Month: May 2026

On 13 May 2026, Council received by way of service a notice of intention to vary performance improvement order to Kiama Council:

1) Letter to Mayor Cameron McDonald and General Manager Ms Jane Stroud signed by the Minister for Local Government, the Hon. Ron Hoenig MP.

2) Variation of Performance Improvement Order signed by the Minister for Local Government, the Hon. Ron Hoenig MP.

Council has called an extraordinary meeting for Wednesday 27th May 2026 at 5pm to discuss the implications of the letter.

The full agenda which includes the letters, can be downloaded here.

A summary from the Agenda says:

Summary

Kiama Municipal Council was issued with a Performance Improvement Order (PIO) under section 438A of the Local Government Act 1993 on 8 November 2022, by the then Minister for Local Government, the Hon. Wendy Tuckerman MP. The period of compliance with that order finished on 30 June 2023.

With the change of NSW Government, the new Minister for Local Government, the Hon. Ron Hoenig MP, undertook a review of Council’s compliance reports and at the Minister’s request Mr John Rayner was appointed to undertake a further review. Based on the findings of the Rayner report, the Minister determined to issue Council with a Notice of Intention to vary a Performance Improvement Order on 30 January 2024, with the final Varied PIO being issued 23 May 2024. The period of compliance with this order is due to finish on 30 June 2026.

On 13 May 2026, Council received by way of service a notice of intention to vary performance improvement order to Kiama Council:

1 Letter to Mayor Cameron McDonald and General Manager Ms Jane Stroud signed by the Minister for Local Government, the Hon. Ron Hoenig MP.

2 Variation of Performance Improvement Order signed by the Minister for Local Government, the Hon. Ron Hoenig MP.

Financial implication

Some of the work required to be undertaken has been included in the draft 2025-26FY budget, there are some new actions without costs associated with completing the activities.

Risk implication

There is a risk that if Council does not comply with the PIO and improve its operating position that further Ministerial interventions will be imposed. The varied PIO makes note of a potential financial controller as the next intervention possible. Continuing to fail to meet Office of Local Government benchmarks for financial sustainability (performance ratios) is not an acceptable outcome.

Policy

Local Government Act 1993

Item 7.1EXTRAORDINARY MEETING 27 MAY 2026

Report of the Chief Executive Officer

7.1 Receipt of unsigned Performance Improvement Order Variation (cont)

Consultation (internal)

Councillors and staff have been informed of the proposed intention to vary the PIO via

communications on 14 May 2026.

Communication/Community engagement

Council will consider the proposed PIO and make submissions within the 14-day period. Once confirmed this will be made available for the community. Council has advised the general community that it has received the enclosed correspondence.

Attachments

1 Letter from the Hon. Ron Hoenig MP – Variation to Performance Improvement Order – 13 May 2026- redacted⇩

2 Unsigned Variation to Performance Improvement Order⇩

Enclosures

Nil

Item 7.1

RECOMMENDATION

That Council:

1. Note the correspondence dated 13 May 2026 from the Minister for Local Government, the Hon Ron Hoenig MP outlining his proposed intention to vary the Performance Improvement Order under section 438A(6A) of the Local Government Act 1993 (NSW).

2. Delegate to the Chief Executive Officer to:

a. Thank the Minister for Local Government for outlining that a variation to the current Performance Improvement Order is appropriate to ensure that the Order remains effective, targeted and responsive to Council’s current circumstances,

b. Thank the Minister for Local Government for providing Council with the opportunity to respond in an appropriate manner.

c. Provide the Minister for Local Government with the feedback contained within this report by 28 May 2026.

The Department of Planning has on exhibition two discussion papers (14th May 2026- 24th June 2026) relating to complying developments and low rise housing.

(A) Variations to complying development assessment:

The NSW Government is proposing a new complying development variations pathway and changes to complying development standards in the Codes SEPP.

Complying development is designed to fast-track straightforward development. But the system is currently too rigid. It means proposals that may only vary slightly from development standards are going through a full DA process, bogging councils and applicants down in unnecessary paperwork and adding, on average, more than 60 days to the assessment process.

Download the explanation document here.

Visit the Explanations Page here

Visit the page on the Dept of Planning “have you say” page here.

May 2026 COUNCIL MEETING INFORMATION – Tuesday 19th May at 5 pm

Note: There has been a supplementary agenda added since the original posting of the details for the May meeting. Council has added a late item, Item 17.1 regarding the extension of time offered for completion of the Performance Improvement Order originally issued in November 2022.

