Mount Gambier City Council will formally consider all feedback on the Draft 2024/2025 Annual Business and Budget at a special council meeting to be held this afternoon (Tuesday).
The special council meeting has been arranged to enable the public to make submissions and ask questions before council adopts the final 2024/2025 Annual Business Plan and Budget and related strategic management plans.
Council experienced a significant increase in its online ‘Have your Say’ consultation statistics.
Statistics show the site had a total of 316 visits compared to 97 for the 2023/2024 Draft Annual Business Plan and Budget consultation.
Council’s Financial Services manager Julie Scoggins said the online site was used as the primary method of consultation to provide ease of access to the community and engagement statistics.
“The Have Your Say website provided links to the full 2024/2025 Draft Annual Business Plan and Budget document, Council Rates fact sheet, and the submission form,” she said.
The public consultation process, which closed last Thursday, generated 11 submissions.
Copies of the written submissions have been made available in the meeting agenda.
The submissions included comment on the rate increase, Wulanda Recreation and Convention Centre, hardship, expenditure and transparency.
Waste management, grant funding, planning, and consultation process were also key themes from the submissions received.
“It should be noted that material which may be deemed to be personal, offensive or discriminatory has been redacted,” Ms Scoggins said.
“However, councillors have been provided with the unredacted content to ensure they have received all information.”
Five verbal submissions have been requested to take place at the special meeting.
The Mount Gambier and District Residents and Ratepayers Association and four individuals have requested to present their feedback.
The meeting is open to the public and will be held in the Mayoral reception area at the Civic Centre.
The meeting is scheduled for 5pm and will be followed by council’s ordinary monthly meeting at 6pm.
Council plans to adopt the documents at a special council meeting for the budget scheduled to be held on June 25.