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Bendigo’s new-look municipal government will release a four-year city plan next week, which could arguably define its tenure in office.
Mayor Margaret O’Rourke said the City of Greater Bendigo draft community plan 2017-2021 has been taken “very seriously, and very personally” by all nine councillors.
“Councillors have written the plan themselves….we’ve been elected to do a job and been told to get out and do it,” Cr O’Rourke said.
Six priorities, or directives for governance, are expected to be released for discussion at a council meeting on Wednesday evening.
The Eppalock Ward councillor, in a slight dig at previous administrations, said community consultation for the plan was more comprehensive for this project.
“The net has been cast much wider than has been done in the past,” Cr O’Rourke said.
Cr O’Rourke admitted it was at times difficult to solicit feedback from the community, in particular the younger cohort.
“Some of our younger people, if they don’t own a house or are a ratepayer, they don’t know what council do, and are unaware of what services council provides,” Cr O’Rourke said.
Public forums discussing the city’s future direction have produced a “melting pot of ideas” for councillors to sift through, according to councillor James Williams.
“It’s about getting all these ideas down and looking at what we need to grow Bendigo,” Cr Williams said.
Fifty priorities have been whittled down to six during the initial consultation process, which involved two public forums.
The plan will be publicly exhibited, and open to feedback, from April 22 to May 19, with council set to adopt the plan on June 21.
The draft community plan is expected to be released with the 2017/18 proposed budget on Wednesday.