I am very pleased to present the Shire Plan for 2012/2013. As the newly elected Shire President I am extremely proud to be continuing the hard work that has been undertaken by the previous Council. This second term of Council sees many of our Councillors re-elected for a second term along with a number of new Councillors. Councillors both old and new should be congratulated for their commitment and dedication to ensuring the Council works for the community it serves.
The Central Desert Shire Council, four years on, has made significant progress in overcoming the difficult and challenging problems and obstacles that first confronted the new Shire.
This Shire Plan demonstrates the Council’s continued commitment to ensure that residents and businesses within the Shire are provided with quality services. As the Northern Territory Emergency Response draws to a close, the political and economic environment in the Northern Territory is changing. The Council is looking forward to working with the Australian and Northern Territory Governments to ensure that the promises of partnership and stronger futures are realised within our Shire.
Within the Shire Plan are solid strategies to ensure that local grass-roots governance is supported. The Shire’s various Local Boards continue to provide the Council with valuable advice and feedback and their future involvement in drafting community plans and decision making is assured.
A considerable amount of work has also been undertaken in this Shire Plan to ensure that Council operates within its limited financial resources. As the NT Government reviews the financial sustainability of the Shire across the NT, the Central Desert Shire has continued to work to ensure that financial expenditure is constrained to the limited resources available. Rate rises for pastoralists and businesses have been kept to a minimum and other charges have been reviewed to ensure that revenue is adequate to meet expenditure.
Managing such a large and diverse enterprise as the Shire is an ongoing challenge for the staff and Councillors alike and I offer my support to the Councillors and staff who continue to do excellent work under challenging circumstances.
Cr Adrian Dixon
Shire President
