Council Engineering Department Meeting Notes

Parking

  • When parking, ensure the card is visible through the windscreen.
  • Parking is not allowed everywhere; maps will be provided to show permitted areas.
  • A new car park has opened in front of the library.
  • Parking is available on Merlin Street and in various side streets near Springdale Road.

Customer Service Hours

  • General customer service hours are 08:30 to 5:00; however, individual hours vary.
  • Britt: 8:00 to 4:00
  • Scott: 9:00 to 5:00
  • Mish: 08:30 to 04:30
  • The standard workday is eight hours.

Working Hours and Breaks

  • Standard working hours are typically 9:00 to 5:00, but this can vary.
  • Possible to earn 7.52 every day.
  • A typical day may include a 45-minute lunch break and potentially two 15-minute tea breaks.
  • The practice of morning and afternoon teas has diminished.
  • Some staff work 08:15 to 5:00 to accumulate time off, resulting in one day off every two weeks.

Hot Desks and Office Space

Hot desks instead of…

  • The need for hot desks is under consideration, dependent on future office space allocation.
  • Designers may vacate an area, leading to potential reallocation to other groups.
  • Possible expansion of the team and increased territory.

Inspections and Restructuring

  • The team will handle inspections.
  • Restructuring involves changes to team management; after a certain date, the coordinator will change, but employees still report to the same manager.

Computer Access and Initial Tasks

  • New employees currently lack computer access.
  • The initial task involves observing other employees to learn job functions.
  • A large project is underway involving old refunds.

Permits and Bonds

  • Permits consist of a fee and a bond.
  • Fees are non-refundable and cover admin, services, and inspections.
  • Bonds are used for repairs or are refunded.
  • Invoicing may occur if repair costs exceed the bond amount, but this is becoming less common.
  • There is an increasing emphasis on permit holders completing their own repairs.

Refund Project: State Revenue Office (SRO)

  • The State Revenue Office (SRO) may hold unclaimed money.
  • After seven years, unclaimed bond money should be sent to the SRO if the payee cannot be located or if there is no valid reason to hold the funds.
  • A project is underway to review approximately 2,500 old bonds to determine if they should be returned.
  • If repair costs exceed the bond, a lower rate may be charged, absorbing some costs.
  • Some funds from completed but untransferred works will be used to offset shortfalls.

Bond Refund Process

  • Data is being cleaned to determine which bonds need to be refunded or sent to the SRO.
  • If the payee can be found, the bond is refunded to them; if not, it goes to the SRO.
  • For bonds used for repairs, a contract is created detailing the works and locations.
  • About 300 sites still require inspection to decide whether to refund the bond or proceed with repairs.
  • The focus is on bonds that are at least two years old, providing ample time for repairs.

Preventing Future Issues

  • A new process will be implemented to prevent the accumulation of unclaimed bonds.
  • Two months before expiry, a letter will be sent asking if works are ongoing.
  • If no extension is sought, a final inspection will be conducted upon expiry.
  • Expired permits will result in either infringement notices for ongoing work or final repairs.
  • Permits expired for one year will receive a letter requesting an update on completion or extension.
  • No penalties will be issued for permits that have simply expired.

Expired Permits

  • There are 170 permits expired for over two years, mainly for house jobs.
  • Typical house builds should take 9-12 months.
  • Unit developments are usually pushed to completion due to town planning requirements.

Case Study: Waverley Activity Centre

  • An individual owns a site where a restaurant was demolished and now pays rates without generating income.
  • The owner has changed development plans multiple times (four, eight, potentially ten stories).
  • Building a four-story structure would have provided rental income, even if temporary.

Process Documentation

  • Focus on documenting processes and procedures, such as vehicle crossings.
  • Procedures involve specific questions that need to be addressed.
  • Processes are the bigger picture, while procedures are the detailed steps.
  • Existing documentation is scattered in OneNote and is primarily known by a few key individuals.
  • The goal is to make this information accessible, especially for new staff.

Workflow and Responsibilities

  • Jason is transitioning back to his primary role in development after assisting with the refund project.
  • Once procedures are documented, they will be applied to all permit types.
  • The aim is to enable staff to handle tasks independently, with a clear checklist to follow.
  • A tiered officer system (Band 4 and Band 5) is being implemented, with Band 5 officers providing technical sign-offs.
  • Procedures will include points for Band 5 sign-off.

