Have your say on Ararat Rural City Council governance rules

Ararat Rural City residents can now give their input on the draft governance rules, which were endorsed for community consultation at the Council meeting on the 21st of July.

Council CEO Dr Tim Harrison said the new Local Government Act 2020 gives Victorian Councils the ability to renew their documents so that the greater community can interact with their council with more transparency and good governance.

Dr Harrison said, “This is an important document, and we encourage the public to now have their say on the draft governance rules as part of the community engagement process.”

“The draft governance rules set out the election of the Mayor and election of how Council meetings are conducted and how Council decision are made.”

The new Council governance rules are planned to be adopted by Council at their next meeting on the 25th of August.

Have your say on the draft governance rules.

Submissions on the draft governance rules can be forwarded to Governance and Administration Coordinator Jenny Woolcock via email [email protected] or post to Ararat Rural City Council, PO Box 246, Ararat, 3377. Submissions close on 12 August 2020.

There were also two new policies adopted at the Ararat Rural City Council meeting:

Council adopted the Public Transparency Policy, which furthers the Council’s commitment to open and transparent decision making, and the Council Expenses and Support Policy.

“A Public Transparency Policy is an integral part of Council’s governance framework – it covers both documentary information, process information and how information will be made available to the public,” he said.

“The Council Expenses and Support Policy outlines the requirements and process for the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses for Councillors and members of delegated committees.”

The Public Transparency Policy and the Council Expenses and Support Policy are available on Council’s website.