Council’s staffing costs below state average

20 September, 2011Posted in: Other
 

Figures released this month from the NSW Government’s Office of Premier and Cabinet show Wingecarribee Shire Council’s staffing costs below the state average.

Comparative Information on NSW Local Government Councils 2009/10shows Wingecarribee Shire Council holding 336 full-time equivalent staff (FTE) who collectively manage 138 of the Shire’s residents per person.

“This is considerably better than the NSW average of 126 residents per person and our Group category average of 127 residents per person,” said Wingecarribee Shire Council’s General Manager, Jason Gordon.

Figures released are based on 2009/10 data of an estimated population of 46,364 persons living within the Shire’s 2,689 km² area boundary.

Council category ratings are determined on factors including population, growth, serviceable area and population density.

The NSW Council average of FTE staff is 293 compared to Council’s Group 4 category of 313 FTE.

The staffing ratio figure is calculated by dividing the Local Government Area’s population by the total number of FTE staff employed by Council.

The Snapshot of NSW Local Government compares Wingecarribee Shire Council against more than 150 councils from throughout the state.

“These figures vindicate that our staffing and recruitment processes are very competitive,” Mr Gordon said.

Full time wages were also below the Group 4 category average.

“Importantly, our employee cost as a percentage of ordinary expenditure is 31.4% which is also considerably less than our Group average of 36.4% and the state’s average of 38.6%.”

High profile sewer projects in Bundanoon and Robertson totalling more than $7.1 million dollars resulted in a $4.5 million above state average in costs to contractors.

“Whilst we still have room for improvement, these productivity figures generally show that Council is offering our Shire’s residents good value for money,” Mr Gordon added.