When Gundagai Council introduced a Local Representative Committee (LRC) and Implementation Advisory Group (IAG), consultation was billed as the key.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The committees are made up of former councillors and community members with the LRC designed to serve as an advisory arm to the new council.
Members are tasked with informing council of issues that affect the community by consulting with residents, ratepayers and community groups across the council area on a wide range of local matters.
The IAG is designed to provide consolidated advice for the new council’s ‘Implementation Plan’.
LRC members include Peter Batey, Stephen Doidge, Mary Donnelly, Michael Kingwill, Mike Kingwill, Ron Magnone, Penny Nicholson, Dennis Palmer, Jim Slattery, Craig Stewart and Rosalind Wight; while on the IAG are Carla Barton, Paul Braybrooks, Rod Chalmers, David Graham, Abb McAlister and Doug Phillips.
Former Gundagai Shire Council mayor Mr McAlister declared at this month’s Gundagai Council meeting the process is not working as well as it should.
Speaking to the Cootamundra Herald, he thanked council for introducing the committees, however said the system needs tweaking to work better for residents.
He said currently meetings for each committee are held once a month.
Agenda items at these meetings are never consolidated in a joint meeting of the two committees.
“Committees aren’t having enough input overall,” Mr McAlister, who is paid almost $1000 a month to sit on the IAG, said.
“We need more flow of information between the committees and council staff,” he continued.
He added that he would like to see greater interaction between the committees.
It is a sentiment former Cootamundra Shire Councillor Rosalind Wight concurs with.
She has suggested to council staff that committee members receive an agenda outline a fortnight out from meetings so they have increased time to discuss items with residents as per their requirement to act as a bridge of communication.
In neighbouring Hilltops Council, LRCs are made up of six residents from the former council areas (Harden, Young and Boorowa).
The chair of each of these LRCs forms the IAG.
This system provides a communications stream up to the administrator.
