Councillor connection to regional residents strengthened

A new model for the way in which Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) Councillors engage with the community is set to get underway from January 2025. Toowoomba Region Mayor Geoff McDonald said the new model was aimed at giving the community a greater sense of connection with Councillors. “At the start of this term, Councillors agreed to be open to change - change to do better. One of the significant areas that elected representatives have heard loud and clear from the community is that they want to see more of us. “For Councillors to get a better feel for what is happening right across our region we required a change in our engagement approach. To put this into perspective; the same area that 11 Councillors now represent, had 68 Councillors prior to 2008.  “Council’s desire for continual service improvement includes communication. We have invested into the link between community and Council through initiatives such as our 131872 call centre, the "Your Say" portal on the website and maintaining customer service centres in regional townships.  “This new Councillor engagement model will not replace or replicate the other methods of communication. Councillors obtain great community intelligence from simply visiting schools, community events, service clubs, business associations and other small or large gatherings. In fact, this is what our job is all about, understanding the needs and desires of our residents rights across the 13,000 km2,” he said. Mayor McDonald said Councillors would be allocated a ‘zone’ from January for a period of twelve months and would then rotate to a different zone each calendar year. “The idea behind the rotation strategy is for all areas across the region to have visibility with all Councillors by the time this term of Council concludes in March 2028. “Importantly, Councillor portfolio responsibilities cover the whole region and this doesn't change.  “Although there will be a greater focus on their advertised zone, Councillors are also encouraged to attend events and activities across the entire Council footprint.  “We already have zones in place for operational areas and therefore the split of a North, South and Emerging/Central zone makes logical sense,” Mayor McDonald said. Towns in the North zone will include Jondaryan, Oakey, Goombungee, Hampton, Crows Nest, Maclagan, Cooyar, Yarraman and surrounds of these. The South zone will include Pittsworth, Greenmount, Nobby, Clifton, Cecil Plains, Millmerran and surrounds of these. While the Emerging/Central zone will include Toowoomba as well as Cabarlah, Highfields, Meringandan, Kingsthorpe, Gowrie Junction, Westbrook, Wyreema, Cambooya and surrounds of these. “Deputy Mayor Cr Rebecca Vonhoff and myself will be available across all areas to support Councillors in each zone. There are quite often multiple community activities or events spread across our vast region on the same day, and in some cases the same time.  “The community have been calling for more meaningful engagement, and Councillors are committed to giving this new model a red hot go.  “At the end of the day, the success of this model falls squarely at the feet of Councillors. This is our way to look, listen and learn from the local residents across all our townships. After three years, every Councillor should be better known by residents and every Councillor will be better informed when we deliberate over our budget each year.” Councillors have been allocated as follows: North Zone - 2025 2026 2027 Cr Kerry Shine Cr Edwina Farquhar Cr Bill Cahill Cr James O’Shea Cr Tim McMahon Cr Melissa Taylor Cr Carol Taylor Cr Gary Gardiner Cr Trevor Manteufel       South Zone - 2025 2026 2027 Cr Gary Gardiner Cr Bill Cahill Cr James O’Shea Cr Trevor Manteufel Cr Melissa Taylor Cr Tim McMahon Cr Edwina Farquhar Cr Carol Taylor Cr Kerry Shine       Emerging Zone – 2025 2026 2027 Cr Melissa Taylor Cr Kerry Shine Cr Edwina Farquhar Cr Bill Cahill Cr James O’Shea Cr Gary Gardiner Cr Tim McMahon Cr Trevor Manteufel Cr Carol Taylor         Map of new Toowoomba Region Councillor Engagement Model   Photo Caption: Toowoomba Region Mayor Geoff McDonald with members of the Yarraman Bowls Club at the ‘Rosalie Fours’ bowls event last weekend. Councillor attendance at events like this will be a key component of the strengthened regional engagement model from 2025.