Councillors and Council staff will travel to Balmoral next Wednesday 28 June, where for the first time, the Southern Grampians Shire Council meeting will be held in a township outside Hamilton.
The meeting will take place at the Mechanics Hall in Glendinning Street, Balmoral at 5.30pm, prior to the regular Community Engagement Session at 7pm.
This is the first of three meetings to be held outside Hamilton following a notice of motion raised in Council chambers last year, with meetings scheduled for Penshurst and Coleraine in the coming months.
Southern Grampians Shire Council Mayor Mary-Ann Brown said hosting Council meetings in townships other than Hamilton allows for greater community participation and greater transparency of Council’s decision making process.
“The suggestion to move meetings into our townships followed Council’s adoption of the Governance and Decision Making Paper. This report highlighted the importance of transparency in improving Council’s reputation and improving the level of trust in the community,” Cr Brown said.
"The original proposal recommended two Council meetings in other locations per year; however we elected to have three per year, thereby allowing Council to have a meeting in all 10 townships in the Shire during their four year term.
“We welcome anyone in the area to come along to the Balmoral Mechanics Hall and join us for the meeting to see what it’s all about” Cr Brown said.
Other Council meetings scheduled outside Hamilton this year are:
• 23 August 2017 | Penshurst
• 25 October 2017 | Coleraine
The agenda for the meeting and future meeting dates are available at www.sthgrampians.vic.gov.au