Gold Coast City Council

Infobox Australian Place | type = lga
name = Gold Coast City
state = qld

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imagesize= 200
caption = Gold Coast in South East Queensland
pop = 469,214 (June 30, 2004)
density = 334.6
area = 1402
est = 1948 as Town of the South Coast
(1994 amalgamated with Albert Shire)
seat = Surfers Paradise (Evandale)
mayor = Mayor Ron Clarke
region = Gold Coast

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url = http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au
stategov = Albert, Broadwater, Burleigh, Currumbin, Gaven, Mudgeeraba, Robina, Southport, Surfers Paradise
fedgov = Fadden, Forde, McPherson, Moncrieff
near-nw = Logan
near-n = Redland
near-ne = Redland
near-e = "Pacific Ocean"
near-w = Scenic Rim
near-sw = "Tweed (NSW)"
near-s = "Tweed (NSW)"
near-se = "Pacific Ocean"

The Gold Coast City Council (or GCCC) is the local authority for the Gold Coast, Queensland, and surrounding areas and is the second largest local government in Australia based on the City’s resident population. It has a staff of over 2,500.

History

By the late 1870s, the Government of Queensland had become preoccupied with the idea of getting local residents to pay through rates for local services, which had become a massive cost to the colony and were undermaintained in many areas. The McIlwraith government initiated the "Divisional Boards Act 1879" which created a system of elected divisional boards covering most of Queensland. It was assented by the Governor on 2 October 1879, and on 11 November 1879, the Governor gazetted a list of 74 divisions which would come into existence. Four of these—Nerang, Coomera, Beenleigh and Waterford—were in the Gold Coast region. Southport was developed as both an administrative centre as well as a holiday destination with hotels and guesthouses to cater for visitors. Town dwellers had different needs to the rural landholders so Southport ratepayers lobbied the colonial government to create a separate Divisional Board so that rates monies raised by Southport landholders could be spent on town improvements. This resulted in the Southport Divisional Board on 14 July 1883.

On 31 March 1903, following the enactment of the "Local Authorities Act 1902", the divisions became shires. On 12 June 1914, the Town of Coolangatta was created from part of the Shire of Nerang, and on 12 April 1918, Southport became a Town. On 9 December 1948, as part of a major reorganisation of local government in South East Queensland, an Order in Council renamed Southport to "Town of the South Coast" and amalgamated Coolangatta and coastal sections of the Shire of Nerang into the town's area, creating a narrow coastal strip. The same Order abolished all of the earlier Shires and amalgamated most of their area into the new Shire of Albert, with the rest becoming part of the Shire of Beaudesert. The Order came into effect on 10 June 1949, when the first elections were held for the new councils.

On 23 October 1958, the South Coast Town Council adopted the name of Gold Coast Town Council, and on 16 May 1959, the Town was proclaimed as a City by the Governor, having met the requirements for city status. Most of what is now regarded as the Gold Coast urban area was located within the Shire of Albert, which had its administrative offices in Nerang-Southport Road, Nerang.

Changes to Boundaries

* On 21 November 1991, the Electoral and Administrative Review Commission, created two years earlier, produced its second report, and recommended that local government boundaries in South East Queensland be rationalised with a view to creating stronger local authorities with a single community of interest. After much public debate, "Local Government (Albert, Beaudesert and Gold Coast) Regulation 1994" was gazetted on 16 December 1994, resulting in the amalgamation of the Shire of Albert into Gold Coast City at the 1995 local government elections.

* In 2007, as part of a report recommending massive amalgamation of local government in Queensland, the Local Government Reform Commission recommended that the Beenleigh-Eagleby region on the Gold Coast's northern border be transferred to Logan City, on the basis that a common community of interest existed and that planning of the South East Queensland urban footprint would be made more efficient by the change. The area to be excised was estimated by the Commission to have an area of convert|49|km2|sqmi|1|abbr=on and a population of 40,148. The change took effect at the 15 March 2008 local government elections.

Councillors

The Mayor of the Gold Coast is Cr Ron Clarke.

Divisional Councillors are:

Division 1 Cr Donna Gates - Yatala

Division 2 Cr John Wayne - Coomera

Division 3 Cr Grant Pforr - Paradise Point

Division 4 Cr Margaret Grummitt - Biggera Waters

Division 5 Cr Peter Young - Pacific Pines

Division 6 Cr Dawn Crichlow - Southport

Division 7 Cr Susie Douglas - Surfers Paradise

Division 8 Cr Robert La Castra - Ashmore

Division 9 Cr Ted Shepherd - Mudgeeraba

Division 10 Cr Eddy Sarroff - Broadbeach

Division 11 Cr Jan Grew - Robina

Division 12 Cr Greg Betts - Burleigh Heads

Division 13 Cr Daphne McDonald (Deputy Mayor) - Palm Beach

Division 14 Cr Chris Robbins - Coolangatta

Corporate Structure

The Chief Executive Officer is Dale Dickson. The management is divided into City Governance, Community Services, Economic Development and Major Projects (Business Gold Coast), Engineering Services, Gold Coast Water, Organizational Services and Planning, Environment and Transport. The Council also has a temporary directorate relating to Water Reform. These bureaucrats are answerable to the CEO who is answerable to the Council. The Councillors work under a committee system conducted under the control of the Local Government Act.

Accommodation

Accommodation for Council officers has been an issue of some controversy since amalgamation of Gold Coast City with Albert Shire in 1996. The largest office is at Nerang but Council itself meets at the Evandale Office. Discussions about where a new combined central office have been ongoing with sites including Southport, Robina, Nerang, Evandale and Beenleigh all being investigated. Growth in staff numbers has meant existing Council owned office space is no longer sufficient and so commercial offices have been rented at Waterside West (Bundall) and at Varsity Lakes. The Robina NRL stadium was touted as a location for a new office tower for Council.

Laws and regulations

The Council is responsible for ensuring local and state laws are observed. Local laws reflect the community need to ensure safety and harmony by governing parking, swimming pools, community halls, libraries, tourist parks, waste services, catchment management, traffic management, coastal management, roads, stormwater, economic development, parks and recreational services, community health and immunisation services, advertising, animal control, wastewater, recycled water and potable water supply. Council regulates permits and licenses for a range of activities and businesses. The planning scheme guides the growth and development of the city.

Priority Infrastructure Plan

Gold Coast City Council has prepared a [http://www.goldcoastcity.com.au/t_standard.aspx?pid=5976 Priority Infrastructure Plan] for the City in accordance with state legislative requirements. The plan identifies where growth is expected to occur and the nature, scale, timing and funding of this growth.

Carbon Neutral

Gold Coast City Council will aim to be carbon neutral by 2020 via emission reduction and carbon offsetting.

Key Projects

*Tugun Desalination Plant
* Raising of Hinze Dam
* Gold Coast Oceanway
* Gold Coast Rapid Transit System
* Gold Coast Ferry Service
* Rosser Park Regional Botanic Gardens
* Evandale Cultural Precinct
* Mermaid Waters Library
* Gold Coast Bold Future
* Gold Coast Shoreline Management Plan

See also

*Gold Coast
*List of Gold Coast suburbs
*Gold Coast Art Centre
*Gold Coast City Art Gallery
*Business Gold Coast

External links

* [http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/ Gold Coast City Council]
* [http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard2.aspx?PID=1442 History of Gold Coast Council]
* [http://www.businessgc.com.au/ Business Gold Coast]