Tongala will be the first town in Campaspe to have a Township Facility Plan embedded within its Place Based Plan.
Council will now incorporate Township Facility Plans, focused on Council-owned building and land assets, into Place-Based Plans to provide a more holistic approach to the consideration of infrastructure projects to meet current and future community needs.
Through Council's Place Based Planning approach, Council engages and collaborates with local communities to understand their needs, priorities and future aspirations. Then together, they develop a Place Based Plan that capitalises on the strengths of a place and improves community infrastructure to create a distinctive and sustainable place.
Campaspe Mayor Cr Chrissy Weller said that incorporating Township Facility Plans into Place Based Plans makes good economic sense and will deliver more strategic outcomes for communities.
"Up until now, Place Based Plans have focused primarily on upgrading or introducing new assets or services to meet community needs. However, building Township Facility Plans into the Place Based Plans will allow a more comprehensive and financially-prudent consideration of all community assets within a township", Cr Weller said.
"Communities will have the opportunity to evaluate the use, condition and effectiveness of a current building or land asset, then decide how it will meet community needs into the future. or whether it might be better to dispose of, or decommission, the asset. For instance, disposal of one or more assets could create funds to go towards the upgrade of another facility more in keeping with local needs."
"This approach will also align Place Based Plans more closely with Council's Asset Management program and budget planning process to help us achieve financial sustainability into the future."
To streamline the new approach, Council will facilitate the establishment of Town Based Governance Committees. These committees will be separate to Place Based Committees and their role will be to work with Council and Place Based Committees to review facilities and recommend opportunities for improving or developing assets considered a priority for their communities.
Subject to the approval of the new Tongala Place Based Planning Group currently being recruited, Council will facilitate an expression of interest process to establish a community-based Tongala Governance Committee as the first to develop a Township Facility Plan for inclusion within a Place Based Plan.
In the case of existing Place Based Plans, it is intended that Township Facility Plans be developed and then considered (by local Committees and Council) for incorporation into them.
