Elections for members of the ninth Council were held on 27 May, 2000. Fran Erlich was elected Mayor.

Changes within Council:

• 26 June, 2000: Council elected Alderman Russell Naismith Deputy Mayor,
• 25 June, 2001: Council elected Jenny Mostran Deputy Mayor,
• January, 2002: The Mayor Fran Erlich changed her name to Fran Kilgariff,
• 27 May, 2002: Council elected Alderman Michael Jones Deputy Mayor, and
• 26 May, 2003: Council elected Alderman David Koch Deputy Mayor.

2000/01

The Council hosted or supported a number of civic activities that encouraged community participation, including:

• The Masters Games,
• The visit of crew members of the HMAS Arunta for the Henley-on-Todd and other engagements,
• The celebration of the Council’s thirtieth Anniversary,
• The visit of the West Indies cricket team, and
• Receptions for visiting dignitaries.

Council worked with the YMCA Xtreme Sports Committee and youth on a plan for a skate park next to the swimming pool complex.

The Council, with Community Grants, assisted seventeen incorporated community organisations with Community Support Grants, two organisations with Community Development Grants, five with Community Assistance Grants, and twenty eight community organisations with Araluen Community Access Grants. The Council also supported the Alice Springs Town Band with a grant.

The Council supported a range of community events such as the Alice Springs Show, the Central Australian Expo, the Masters Games, the Henley-on-Todd regatta, the Finke Desert Race, the Corkwood Festival, and the Territorian Dinner. Depot staff, with assistance from Correctional Services, assist the Finke Desert Race each year by grading car parks, preparing the Start/Finish area, erecting signage of the track, and positioning grandstands.

To promote reconciliation, the Aboriginal flag was flown each day next to the Council flag. Council created a strong working relationship with indigenous people and a better understanding between it and indigenous people through various initiatives. The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Tangentyere Council and the Town Council was a step forward for community relations in Alice Springs.

A major achievement for the year was the winning of the overall award in the “Northern Territory Better Practice in Local Government Awards 2000”. The award was in recognition of the Council’s work in publishing the Economic Profile of Alice Springs, producing four issues of the Advancing Alice Springs Newsletter featuring economic performance indicators and the development of the Alice Springs website.

The library added four new internet access computers, made more information available through the Council Internet site, developed the database of articles in early editions of the Centralian Advocate, and improved the comfort of clients through an upgrade of the airconditioning system.

Four new refuge style crossings along Gap Road and a new school crossing near Traeger Avenue were installed.

The Council doubled the amount of litter picked up in suburban areas with the introduction of litter patrols on quad bikes.

Council staff continued their annual program of:

• Internal and external painting of all ablution blocks,
• Regular maintenance in response to vandalism,
• Cleaning of ablution blocks up to four times a day where necessary.

Council staff swept roads, car parks, and stormwater pits on average every three weeks with the Council’s two mechanical street sweepers.

The Council involved Native Title holders in consultations over:

• The Todd River Couch Reduction Project,
• The river side landscaping in the Leichhardt Terrace upgrade plan, and
• The widening of the Schwarz Crescent causeway.
• A number of initiatives were introduced by Council to reduce the waste stream:
• Implementation of a user pays system for commercial clients of the landfill,
• Development of a Tip Shop and tip face salvaging service in partnership with the Arid Lands Environment Centre,
• Progress towards establishing a green waste business with Tangentyere Council, and
• Community education on recycling and promotion of its benefits.

As custodian for the community of over 310 art works, the Council funded the ongoing conservation and documentation of the Alice Springs art collection. During the year, conservation work was performed on art works by Albert Namatjira and his mentor Rex Battarbee.

The footpath Construction Program under contract to Arrernte Council operated on a revised schedule with some work to be completed in the next financial year.

Upgrades of sporting facilities included:

• The kiosk serving softball and junior baseball at Jim McConville Oval was renovated,
• The kiosk serving cricketers at Rhonda Diano Oval received a larger storage room and the roof at the kiosk window was extended,
• Improved car parking inside Traeger Park, and
• Providing more seating for spectators at Flynn Oval and at the Ross Park Netball Courts.

