The City of Greater Bendigo is inviting community members to play an important role in developing priorities and ideas that will guide the next four-year Council Plan.
All Greater Bendigo residents aged 16 years and over are invited to register and around 40 people will be selected to join the panel.
An expression of interest process is now open for residents to put their hand up to attend a community panel in Bendigo's city centre from March 14 to March 16, 2025.
To make sure the panel has a mix of people from all walks of life, people will be selected at random based on their age, gender, cultural background and where they live.
Mayor-elect Cr Andrea Metcalf encouraged community members to get involved and be heard as part of the panel.
"We're inviting any resident aged 16 and over to register to be considered for the community panel. The panel will be selected in early 2025." Cr Metcalf said.
"This is a great opportunity for residents to influence future Council direction and help us prioritise how we will deliver services, projects and initiatives that benefit everyone in our community.
"We want to hear from every part of the community representing all walks of life with a variety of perspectives and experiences. This will add a lot of value to the discussions from residents about what is good and important to them about living in Greater Bendigo and what could make it an even better place to live.
"We're looking for people who love their community and want to help create solutions and new ideas. Even if you've never taken part in a community group, now is the time to make your voice heard so please put your hand up.
"Panel members will be provided with a wide range of information about our region to help them gain insights, including the ongoing public consultation and engagement.
"Through the engagement process, the aim for this panel is to look at the main priorities for Council over the next four years."
A key requirement of the Local Government Act 2020 is that the City holds a community panel as part of developing the Council Plan. That means the City must select a group of participants to consider a set of issues, weigh up options and make recommendations to Council.
Feedback from the panel will also inform a range of other new strategic documents, including the Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan, Financial Plan and Asset Plan.
The Council Plan 2025-2029 will outline strategic goals, objectives and priorities, together with indicators to measure its success.