A short extract from the report says: “The proposed variation to the PIO does seek to provide Council with more time to make appropriate budget reductions and investigate opportunities to increase revenue. However, staff do have some initial concerns with the content of the proposed variation to the PIO.”

The supplementary business paper can be downloaded here.

The full Agenda, Business papers and Enclosures for the May 2026 Council meeting can be downloaded here. Recent meeting information has separated the staff reports and their detailed attachments which have been included in the “Enclosures document”. For the items below I have listed separately, the links to the Staff report and the corresponding enclosure where appropriate. Because of the increased complexity, if there are problems with reports please email admin.

The Table of Contents of the May 2026 Council Business Paper AGENDA can be downloaded here.

The Table of Contents of the May 2026 Council Business Paper ENCLOSURES can be downloaded here.

NOTE: The full file of enclosures is a very large file of over 300 MB and over 1000 pages. I have extracted some individual item enclosures but not all.

See below links to the staff reports and associated enclosures for the March 2026 Council meeting.

Item 6 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

6.1 Ordinary Council on 21 April 2026 (download report here) There were a large number of long documents tabled at the April meeting relating to Auditors reports from the years 2021 to 2025 and some associated letters and documents. These are available on a special page which can be found here.

Item 12 REPORT OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (download full report here)

12.1 Bi-monthly update: Strategic Finance & Governance Improvement Plan – May 2026 (Download enclosure 12.1 here)

Item 13 REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR CORPORATE AND COMMERCIAL (download full report here)

13.1 Endorse for public exhibition: draft External Grant Management Policy **

13.2 Post exhibition update: Kiama Sports Complex Masterplan **

13.3 Statement of Investments – April 2026 **

13.4 Endorse for public exhibition: Proposed update to the South Werri Reserve Plan of Management **

13.5 Quarterly Budget Review (QBR3) and Monthly Financial Statement March 2026 **

** Download enclosures for 13.1 to 13.5 here

Item 14 REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR STRATEGIES AND COMMUNITIES (download full report here)

14.1 Determination of Development Application 10.2025.84.1 – Belinda Street, Gerringong – Construction of 2 Residential Flat Buildings and Landscaping

14.2 Determination of Development Application 10.2025.201.1 – Lot 6 DP 621070 Minnamurra Lane, Jamberoo – Dwelling House, detached farm building and driveway.

14.3 Endorse for public exhibition: draft Visitor Economy Strategy 2026-2035

14.4 Post exhibition endorsement: Planning Agreement – 48 Campbell Street Gerringong

14.5 Post exhibition endorsement: Planning Proposal PP-2025-61 – 48 Campbell Street Gerringong

14.6 Submission: Proposed statewide Community Participation Plan (CPP)

Download enclosures for 14.1 to  14.6 here (524 pages and 130MB file)

Item 15 REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS (download full report here)

15.1 Endorse for public exhibition: draft Works on Council owned facilities and managed land (funding support policy) Download enclosure for 15.1 here

15.2 Tender assessment: Trade Services Panel

Item 16 REPORTS FOR INFORMATION (download full report here)

16.1 Resolution Register: 1 January 2026 to 31 March 2026 and an update on previous periods. Download enclosure for 16.1 here.

16.2 Extraordinary meeting to consider Integrated Planning & Reporting suite of documents

16.3 Report for Information – Councillor Stuart Larkins – LGNSW Clr Pat Dixon Memorial Scholarship award

Item 18 QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE (download full report here)

18.1 Question with notice: Councillor Larkins – Tasman Drive Gerringong

18.2 Question with notice: Councillor Warren – Concession lots (and the like) in the Kiama LGA

Item 19 NOTICE OF MOTION (download full report here)

19.1 Notice of motion: Councillor Lawton – Werri Beach Asparagus Weed (Asparagus Aethiopicus) **

19.2 Notice of motion: Councillor Brown – Kiama Council to remain Strong, Proud and Independent – No to Amalgamation

19.3 Notice of motion: Councillor Lawton – Protection of Southern Greater Gliders and Proposed Expansion of Seven Mile Beach National Park **

** Download enclosures for 19.1 and 19.3 here

Item 22 CONFIDENTIAL REPORTS (download full report here)

22.1 Purchase of one utility tractor

22.2 Purchase of four crew cab trucks

22.3 Quarterly update: Service Reviews strategic recommendations

22.4 Service review: Legal Services