Griffith City Council will kick off community consultation for 2023 on Tuesday 7 February, with the first Community Opinion Group (COG) Meeting held at the new Griffith Regional Sports Centre.
The newly refurbished Stadium will be the first stop on the quarterly meeting calendar and locals are invited to come along and connect with Councillors and senior staff from 7pm.
Griffith Mayor, Councillor Doug Curran will chair the meeting of which Council will present an update on previous COG items including the Yenda Oval Kiosk and Hanwood Sports Complex grant applications. The Agenda will include items as raised by residents.
Councillor Curran said these COG Meetings demonstrate Council's ongoing commitment to open and transparent consultation with the Community.
"Last year the three COG Meetings were all very well attended," said Councillor Curran.
"This time we are starting in Griffith and will continue throughout the year at our villages.
"We thought the newly refurbished stadium would be a good location, so that those who may not have been inside could take a look."
Membership to the COG is open to all members of the community. Community members wishing to raise Agenda items or be personally notified of the Agenda of each COG Meeting can subscribe to the COG email list and then receive email notification as Meetings arise.
Meetings will also be advertised in the Council Catch Up and on Council social media channels. Advertisements will also call for community Agenda items.
"The COG Meeting will be an opportunity for all community members to interact with Councillors outside of the Ordinary Council Meeting framework," said Cr Curran.
Designed to complement the already established monthly Council Café and weekly Council Catch Up newsletter, the COG Meeting will allow community matters of concern to be documented and if appropriate, championed by a Councillor through a Notice of Motion procedure to Council for formal consideration.
Council will also use the COG Meetings to gain feedback from residents about topics of interest.
To have your items added to the first COG Meeting Agenda, head to https://forms.griffith.nsw.gov.au/Forms/COGS and fill out the submission form by close of business on Thursday, 26 January 2023.
COG Meetings for 2023 will be held in Griffith – 7 February, Yoogali – 2 May, Hanwood – 1 August and Yenda – 31 October.
For those who can't make the COG Meeting, the monthly Council Café, an informal information stall, will be held on Thursday 16 February 2023 at Griffin Plaza from 10am to 11.30am. Come along and find out what's happening, speak to staff about any issues you may have or fill out a feedback form.
