Water, waste drop off

New report reveals council departments meeting key indicators

THE Toowoomba Regional Council’s water and waste department failed to meet 33 key performance indicators during the past financial year, according to an internal review. The major portfolio was one of the worst performers in the TRC’s operational plan progress report, which was officially passed by councillors yesterday.

The 230-page report, which tracks each department’s actions, milestones and KPIs over the course of the year, found that the water operations branch of the department was the key contributor, being responsible for 22 of the missed indicators.

Water and waste chair Cr Nancy Sommerfield said new general manager Damian Platts, who was appointed late last year, had “picked things up” within the department.

“He only started at the beginning of December, and he’s done a lot in the short time he’s been here,” she said.

The report also showed a number of off-target performance indicators in CEO Brian Pidgeon’s office, with more than a third either “offtarget” or “being monitored”.

But service improvement principal Rosie Bugg told councillors it had been a strong year for the TRC.

“This financial year was a good one - we achieved 98 per cent of actions as “on-track” or “monitor”, and over our branches, many achieved well in advance of expectations,” she said during committee meetings last week.

Top performing departments included environment and community, finance and business strategy, and infrastructure services.