![Dubbo Acquatic Leisure Centre. Dubbo Acquatic Leisure Centre.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/37qTRiw9gHRe7AczHzCfjaK/8df44b29-4fd2-4d05-9b7a-56e4d3dacfcc.jpg/r0_0_1200_675_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The decision to outsource the management of Dubbo pools to an external entity was officially approved at an extraordinary meeting through a council resolution.
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The management of the Dubbo Regional Acquatic Centres will be run under a fully external management model by Belgravia Leisure for $1,487,336 per year.
Mayor Mathew Dickerson expressed full support for this move, highlighting the cost savings it would bring to ratepayers and the council.
"Regardless of my personal feelings, as a spokesperson for the council, I am fully in support of this decision because it is now a council resolution," he said.
"I am overjoyed and think it's fantastic. It's a good move by the council, and the main point is that there is a cost savings to our ratepayers and council by going to an external contract based on all the data and information we have."
During the council meeting, eight councillors were present, engaging in a lengthy discussion and debate about the outsourcing process. Although the details of the meeting and the concerns expressed by the councillors remain confidential, Cr Dickerson shared some common concerns voiced by the public.
One such concern revolved around the employment of internal staff to manage the pools.
"When we employ staff to run any of our businesses, we have to pay them the council award, rather than the industry-specific award. This leads to additional costs for managing the pool with internal staff, as they do not fall under the industry-specific award designed for flexible hours and weekend work," he said.
Mayor Dickerson raised an important question for the council to consider, saying, "should we be thinking about those staff who were getting paid effectively above award wages compared to their industry counterparts?"
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The Local Government Act 1993, states "councils should carry out functions in a way that provides the best possible value for residents and ratepayers" and with six full time staff members managing the pools, Cr Dickerson said it may "sound harsh" but they've got to put ratepayers above those six employees.
"They might not have a job and we'll try and re-employ them in council or maybe pay it at a different rate once it's managed externally opposed to being managed internally, so they're all things we've had to consider," he said.
"But ultimately we have to put the ratepayers ahead of all the individual staff that we've got there."
Addressing the concerns of residents who may be frustrated with the pool's continually changing management, Cr Dickerson said the decision to transition the pool's management internally was made by the previous council, and he cannot comment on their thought process.
"It didn't seem like a very popular decision at the time to go internal," he said.
"However, now we have a contract in place... providing certainty for the next five years, with an additional year option. We will ensure that review processes are in place to guarantee the correct delivery of services."
As the contract is yet to be signed, further steps will be taken to finalise the arrangements and ensure a seamless transition.
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