Gold Coast City Council

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Gold Coast City
Queensland

Population:
• Density:

469,214 (June 30, 2004)
334.6/km²

Area:

1,402km km²

Mayor:

Mayor Ron Clarke

Council Seat:

Surfers Paradise (Evandale)

Region:

Gold Coast

State District:

Albert, Broadwater, Burleigh, Currumbin, Gaven, Mudgeraba, Robina, Southport, Surfers Paradise

Federal Division:

Fadden, Forde, McPherson, Moncrieff

Website: http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au

LGAs around Gold Coast City
Logan	Redlands	Redlands
Beaudesert	Gold Coast City	Pacific Ocean
New South Wales	New South Wales	Pacific Ocean

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

1 History
2 A new local authority
3 Councillors
4 Corporate structure
5 Accommodation
6 Laws and regulations
7 Priority infrastructure plan
8 Key Projects
9 See also
10 External links

[edit] History

The foundation of local government in the Gold Coast region commenced in the 1870s when the Queensland Colonial Government delegated the task of providing local services and raising revenue to a local authority. On 11 November 1879, the Divisional Board of Nerang was proclaimed. 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 which would later form the Southport Town Council. In December 1948, Southport and Coolangatta and the coastal strip between the two centres was incorporated into the Town of the South Coast. In October 1958, the Council adopted the name of Gold Coast Town Council and State Government approved the name of the City of Gold Coast on May 16, 1959.

[edit] A new local authority

In 1994, the Queensland Local Government Commissioner began to review the local government boundaries in the Gold Coast, Albert and Beaudesert areas. After much public debate, the Local Government Regulation 1994 amalgamated Gold Coast City Council and the Shire of Albert to create a new local authority called the City of Gold Coast Council.

[edit] Councillors

The Mayor of the Gold Coast is Cr Ron Clarke.

Divisional Councillors are:

Division 1 Cr Ray Hackwood - Beenleigh

Division 2 Cr David Power (Deputy Mayor) - Coomera

Division 3 Cr Grant Pforr - Paradise Point

Division 4 Cr Rob Molhoek - 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 - Palm Beach

Division 14 Cr Chris Robbins - Coolangatta

[edit] Corporate structure

The Gold Coast City Council corporate structure

The Chief Executive Officer is Dale Dickson. The management is divided into City Governance, Community Services, Economic Development and Major Projects, Engineering Services, Gold Coast Water, Organizational Services and Planning, Environment and Transport. 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Priority infrastructure plan

Gold Coast City Council has prepared a 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.