Toowoomba council to endorse new portfolio system amid major project delivery issues

The Toowoomba Regional Council will unveil a complete overhaul of its portfolio system to fixing issues like siloing and get the organisation pushing ahead with major projects — but not all are convinced it will work.

A plan to completely revamp the Toowoomba Regional Council’s committees and portfolio system has faced criticism from certain insiders, as pressure mounts on the organisation to deliver on a number of key projects.

In a move that was been hailed by a number of councillors but derided by other insiders, Toowoomba mayor Geoff McDonald has lifted the lid on how the councillors will oversee its six portfolios — planning, water and waste, infrastructure, environment and community, finance and economic development — in the new term.

Instead of assigning two councillors to a portfolio, the new system will see upwards of five or even six elected representatives attached to them at a time.

The plan, which is expected to be unveiled at next week’s ordinary meeting, has reportedly been designed to avoid “siloing” within the organisation and have more councillors across the five key departments of council.

But one Toowoomba politician said multiple people in the council’s leadership team remained sceptical about the upheaval of the councillor portfolio system, with some fearing it might lead to more bureaucracy and less individual accountability.

“The public has no idea what’s happening,” they said.

“I think it’s a control thing.

“Maybe I’ll be wrong, but it’s taken my confidence away in what council can get done.”

Mr McDonald said the “horizontal” portfolio model would lead to better strategic discussions when matters reached the boardroom.

Toowoomba deputy mayor Rebecca Vonhoff and mayor Geoff McDonald say the new portfolio systems will improve transparency and productivity.

“The new councillor portfolio model is a horizontal or across-council view, so councillors will have opportunities to have positions across a number of groups, not just one group,” he said.

“There will be at least four or five and six councillors in a group, so that means you’ll get a large percentage that are largely across the discussion, which means we can have a better strategic discussion when we come to the meetings.

“There have been problems of siloing, so we hope this will lead to more communication between different areas of council.

“It’s also to give councillors a better understanding across council, which will help them explain it to the community.”

Other councillors and others were supportive of the plan

The development of the scheme has meant no councillors have been assigned roles for respective departments since the term began, which has led to some confusion among residents as to where complaints or inquiries should be directed.

Deputy mayor Rebecca Vonhoff said new systems took time, reminding locals any councillor could be contacted regarding complaints or inquiries.

“Anybody can bring anything to any councillor,” she said.

“It is such a big council with such diverse areas that there are going to be some councillors with more in-depth knowledge, but it doesn’t stop anything going to anyone else.

“We’re trying to do things differently, sometimes you want to make sure you take the time to get it right.

“It’s better to get it right — we’re talking four weeks over a four-year term.”

$306m worth of projects facing delays

The new portfolio model comes as the council struggles to keep up with the delivery of major projects, most prominently the Cressbrook Dam safety upgrade, the Railway Parklands City Deal project and the Toowoomba escarpment mountain bike trails master plan.

Member for Groom, Garth Hamilton. Picture: Nev Madsen.

The situation is so severe, city leaders like Groom MP Garth Hamilton and Todd Rohl have said they have lost faith in the council’s ability to deliver them.

The Cressbrook project, expected to cost upwards of $270m and must be completed by late next year, is already behind schedule due to a variety of factors.

Acting water and waste general manager Jaek Prasser told councillors earlier this year the council was unlikely to make budget for the current financial year.

The council has also faced scrutiny over perceived delays to the $25m Railway Parklands project, which has been included in the SEQ City Deal as one of Toowoomba’s few projects.

The TRC is responsible for its delivery but a business case, due at the end of the year, has not started due to issues around requirements for housing in the priority development area.

Mayor Geoff McDonald said the council was reconsidering its commitment because the condition around housing was impossible due to the ownership structure of the proposed parklands area.

“We’re hopeful that we may be able to fulfil an obligation of providing housing, but the crux is the land we own is not for housing,” he said this month.

Mr Hamilton lashed out at the council over the parklands, calling its delays a “massive failure”.

“I now hold serious concerns for Toowoomba council’s ability to deliver projects,” he said.

Mr Hamilton said he is eager to see greater collaboration between the three levels of government over future projects.

The troubled $6.6m escarpment mountain biking master plan, which was recently modified to include Prince Henry Drive Park, has also become a cause for concern after the TRC handed back a $3.3m grant originally given through the 2021 Building Better Regions fund.

It then applied for money under the BBR fund’s successor, the Labor Government’s Growing Regions fund, where it was unsuccessful.

Todd Rohl. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce chief executive Todd Rohl said he held serious doubts about the council’s ability to deliver key projects moving forward.

“The question probably is in my mind — is there a real commitment to deliver on major projects for the city in a timely fashion?” he said.

“The observation is there is not a commitment to do that.”