Purpose of the course
Background
This course was developed in response to a need for local governments at the district level to have some tools and procedures available, in order to more efficiently and effectively carry out their mandated roles and responsibilities.
This course manual is based on an earlier document, the ‘Administration Manual for District Administrations’, prepared in 2010. This course manual has been developed as a collaborative process, utilising the skills and knowledge of district administration and finance consultants, as well as incorporating existing tools that are currently being used in some district offices. The course manual is intended to be used by staff across all district departments.
Structure of the manual
The course manual is structured with procedures in the main body, and relevant tools such as tables and formats included as Annexes. These tools will need to be made available in electronic format as well as hard copy so that they can be fully utilised in district offices. It is recognised that currently there are different variations of forms and tools being used in district administrations, the manual aims to provide some standardisation to these tools, as they are utilised across the districts. The tools can be customised, for example, to include the district name and logo. However, it is anticipated that the tools will be used as they are presented in this manual, as far as possible.
The forms and tools have been prepared in Microsoft Word for ease of use by all districts. Each district should insert its own logo/emblem and the district heading in the header of each of the forms. Some districts may wish to use the forms and tools in Microsoft Excel format, and as such, an Excel workbook has been prepared, which contains the forms and tools that are included in the Annex of this manual.
The manual covers the following main areas:
- Introduction—includes information on good governance and district departments.
- Asset Management and Storekeeping
- Vehicles and Travel
- Meetings and Reporting
- Office Procurement
- Office Record Keeping (Filing and Archiving)
- Visitors
- Work plans
- By-laws