Residents and ratepayers of Robe are turning to lawyers with their concerns before talking to the local council, according to its mayor.
Mayor Alison Nunan spoke of her disappointments when she addressed the March monthly meeting of the Robe District Council.
“This month has been frustrating at best,” Mayor Nunan said.
“I hope next month will be a better one.
“Stalled negotiations with community groups regarding their leases, the usual misinformation around a range of issues and the lack of understanding for how Robe District Council works has again dominated my conversations with our community.
“I honestly have no idea as to what more we can do to communicate effectively with everyone.
“From what I can see of other councils, we do more in this space than most.”
Mayor Nunan said at some point “our community will have to recognise that communication is a two-way street and we all have some responsibility for ensuring the accuracy of the information we receive”.
“It seems that our community is of the mind to go to a lawyer first, get the facts later, if at all, which is never going to make for good relations,” she said.
“I would like to say thank you to our elected members who continue to be committed to good outcomes for our whole community and to our team who then implements the decisions of the elected members.
Mayor Nunan made a pointed reference to the upcoming council elections in six months’ time.
“I hope that with the elections on the horizon, some of the people who feel we are not representing their interests put up their hand and take a seat around this table,” she said.
“Only then will they understand the complexity of what our council does for our community and the value of seeing all sides of a situation.
“They may also then find themselves trying to work out where so much inaccurate information can possibly come from.
“On a positive note, we are rolling into our consultation phase in April and May which will involve meetings in Adelaide, Horsham, Robe and surrounding
districts.
“These sessions are always interesting and provide us with lots of feedback to consider in the budget process.”
