It is vital our community has access to speak directly with their local representatives, and our Meet Your Councillor sessions have been instrumental in fostering important conversations.
We have hosted these sessions at Wurriki Nyal Civic Precinct a few times this year and have valued the opportunity to discuss matters of concern and answer general questions that our community may have.
These sessions are a fantastic avenue to pose a question without the pressure of public speaking during question time in the council meeting.
The informal environment is also less daunting, offering an approachable space and more one-on-one facetime for residents and councillors.
Many questions raised in past sessions have related to waste collection, animal permits, pothole repairs and road works.
These sessions are also attended by City officers who can provide further insight into specific topics within their remit.
So whether it’s about permit applications, rubbish and roads, the environment, or one of our many council services, somebody in the room can directly assist you or point you in the direction of the best contact.
Community members are welcome to raise questions outside of topics tabled for the June council meeting.
While items on the agenda cannot be discussed during a Meet Your Councillor session, we can certainly take your feedback on board.
So, if you have a question for me, your ward councillor or a City officer, I look forward to seeing you at our next session this coming Tuesday.
The next Meet Your Councillor session will take place in the foyer at Wurriki Nyal Civic Precinct from 4.45pm to 5.30pm. The June council meeting will follow at City Hall at 6pm.
Community engagement is a huge part of our decision-making process, and we continuously assess how we consult with the community to ensure you feel heard.
With this commitment in mind, our Community Engagement Policy Review is currently out for public consultation, and we want to hear your thoughts.
Our current policy was created four years ago and expires this year. We want to ensure this updated policy is relevant to the changed needs and expectations of our community today.
We want the new policy to be clear, practical and easy for everyone to understand and it should support meaningful and respectful conversations between the City and our community.
Your insights into this policy review will help shape the draft document, which will be presented to council later this year.
If you have attended any of the Meet Your Councillor sessions, taken part in an engagement survey, or attended one of our pop-up sessions out in the community, we would like to hear from you.
Let us know how we can improve our processes so we can continue to have engaging and meaningful conversations as a whole community.
Engagement is now open until Sunday August 3. To share your thoughts, visit yoursay.geelongaustralia.com.au/community-engagement-policy-2025-2029
