At an additional council meeting yesterday, councillors agreed to initiate a "transformation programme" to modernise the council and its services.
Mr Parmley said there was a clear need to transform the council’s technology, processes and culture, and navigate successfully through the various coming reforms, including Three Waters, the Resource Management Act, health and the future of local government.
In October last year, Mr Parmley briefed councillors on his assessment of the council after his first 100 days as chief executive, highlighting several key issues and presenting the idea of a transformational programme.
"There’s obviously the desire around this table and amongst staff at the organisation to change, and a feeling that we can do things differently and we can deliver better," he said.
While changes to management and departmental structures could form part of a transformation, there were many other aspects and layers to be considered, he said.
Councillors approved initial funding of $500,000 to get the programme started. Funding could come from repurposed unspent funds; targeted funds (by amalgamating existing projects that relate to the transformation programme); identifying projects within the next annual plan and long-term plan; and the Government’s "no-worse-off" financial support package.
A business case will now be developed analysing the organisation - where it works, where it does not, where improvements can be made — setting out the overall ambitions and outcomes to be achieved, the investment needed and the return on investment.
The council will then develop a "high-level blueprint" for the transformed organisation, and a programme plan, setting out the projects, workstreams, timelines and resources to deliver the programme.
While he had led transformational programmes at other councils, he would not be using a "cookie cutter" approach in Waitaki, Mr Parmley said.
"What we need to do is work out what’s right for us as an organisation, recognising that our context is different, the people we have to serve are different, the district is different."
Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher said he was "fully in favour" of the proposal. While not everyone was comfortable with change, this was a "change for the better", Mr Kircher said.
Cr Jim Thomson said in day-to-day interactions with ratepayers, the focus was usually on what the council had done wrong or where people had been "screwed over".
"We need to look at being inspirational for our community and the things that we want to deliver. We want to become proactive instead of reactive, and we need to look at things in terms of an investment as against a cost," Cr Thomson said.
"We need to get with the programme, get on the horse and go for the ride."
Cr Jim Hopkins said transformation was an essential prerequisite for survival, and it was important the programme delivered savings for the council and community, while Cr Hana Halalele said it was an opportunity to decrease bureaucracy, and increase performance, productivity and compliance to achieve the best outcomes for the community.
