The public will be able to ask their questions to Maribyrnong council in person once more following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.
At its meeting on Tuesday, July 19, councillors passed a motion to endorse the draft Governance Rules for release for public consultation and note that the results of this consultation will be brought to council’s August meeting for final consideration and endorsement.
Councillor Simon Crawford said the changes will bring the council in line with the Local Government Act 2020.
“We, as a democratic body, need to make sure that we’re providing the best opportunities for our residents to be engaged with the work that we are doing,” he said.
“I think it’s going to be good for our democratic processes,” he said.
Cr Bernadette Thomas said the new changes will make it easier for the community to raise their concerns with the council.
“We know people want to engage in the democratic process and they want to bring questions to council for responses,” she said.
Other changes to the draft Governance Rules included amending the requirements for both physical and online petitions to a minimum of 10 signatories for both forms of petitions and allowing the submission of public questions until the commencement of the meeting.
Details: www.yourcityyourvoice.com.au
Matthew Sims
