Mount Alexander Shire Council Plan - your say, your shire

Mount Alexander Shire Council has adopted its four year Council Plan, outlining the vision, approach, priorities and strategies that will guide Council’s work through to 2021.

Mayor for Mount Alexander Shire Sharon Telford said the plan will give Council the direction it needs to manage the shire’s assets, accept the challenges and continue to improve our services and facilities.

“A great deal of community energy and thought has gone into developing the plan and identifying objectives across three pillars - Our people, Our place and Our economy,” said Cr Telford.

“Actions in the plan will help us to deliver our new vision for the shire - Mount Alexander: Innovative, creative, connected,” she said.

“An innovative, creative and connected community is a terrific summary of what Council hopes to achieve for our community and the Council Plan will help us deliver.

“We have considered many factors in the plan such as community feedback, our place in the region, the needs of our community, our existing resources, infrastructure maintenance, key strategies and what the community want the shire to look like.”

“For the first time we have included our Health and Wellbeing Plan and Disability Action Plan into the Council Plan highlighting the importance of our work in these areas.”

A number of changes have been incorporated into the plan following community feedback.

“The most significant change as a result of community feedback is the inclusion of a strategy to support and promote the cultural and artistic communities,” said Cr Telford.

“This includes actions like supporting local activities and events, reviewing cultural facilities and venues, promoting the economic benefits of the arts, and strengthening relationships and support for arts-focused government initiatives.

“With input from nearly 600 people, we feel confident the Council Plan is a fair reflection of our community’s aspirations.

“Thank you to everyone who took the time to provide feedback over the past eight months. Your input has been invaluable in helping to create a well-balanced plan.

“Council will now get on with delivering the objectives of the Council Plan by implementing actions outlined in the Annual Budget and Annual Plan. We will continue to regularly report on our progress to the community,” she said.

Council will submit the plan to the Minister for Local Government by 30 June 2017.

The Council Plan 2017-2021 is available for view on Council’s website www.mountalexander.vic.gov.au and at the Civic Centre in Castlemaine.

Mount Alexander Shire Council

Council Plan 2017 – 2021

Vision

Mount Alexander: Innovative, creative, connected.

Pillars

Our people | Our place | Our economy

Our people strategic objectives:

• Socially connected, safe and inclusive communities

• Local services that support the needs of our community

• Improved health and wellbeing

• A welcoming place for all

Our place strategic objectives:

• Well managed assets for now and into the future

• A clean and green community

• Well planned for growth

Our economy strategic objectives:

• A creative and innovative economy

• Great opportunities for education and technology

• An innovative and sustainable organisation
  

Submissions on Mount Alexander Shire Council’s draft Council Plan and Proposed Budget recently closed and Councillors this week heard from community members who opted to speak to their submission.

Twenty one community members shared their views on a variety of topics including pedestrian safety, tracks and trails, the importance of the arts, affordable housing, local food production, diversity, inclusion and more.

“Thank you to everyone who provided a submission and those who took time to speak to at our Council meeting,” said Sharon Telford, Mayor of Mount Alexander Shire.

“Everyone spoke respectfully, eloquently and passionately, and each submission will be carefully considered,” said Cr Telford.

“We heard from many individuals and groups in support of our planned investment in local tracks, trails and footpaths, and our aim to create a connected community that is accessible to all members of the community.

“We also received positive feedback on our desire to be an innovative community, use our resources for greatest impact, and work closely with local groups and organisations.

“We heard submissions about the need to work with the community to make real change to improve access and inclusion, in recognition of our ageing population and the many people living with a disability or caring for someone in our shire.

“We also heard passionate and articulate submissions from the arts community as a number of submitters spoke about greater recognition of the economic and social benefits of the arts sector.

“We have had a fantastic response from the community, with 137 submissions on the draft Council Plan and budget,” she said.

Councillors will now consider the submissions and prepare to adopt the final budget and four-year Council Plan at the Ordinary Meeting on Tuesday 20 June.

Mount Alexander Shire Council is continuing the development of its four-year plan, with a summary of community feedback and future direction of the plan available for comment.

More than 350 residents and community groups provided input through the Your Say, Your Shire survey. Many more people shared their views about the direction of Council at listening posts in December and January.

“We have summarised the feedback across three areas – our people, our place, and our economy – and listed the priorities we heard from the community,” said Sharon Telford, Mayor of Mount Alexander Shire.

“Community feedback highlighted the need to maintain and improve infrastructure and facilities, prioritise the upgrade of footpaths and cycling connections, and support development while protecting heritage and the environment,” said Cr Telford.

“We also heard that Council should continue to partner with local groups, advocate for improved health services, and encourage wellbeing programs for young people and the elderly,” she said.

“The community also encouraged Council to support local businesses, jobs and development, embrace innovation and promote tourism more broadly.”

“Council has now come up with ideas about how we can address these priorities, with specific actions included in our draft Council Plan.

“It’s important that we get this right and make sure Council’s priorities are aligned with those of our community.

“We want people to tell us what they think. Is this the right direction for the next four years? Are we missing anything?

“Feedback is due in the first week of April to allow us time to incorporate any additional actions into our draft Council Plan.

Please complete the survey on this website.

The community will also have the opportunity to provide feedback on the draft Council Plan, which will include specific actions on Council’s goals and priorities. The draft plan will be available for public comment from Wednesday 19 April to Friday 17 May alongside the Council Budget 2017/2018.

The development of a new vision for Mount Alexander Shire Council is well underway following a good first round response from the community on the development of the council plan.

Mount Alexander Shire Mayor Sharon Telford said council would like to thank everyone who provided their feedback through the Your Say, Your Shire survey, or who attended a listening post.

“Your views are helping Council understand what our community really wants and needs,” said Cr Sharon Telford.

“The community’s aspirations will help set the direction for the provision of services over Council’s four-year term,” she said.

Council is collating the results and will draw on information received from the consultation, in recently adopted strategies, and community plans to develop the draft vision and strategies.

“Some of the common themes coming through are the value placed on our close-knit community, the community support services we provide, and the continued demand for quality facilities and infrastructure,” said Cr Telford.

“Many people identified an opportunity to further develop the variety of events that celebrate our arts, heritage, culture and other passions to drive tourism and boost the local economy.

“There was also room for improvement on communication and collaboration with the community.”

While the first round of consultation has closed there will be more opportunities to provide feedback on the draft plan over the coming months.

“If you missed out, this is just the start of the process. Council plans to test the draft strategies with the community in March,” said Cr Telford.

Look out for information in the local newspapers and our website, or visit www.haveyoursay.mountalexander.com.au/council-plan2021.

Common themes

• Value of community connection - the most loved aspect of our Shire was the friendly, strong, inclusive and close-knit nature of the community.
• Community services are vital – People want more support for the community with services and facilities, including improvements to waste management and more tailored health and wellbeing programs for young people and the elderly.
• Community events bring prosperity – There is an opportunity to further develop heritage, arts, cultural and other events to drive tourism and bring economic benefits.
• Infrastructure is key - The maintenance and supply of quality recreation, infrastructure and building facilities are a priority and one of our community’s biggest challenges.
• Better information and engagement – there is room for improvement on Council communication, engagement, and collaboration with the community.

A conversation toolkit has been prepared to help interested community members have conversations with the community and stakeholders about the Mount Alexander Shire Council Plan.

The information in this guide will give you a good understanding of the project, tips for organising conversations, a conversation workbook and useful information. In this guide you will find:

• Project background
• Hosting a conversation
• Useful definitions