The planning and development of Cardinia Shire Council's new four-year plan has kicked off with the Community Panel meeting to review the Council's Community Vision 2040.
The panel, representing a diverse cross section of the Cardinia Shire community, will come together for a total of four workshops, online and in-person, to learn, discuss and contribute ideas as part of the deliberative engagement process for the development of the next Council Plan and associated strategic documents.
Cardinia Shire Mayor Cr Jack Kowarzik said the panel, which was appointed in January as part of an independent selection process, participated in an online session on Thursday 6 February and a full-day in-person workshop on Saturday 8 February, where they reviewed Cardinia Shire's Community Vision 2040 and provided valuable insights.
"Community input is essential in helping us to develop our Council Plan for the next 4 years," Mayor Kowarzik said.
"Our Council Plan and associated documents will ultimately guide Council's activities and decision making for the next 4 years, so it's important that we receive input and feedback from a range of community members to achieve a well-rounded plan for our growing shire.
"It's great to see people from right across our vibrant and diverse community represented on our Community Panel, with people from different townships, age groups and cultural backgrounds represented," Mayor Kowarzik said.
"Thank you to our panellists for your valuable input and insights during our first workshop. It was great to see the energy in the room and hear what people had to say.
"We look forward to the remaining workshops and progressing development of our new Council Plan and associated strategic documents."
The Community Panel will review and update the Community Vision and provide input into the development of priorities that will inform the Council Plan 2025–29 as well as the Liveability Plan, Asset Plan and Financial Plan. The broader community will be invited to have their say on Council's draft priorities in April–May 2025. Each plan will go out for wider community engagement later in the year.
