During the September 15 council meeting, the Council Plan 2025-29 was adopted by councillors as a result of a unanimous vote.
Mayor John Dougall said the document would be pivotal to the shire.
“I think this is a very important document. The councillor group has put a lot of effort into making this the best document it can be,” Cr Dougall said.
“It’s the number one document, everything else hangs off this. It provides direction to all of our work.
“It provides the backbone for how the system is performing, it’s a very significant body of work, and I’m very pleased with where we’re at.”
The four-year plan maps out council’s strategic direction, outlining five key objectives developed to support the shire in fulfilling its 2050 Community Vision.
Consultation for the plan’s development was conducted from August to December of last year, and an engagement panel, which was recruited through expressions of interest and presented a representative cross-section of the community, was formed.
Engagement with the panel resulted in the formation of three top priorities to inform the council plan:
- Safe roads and a connected transport network.
- Access to health and community services.
- Local jobs, business support and skills development.
The plan was then formed and exhibited between June 17 and July 17, with council recording 975 visits to the plan’s Engaging Mitchell webpage.
Mitchell Shire Council Plan 2025-29 summary
2050 Mitchell Community Vision statement: We are a healthy, vibrant and connected community that values nature, diversity, creativity and innovation.
Objectives
- Grow the economy by supporting local business, attracting investment, enhancing key infrastructure and facilitating innovation to ensure long-term prosperity for the community.
- Enhance the quality of life in our communities by investing in partnerships, services and programs that improve health and wellbeing outcomes, and support community equity and inclusion.
- Develop spaces that enrich everyday life by supporting sustainable growth, facilitating infrastructure investment, and protecting our natural assets to meet the evolving needs of the community.
- Ensure good governance by promoting transparency, building trust and strengthening connections with the community.
- Foster a strong sense of civic pride by improving community amenity, and creating opportunities for residents to connect, contribute and celebrate shared identity.
During the recent council meeting, Cr Bob Humm moved the item to adopt the plan.
“I get delight in passing this motion because, as you can see on page 2 and 3, there are a lot of areas of this that have been worked on with the council over the last 10 months,” he said.
“There are five key factors through it all; it talks about health, it talks about creating local communities and measuring family violence situations, which we know we have, and involving people in the community working together as a partnership.
“It’s for that reason that I support this, and hope that it builds the trust and strengthens the connections within our community.”
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