Published on Tuesday, 24 April 2018 at 6:09:50 PM
Over the coming months the City of Greater Geraldton will be undertaking a review of its current ward system and council representation.
According to the Local Government Act 1995, all local governments with wards must carry out reviews of their ward boundaries and the number of Councillors for each ward at least once every eight years.
The last time wards and representation were reviewed was prior to the amalgamation of the then City of Geraldton-Greenough with the Shire of Mullewa in 2011.
City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn said the purpose of the review is to evaluate the City’s current arrangement of seven wards with 14 elected members and a popularly elected Mayor.
“Depending on the feedback we receive during the community consultation process, Council could look at changing or reducing the number of elected members representing a ward,” he said.
“Decreasing the number of wards by changing existing ward boundaries or abolishing wards altogether will also be taken into consideration.
“At the end of the review we hope to identify the system of representation that best reflects the characteristics of our community which include communities of interest, physical and topographical features, demographic trends and economic factors.
“It is also important for us to take into account one vote one value to ensure we have similar ratios of electors to Councillors across the wards.”
When the review is complete, a report on the process and Council’s resolution regarding wards and representation will be submitted to the Local Government Advisory Board for assessment against the requirements of the Local Government Act and consideration of any recommended changes.
The Board’s recommendations regarding the review will then be submitted to the Minister who has the final decision on wards and Councillor representation in the City.
The broader community is encouraged to have their say on how they will be represented by local government in the future.
“A discussion paper on the review of wards and representation will be available on the City’s website shortly. I urge everyone to take a look at the options and provide their feedback on their preferred option for wards and elected members,” Mayor Van Styn added.
For more information on the review and the Discussion Paper visit the webpage here
An online submission/feedback form is available here
Hard copy submission forms are available at the Civic Centre, Geraldton Regional Library and Mullewa District Office.
Alternatively, you can also attend a community information session before making your submission. Sessions will be held at:
Geraldton: Wednesday 27 June 2018 5pm-6pm City Civic Centre Function Room on
Mullewa: Thursday 28 June 2018 5pm-6pm (Location to be announced)
The deadline to make a submission is Friday 13 July 2018 at 4pm.
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