Council is encouraging everyone to share their vision for Southern Grampians 2021 by coming along to the final community engagement session for the 2017-2021 Council Plan this week.
A series of workshops have been held across Shire, with every township having the opportunity to meet the Mayor, CEO and Councillors and share their vision for the future of their town and the Shire.
Those who can’t attend are still able to participate and share their vision via the Council Facebook page, by emailing sgs2021@sthgrampians.vic.gov.au or in writing, addressed to the Mayor or CEO. Final submissions should be received by the end of March.
Council is required to prepare and adopt a Council plan prior to 30 June this year. The plan outlines the vision for the four year term of the Council and includes the objectives, strategies and actions which need to be implemented and undertaken to ensure this vision is realised.
Southern Grampians Shire Mayor Cr Mary-Ann Brown said Council had been very encouraged by the turnout at the township sessions.
“We asked people to envisage the Southern Grampians in 2021. What does it look like and what makes it a great place to live and work? There have been some very constructive comments shared about things we as a Council can improve on and also positive ideas about how and where we focus our efforts in the next four years” Cr Brown said.
“I invite everyone who has joined in these sessions, or anyone who filled out a postcard or emailed us through ideas, to come along to our final session in Hamilton this Thursday 2 March. We will be summarising the major ideas and themes shared, going through what our next steps are and explaining how the Council Plan feeds into other plans like our Budget and Annual Action plans. The session is also open to anyone who may have missed the session in their township and still wants to share their ideas”.
“I can’t stress enough how important it is to share your thoughts with us now. If ideas and strategies aren’t on our radar in this planning stage, then it’s very unlikely that they will find their way into a Council budget in the next four years, so now is the time to have your say!” Cr Brown said.
The final engagement session is this Thursday 2 March from 6.00-7:00pm at the Hamilton Institute Rural Learning (HIRL). The session is open to all and light refreshments will be provided.