City of Albany identifies ‘at risk’ services and ‘stalled’ projects in quarterly corporate scorecard

The City of Albany has identified nine “at risk” services and six “stalled” projects in its quarterly corporate report.

In its September quarter scorecard, the City said the development of a master plan for Mt Melville and its adjacent area would not start “until adoption of the Albany Heritage Park Master Plan”.

The implementation of the Mounts Master Plan and the development of a trail connecting Mt Adelaide to Middleton Beach are both awaiting Federal environmental approvals.

The City also said the reason fuel management plans for City-managed natural reserves had stalled was the “limited window this season between bushland being too dry and then too wet for undertaking burns”.

“COVID cases also impacted on availability of resources for burns in appropriate weather conditions,” the response said.

“While mitigation activity funding had also been limited, the situation has been resolved to the extent that a series of additional burns have been scheduled for the spring.“

Beach ranger patrols “will be prioritised and are expected to return” during the warmer months so the City can meet its desired service level of regulating the use of vehicles on beaches.

According to the report, the City is waiting for “key projects” to be clearly defined before it advocates for the development of a regional economic development strategy.

The City said it was not undertaking active promotion to position Albany as a preferred location for conferences and training events, instead choosing to wait for opportunities to arise and then seek to take those up.

The six “stalled” projects addressed in the report, out of a total of 51 projects, was an improvement on the 11 stalled projects listed in the June quarter report.

Six projects under the directorate of the City’s infrastructure, development and environment section are no longer listed as stalled, including measures to reduce the environmental impact of City buildings, the provision of street lighting and long-term planning to improve road design, safety and traffic flow.

Services identified as “at risk” in the June quarter scorecard which are no longer identified as such, include the reduction in nuisance dogs and advocating for better public transport access for seniors into the city centre.