The Lismore City Council will carry out an in-depth workforce review of asset management roles and responsibilities if a revised strategy is adopted at today’s extraordinary council meeting.
The council’s Workforce Management Strategy 2025-2029 is part of its Integrated Planning and Reporting Resourcing Strategy, in turn aimed at supporting delivery of the Reimagine Lismore: A Plan for the Future Community Strategic Plan 2025-2035.
The overarching Reimagine Lismore plan’s adoption, also tabled for discussion at today’s meeting, means an earlier workforce management strategy (WMS) is to be replaced a year earlier than scheduled.
‘Comprehensive employee consultation’ on WMS, say staff
Council staff say in notes accompanying the agenda the new WMS has been informed and ‘shaped by comprehensive employee consultation’, leading to development of ‘seven strategic pillars and actions’.
The consultation, notes show, featured an internal council workforce survey and focus group sessions.
Staff say they received 86 responses to a confidential employee survey sent out to ‘all workers,’ with information elsewhere in agenda notes showing the council’s workforce represented 21,537 people.
The nine focus group sessions, meanwhile, included 70 council officers representing indoor and outdoor roles sharing their feedback, making for a total of 156 workers to participate in consultation on the new WMP.
The WMS sets out the council’s ‘people roadmap’ for the next four years, notes show, including ‘key initiatives, actions, targets and success measures’.
Staff note it includes ‘key workforce metrics,’ and ‘insights around challenges and opportunities that Council is responding to’.
The WMS is an internal document, staff note, and ‘does not require public consultation’.
Workforce review and new leave request managment
The council’s Head of Facilities, Fleet and Open Spaces is to be responsible for overseeing workforce performance, according to detail tabled in attachments for today’s meeting.
A future role of Officer for Maintenance Scheduling is to be responsible for monitoring leave requests for Resource Management.
The council is to carry out an ‘in-depth workforce review’ including ‘Asset Management roles and responsibilities’.
All functions of asset management are to be attached to position descriptions.
The review is partly aimed at giving the council ‘an understanding of current gaps in capacity and capability,’ the plan says.
Internal v external staffing
‘Effective delivery of the renewal program depends on adequate workforce resourcing, both internal and external,’ the plan says.
‘While internal teams manage all stages of renewal projects, external contractors may be engaged where additional capacity, specialised expertise, or equipment is required.
‘This blended delivery model provides flexibility, supports timely project completion, and enables Council to respond effectively to peak workloads and renewal needs.’
Service Level Agreements
Elsewhere, the plan includes setting up Service Level Agreements (SLAs) together with ‘other asset owner portfolios’.
The plan says the SLAs will help make sure ‘cross-functional assets are identified and adequately managed’.
‘Workforce planning must be considered as part of the forward works program, aligning project timelines with available skills, capacity, and resources’, the WMS shows.
Seven strategic workforce pillars
As for consultation with the 150-plus council workers on the plan, staff say seven key strategic workforce pillars were identified:
- Purpose-Driven Culture and Employee Value Proposition (EVP)
- Capability Building & Career Development
- Leadership Continuity & Empowerment
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusivity
- Communication, Engagement & Recognition
- Retention, Succession & Knowledge Transfer
- Systems, Technology & Workforce Planning
Today’s extraordinary council meeting is scheduled to start at 10.00am in council chambers at Goonellabah.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
