Eurobodalla Shire Council has an unfortunate reputation for reacting negatively to most matters that it is asked to consider, so it is no surprise that resolutions passed at the meeting of more than 100 business owners in Batemans Bay on January 29 were dismissed without consideration or discussion.
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Resolutions passed by the Eurobodalla Business Group were confronting.
But did councillors act in the best interest of residents, as they are required by the Local Government Act to do, when they failed to consider what prompted such a desperate call from the community and how a constructive outcome might be found?
If councillors are doing what they promised when they asked the community to elect them, they will be acquainted with the Independent Local Government Review Panel’s very important report, Future Directions for NSW Local Government – Twenty Essential Steps.
The report has been around since April 2013 and on page 7 it describes the Essential Elements of an Effective System of Local Government.
Councillors have a responsibility to assess how many of the essential elements their council currently fulfils and to determine what needs to be done to address where council falls short.
Of course, the community must be informed, engaged and listened to in this process.
The call from the Eurobodalla Business Group should alert councillors to the discord in our community and draw attention to council’s inexplicable delay in starting to engage the community in preparing for a better future.
That must replace negative, knee-jerk reactions with constructive effort.
Don Burns, Canberra
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