As many of you might know by now, Port Stephens, just like a number of our neighbouring councils, will be holding local government elections on September 9 this year.
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I would encourage you all to take part on election day. The ‘local’ in government means exactly that – we are closest to the community in terms of the services and facilities we provide.
Council’s impact on the way you live, work, grow and play is significant, from the parks and sporting fields you play on, to the local roads you drive on, waste collection, town planning, surf life saving, all the way to cemeteries, child care centres and disability services.
Importantly there are other ways you can have your voice heard. At any given time, there are a number of projects that we seek community input into.
If you log onto Council’s ‘have your say’ webpage haveyoursay.portstephens.nsw.gov.au you’ll see a host of projects and initiatives that we’d like your thoughts on right now. So some people may be wondering what happens between now and election day and what will Council be doing differently after the big day?
Firstly, between now and September 9, we are in a period known as the ‘caretaker period’ which, in essence, means no major or contentious decisions will be made until after a new council is formed.
You’ll also see no comment from the organisation in the media about candidates in the upcoming election. Apart from that, the impact on our day to day business is largely unchanged.
Once the new council is in place, things will get quite hectic as we introduce new and returning councillors to their new roles. Swearing in ceremonies are held, statutory appointments made, meeting cycles agreed upon and codes of practice arrived at.
By the time October rolls around, we hope to see the new council ready for normal business. One of the first things they’ll be asked to consider is a discussion paper regarding our 10 year Community Strategic Plan. This is the document that tells us the community’s aspirations and priorities for the next 10 years. As such it’s an incredibly important process to get right. In the new year, all community members will have the chance to have their say about what those aspirations and priorities will be.
- Wayne Wallis is the General Manager of Port Stephens Council.