Council calls for comments on draft four-year plan
April 26, 2017
Colac Otway Shire Council has called for the community’s comments on its four-year Council Plan.
The Council Plan sets out Council’s vision for the shire and how it will respond to opportunities and challenges over its term.
Mayor Chris Potter said the draft plan was centred on four strategic community outcomes which were ‘our prosperity’, ‘our places’, ‘our community’, and ‘our leadership and management’.
Cr Potter said these themes outlined Council’s commitment to promoting the shire as an attractive place to invest, live and work; planning to promote community life and enhance wellbeing, ensuring assets and services met community needs; and delivering value for money for ratepayers.
“The plan foreshadows that fostering new employment opportunities and supporting business growth right across the shire as a key to Council’s success,” Cr Potter said.
“Also high on the agenda is Council’s continued commitment to working together as a united team to achieve the goals it has set out for its term.”
Cr Potter said the draft plan had been developed following an extensive engagement process, and collaboration between Councillors and the community with support from staff from across the organisation.
“Our councillors developed the draft plan over many months using the feedback received from the community in a far reaching, extended engagement program which was one of the largest ever undertaken,” he said.
“The community consultation phase ran from December 2016 until the end February this year.”
The consultation included an online survey which received almost 400 responses and 15 ‘pop up’ listening posts and community conversation events held all over the shire.
In addition to promoting the engagement in newspaper advertisements, in media and online, letters were sent to 900 community groups, business groups and progress associations encouraging people to complete the survey or provide a written submission.
Cr Potter strongly encouraged the community to have its say on the draft plan.
“To support this, the plan will be available on Council’s website, and also in hard copy at Council offices and public libraries in Colac and Apollo Bay as of 1 May,” he said.
Council will also host community drop-in sessions at Colac on Thursday 4 May outside Target from 10am to 1pm, and Apollo Bay on Thursday 11 May outside Apollo Bay Bakery from 10am to 1pm.
The consultation phase will run from 1 May and end on 2 June.
A special meeting is scheduled for June 14 to hear submissions to the Council Plan, and Council will consider formal endorsement of the plan at its June meeting.
The draft Colac Otway Shire Council Plan is a legislative requirement and the new Council’s guiding strategic document for its four-year term.
Council Enquiries
(03) 5232 9400