Customer Engagement Channels

Channels to get stuff

  • Email
  • Mail (via EDNA/Trim)
  • Phone (potential CR)
  • Counter (potential CR)
  • Online applications (Pathway)
  • Internal requests

EDNA System

  • EDNA (Electronic Document Management System is used for managing incoming requests.
  • Pathway is used for online applications and generates Customer Requests (CRs).
  • Phone and counter inquiries may or may not generate CRs, depending on whether they can be answered immediately. It's good practice to record these interactions.

Customer Request (CR) System

  • CRs (Customer Requests) are well-tracked in Pathway and allow for detailed notes and Power BI reporting.
  • Power BI reports allow managers to monitor work progress and performance against targets.
  • EDNA tracks whether timelines are met but lacks the detailed information available in CRs.
  • Direct emails should ideally be logged in EDNA and potentially converted into CRs.

Laptop Provision

  • New employees will be provided with laptops.

Task Clarification

  • For engineering tasks:
    • Vehicle crossing (VC)
    • Stormwater connection (SWC)
      Assessment types.
  • Assessment work includes vehicle crossings and stormwater connections.
  • Unit development plans are typically pre-approved, simplifying the review process.
  • For houses, plans must be provided, including insurance details.

Insurance

Insurance Fraud.

  • While insurance certificates used to be required, now only a statement of insurance is needed, which may increase fraud but speeds up the process.

Permit Requirements

  • Permits require plans, endorsements, and potentially traffic management plans.
    Also need these! Plans, Indorsed plans,traffic management.
  • Traffic management plans (TMP) are comprehensive documents, while Traffic Guidance Schemes (TGS) are diagrams for site setup.
  • Reserve Access Permits (RAP) follow a similar process, requiring plans and potentially advice from other departments.

Arterial vs. Local Roads

  • Arterial roads require town planning permits for widening or relocation, but not for replacement.
  • Definition road authority, they go all up to property boundary to property boundary.*
  • Local roads are under the council's authority, while arterial roads are managed by VicRoads.
  • Service lanes are considered local roads.

Road Authority

  • Road authority extends from the back of the curb to the property boundary.
  • The road authority requires permits for work within this area.
  • A reserve access permit is required to access properties through reserves.
  • High-value reserves are less likely to have permits issued.

Permits: Vehicle Crossings and Stormwater

  • Second vehicle crossings are rarely permitted due to safety concerns.
  • Stormwater connections are generally permitted but may not be allowed to connect directly to the kerb and channel if an existing drain is available.
  • Incorrect past stormwater connections by builders, such as Porta Davis, required rectification work funded by bond money.

Current Challenges

  • The most significant current challenge is resource allocation and admin.
  • The aim is to provide comprehensive training to admin staff to ensure everyone knows.

Resource Management

  • Resource management is difficult due to the high volume of work.
  • Optimizing computer use to automate tasks is a goal.

Engineering vs. Administrative Tasks

Engineering assessments types.

  • Engineering tasks primarily involve assessments of vehicle crossings and stormwater connections.
  • Most tasks are administrative in nature.

Secondment

  • Jason is being seconded to Adrian's section to assist with refunds.
  • The next step is to determine how to locate people for refunds.
  • The process will be implemented to prevent recurrence, luckily cleared back to 2004.

Long-Standing Permits

  • One permit has been ongoing since 2004 , and a letter will be sent requesting finalization or renewal.

Incorrect Information

  • Five permits have the customer's name misspelled, requiring statutory declarations to verify identity.

Payment Information

  • Past issues included incorrect payee information due to over-the-counter errors.
  • Currently, online payments capture accurate details, reducing errors.
  • Archiving email records can be problematic.

Long-Term Employees. Memory

  • Long-term employees have valuable knowledge of past projects and people.

Registration for Professional Engineers

  • Registration for professional engineers was introduced in Victoria in 2019.
  • Registration requires several years of experience (e.g., five years) and allows engineers to independently make significant decisions.
  • Unregistered engineers must work under the supervision of a registered engineer.
    Australian engineers being a skilled work and needed.
  • Australia has a shortage of skilled engineers.

Council Operations

Council works.

  • Councils primarily focus on maintenance and minor improvements.

Municipality of Monash

  • Monash is a significant municipality with a high volume of traffic and a diverse population.
  • Monash National Employment Cluster is the second-largest employment hub after Melbourne CBD.
  • Sustainability is a key focus of council initiatives.