A collaboration between Indigo, Alpine and Towong shire councils has secured State Government funding to streamline and transform core business systems.
The councils have collectively received $750,000 through the Rural Councils Transformation Program (Round 2) for'Project Pinnacle', a cloud-based project aimed at delivering key improvements to internal systems that support important services to our community.
Alpine Shire Mayor Sarah Nicholas said this funding will help Council deliver improved building and planning services, streamlining the process for the community.
"This funding is a fantastic result for Council and the community, and we're grateful to the Victorian Government for its support," she said.
"This funding will transform our building and planning processes and deliver on our commitment to improve our customer experience.
"Once these new systems are in place, customers will be able to apply online, have better visibility of their application and its progress, ultimately improving the customer experience."
Indigo Shire Mayor Bernard Gaffney welcomed the funding as an important step towards modernising key technology across departments experiencing growing demand.
"This funding will support the three councils to implement common planning and building application systems," he said.
"These systems will create a shared platform opening the way for better collaboration between the Councils ultimately improving the service to our communities.
"By partnering with Alpine and Towong, we will improve our depth of knowledge, improve resilience and further strengthen our relationship with neighbouring councils."
The State Government's Rural Councils Transformation Program Round 2 opened in late 2021 to fund projects that improve council services and provide value for money for local communities.
Towong Shire Mayor Andrew Whitehead said the program supports rural councils to improve services and reduce costs through collaboration and innovation.
"It makes sense for small rural councils to work together - we often share the same opportunities and challenges as our neighbours," he said.
"We are proud of the collaborations we have built with Alpine and Indigo, and look forward to continuing to strengthen this relationship into the future.
"Our communities will benefit from this relationship through a common approach to the processing of applications, providing greater consistency to our customers bringing greater transparency to the planning and building application process."
