We are seeking the community's help to shape the direction of our Council through its next four-year strategic plan.
The Council Plan outlines how the Council will work towards the Greater Geelong community's long-term vision of a clever and creative future.
It guides decisions on how and where the Council invests in facilities and infrastructure, and what services and programs are needed to support the social, economic and environmental sustainability of the region.
It also includes our Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan, focused on improving the health and wellbeing of the local community.
With the existing plan set to reach the end of its life in June 2025, we are beginning work on the Council Plan 2025-29, which is due to be finalised within 12 months of the October Council elections.
The community is invited to take part in two opportunities to have input in the early stages of the new plan's development:
Deliberative engagement panel
Community members are invited to express their interest in joining a deliberative engagement panel to help develop the new plan.
The panel will feature a representative sample of the Greater Geelong community. Panel members will participate in four independently facilitated sessions over two weeks in August.
They will then present recommendations to the new Council early in 2025.
Panel members will be asked to revisit the Clever and Creative vision, and discuss what the priorities of the Council should be over the next four years.
Expressions of Interest are invited until Sunday 4 August. Express your interest here.
Successful applicants will be notified on 6 August, with the first session planned for 14 August.
Panel members will receive a stipend as compensation for their time.
Community survey
We have opened a survey to gather initial feedback about the community's priorities for our Council over the next four years.
The survey takes around 10 minutes to complete and will be important in guiding the discussions of the community panel.
All members of the community are encouraged to fill in the survey here before 16 September 2024.
Mayor Trent Sullivan:
The Council Plan is the key document that guides everything the Council does, so it's vital that it represents the true views of the local community.It's especially important right now given the period of change and transition Geelong is experiencing as we become a larger city.
I'd encourage everyone with an interest in what the Council does and in the future of this beautiful region to nominate for the panel, or fill in the survey.
The feedback and ideas gathered in these early stages will go a long way to shaping the final plan.
For reference, the existing Council Plan, Our Community Plan 2021-25, is available to read here
