different revenue options. Aligned with those three revenue options are three different capital programs to describe what asset maintenance, renewal and upgrades can be achieved within each option.

Digital Services Strategy

Our Digital Services Strategy provides strategic guidance and direction for digital, data and technology investment, ensuring resources are used in support of our organisation goals and objectives.

Our Digital Services Strategy and its supporting Initiatives:

  1. Sets clear direction for digital investments
  2. Enables efficiency and accessibility of service improvements
  3. Fosters innovation
  4. Improves community engagement
  5. Ensures resilience and responsiveness in a changing digital landscape.

Workforce Strategy

The Workforce Strategy looks at the current needs of the organisation and considers what might be needed from our workforce into the future. It also considers personnel risks and opportunities that Council will face. The purpose of the Workforce Strategy is to identify the strategic challenges and opportunities we face as an employer and focus our efforts on actions that help us achieve the outcomes for our community.

The Revenue Policy outlines Council’s rating structure and the annual rates and charges to be applied in the next financial year. It also includes detail on pensioner concessions, borrowings, debt recovery and reserves revenue and allocation. Supply charges for water, sewer, waste and on-site sewer management are also outlined.

The fees and charges for various Council services are reviewed annually and presented to the community to review before they are applied for the next financial year. The increase in fees and charges are aligned with increases in the Consumer Price Index, rate peg or other statutory increases and reflect Council’s pricing policy.

The Integrated Planning and Reporting (IP&R) framework changed the way Councils in NSW planned, documented and reported on their plans for the future. The Framework came into practice in 2009 and many councils have refined the way they create and review these plans over the subsequent years. The following pages and links provide information on what the Framework involves and how to implement it.

In essence the IP&R Framework begins with the community’s, not councils, aspirations for a period of at least 10 years.  It includes a suite of integrated plans that set out a vision and goals and strategic actions to achieve them. It involves a reporting structure to communicate progress to council and the community as well as a structured timeline for review to ensure the goals and actions are still relevant.


 

Online feedback form

 

 

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