Redland City councillors have an opportunity to put their stamp of authority on council policy making and explanation when they consider a new portfolio structure at today's meeting.
The proposal, to trim portfolios to six from 10, is said to align with council organisational structure. That is, the portfolios should allow a structured approach for briefings between the portfolio spokespersons and the appropriate general manager.
A councillor is responsible for each portfolio, allowing them to be specialists in an area and, theoretically, be the council spokesperson in that field.
The changing nature of public administration over the past decade has shifted the emphasis from what might be regarded as basic portfolio areas to more complex and interlocking ones.
Previously, local government had departments and council committees such as planning, engineering (works), parks, finance, health, community development and even an islands committee. The committee areas and committee chairmen or chairwomen correlated directly to how ratepayers viewed or understood various responsibilities and policy areas.
The councillor responsible for a committee also had a good knowledge of the policy areas and was usually well versed in or "on top of" the portfolio.
That system was much the same as the current state or federal ministerial portfolios, where ministers are expected to drive their portfolios and departments with the help of advisers.
But in local government, the two-level system of a group of ministers and the rest as backbench parliamentarians does not apply. In a council, there is one pool of elected members who sometimes act as cabinet ministers and other times as divisional councillors.
Now, with the complexity of local government and its governance requirements, it is difficult for a councillor to be "on top of" his or her portfolio.
Perhaps, if we went back to basics we could develop portfolios that connect directly with the residents rather than the bureaucratic structure of modern local government.
In this way, our elected councillors could show us how they are making a difference.