Kanetunga Municipal Council

MNGT3004 Organisational Structures and Design

Assessment Item BRIEFING NOTE CASE  STUDY Scenario

Individual  - based (20%)

Length:  3 pages maximum (not including reference list)

Please note, pages are expected to follow standard conventions (e.g. ‘normal’ margins (all 2.54cm), 12 point font, generally Times New Roman, generally single line spacing).

Due date:  11.59pm, Thursday 14 April 2016 via Turnitin)

Value: 20 marks

Organisational scenario upon which to base your briefing note

KANETUNGA MUNICIPAL COUNCIL

Background:

Kanetunga Municipal Council is a multipurpose local government organisation, administering the infrastructure and service aspects of the municipality of Kanetunga.  The town, which is situated in the southern Queensland coastal region, has a population of 25,000 people, and a growth rate of about 1.8 % per annum.  Its economy is based largely on the timber and beef industries.  The town boasts what has, in the past, been one of the most profitable service abattoirs in Australia, and the largest live cattle marketing centre in Queensland.

The council owns and operates the abattoirs and the saleyards.  It has also just installed a new 6 million dollar water treatment plant, and it must soon upgrade the local sewage treatment plant.  The Council is entrusted with the task of maintaining and improving a network of roads and drainage systems, about twenty parks and reserves, other recreational facilities and a regional library.  Annual expenditure on these items is about $12 million.  The Council is also responsible for planning the municipality's growth.

The organisation comprises a local tax payer - elected council of nine members, an administrative staff of twenty-nine and a field and workshop staff of forty-five.  The formal structure of the organisation is depicted in Figure 1.

Figure 1:  Organisational Structure

[pic 1]

This structure is typical of most local government councils and municipalities in Australia.  The council consists of part-time, elected members, none of whom have had any specialist training to oversee the running of what is, in effect, a multi-million dollar enterprise.  Councillors are paid a small honorarium or fee for their services.  The mayor, in turn, is elected from the council.  His or her role is to act as ceremonial head of the council or municipality.  Of necessity, the council must depend heavily on the advice and competence of the full-time, paid officers.  They both advise council on policy issues, and carry out the policies decided by council.  The most important full-time officer is the town clerk.  Other senior positions are filled by the deputy town clerk, the chief engineer and the chief health and building surveyor.  Currently, the Mayor is Len Lewis, an energetic and successful local businessperson.  He has held the office since 1988, and was previously an alderperson or councillor for a number of years.