Our Proposals in this Annual Plan Consultation

The challenge to have a lower rates increase means we have some hard decisions to make, and our proposals will help to address these challenges. This consultation is your chance to let us know your views on the options within each proposal.

What is consultation?

A community consultation is not a referendum. “To consult” means to seek information or advice, or to take into consideration. In the context of local councils, consultation is the way citizens inform and assist a council in its decision making. When Council consults with the community, it is the community’s chance to inform councillors and the Mayor on their views related to a particular issue or decision.

The Local Government Act describes the principles for consultations, which apply when Council consults on its proposals for an Annual Plan. The only way councils can formally consider people’s opinions is through the consultation submission process. Communication using channels such as social media, letters to the newspaper, or emails is informal feedback.

While informal feedback will be considered by Council, only feedback received through the consultation submission form will be formally analysed as part of the Council’s decision making process.

What is a preferred option? 

When consulting significant community matters, councils are required to say what their preferred option is for a topic. Elected members and council staff use workshops* to discuss early drafts of policies or proposed projects to identify main options, including a preferred option. The financial impact of preferred options for all topics is included in the draft financial statements that are provided as part of consultation. This gives the community better understanding of the overall impacts of all proposals. Despite councils identifying a preferred option, elected members are also required to consider submissions with an open mind before any final decision is made. Councils can and do make changes to their preferred options after hearing the views of residents.

*Workshops are open to the public to attend unless there is a specific legal reason to keep them closed. Workshops cannot be used to make final decisions. These can only be made at Council or Standing Committee meetings.