Other activities during the year included:

• Extra maintenance was carried out on kerbs, channels, parks, reserves, and verges due to heavy rains from January to April, 2001,
• A fire hazard reduction program in the Todd River was completed,
• Council upgraded facilities at the Council owned Swimming Centre,
• A study of the drainage requirements of the Emily Hills rural area was completed, A detailed inspection of Council owned assets formed the basis for a program of required maintenance works, and
• Road resealing work was completed on various Council roads.

2001/02

Mayor Erlich made a presentation to Mr Dave Perry in recognition of his being awarded the “Regional Terrritorian of the Year 2001”.

The Council launched a new corporate image with a new logo, stationery, buses painted in community themes, and a redeveloped website. The Council web site was re-developed with additional resources to ensure information on this site and the Council’s Intranet site is current. The three new ASBUS buses were commissioned and were painted to reflect Central Australian themes, one of the more noticeable ones being the honey ant theme.

The Early Bird Draw resulted in approximately 1900 property owners paying their rates in full by the first instalment date.

The Gap Child Care Centre project was completed. The project was managed by Council and completed with extensive funding from the Commonwealth Government.

An Organic Recycling Centre at the landfill was established. This was a partnership project between the Council and Tangentyere Council with funding from the Commonwealth Government.

Funding from the Northern Territory Library and Information Services Developmental Grants enabled the establishment of the Indigenous Access project in the Public Library.

After receiving financial assistance from the Commonwealth Government’s Road to Recovery program, Council was able to complete the road works in Leichhardt Terrace.

Todd Mall markets and a bush Christmas were conducted in the Todd Mall.

A Skate Park was constructed beside the Swimming Complex with funding from Council, NT Government, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ASTIC).

2002/03

One of the major achievements for the year was the hosting of the first National Assembly of the Australian Local Government Association ever to be held outside Canberra.

Council remained focussed on the provision and maintenance of infrastructure including sporting facilities, roads, footpaths, parks, cemeteries, and waste facilities. Some of the key projects that were completed during the year included:

• Rechannelling of the Todd River to improve the flow of flood waters and restore the river to its natural condition,
• Redevelopment of the Braitling Child Care Centre building to provide a safer child care environment and ten extra places,
• Construction of a retransmission tower to improve television reception in the Braitling area,
• Construction of four and a half kilometres of new footpath,
• Installation of new bus shelters,
• Plans were drawn up for the reconstruction of Stuart Terrace and Simpson Street under the Roads to Recovery Program, and
• A new hazardous waste facility at the Landfill.

A Skate Park Advisory Committee was set up so that young people could be involved in its ongoing development. A new website was launched for young people to share their thoughts and ideas.

The new Chief Executive Officer, Mr Rex Mooney, was welcomed into his employment with the Council. In the Annual Report he expressed his pleasure in being involved in a number of new initiatives, including, the commencing of a review of all corporate policies and the formation of closer working relationships within the community.

Each year the Council assists the Central Australian Show Society with preparations for the show. Roads are graded, new signs are erected, and Council’s staff assist the Police with road closures.

2003/04

In the annual report, the Mayor, Fran Kilgariff, stated that there were many highlights during the course of the year, including:

• Completing the planning for the new Civic Centre. The development would be one of Australia’s first environmentally friendly local community hubs. The key feature of the Civic Centre is the development of more space for the community,
• Receiving the best Northern Territory Recreation Facility Award for the Skate Park at the 2003 Heart Foundation Local Government Awards. This was a demonstration of what can be achieved when young people, parents, and the broader community work with Council, the Northern Territory Government, and the then Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, and
• Conducting an extensive community consultation for Alice Springs Town Council. Around one thousand people responded to the community survey conducted in early 2004. Through this approach the planning and direction for Town Council is truly a reflection of the expectations and needs of the community.

The Council continued to argue for the upgrading of the Outback Highway (now the Outback Way).

With the completion of the standard gauge railway line to Darwin, the first Adelaide to Darwin freight train arrived at Alice Springs on 16 January, 2004, and departed for Darwin later that same day. The first Ghan passenger train to travel the new south-north coast-to-coast line passed through Alice Springs on 2 February, 2004.