Updated vision, plan documents on agenda for councillor roadshow sessions

BALLARAT councillors and officers are on the road to discuss the City’s revised Community Vision and draft Council Plan documents with residents.

‘Councillor Roadshow’ sessions began in March and will continue until September, but residents have until Friday 16 May to make a submission before the final plan and vision are considered at the June council meeting.

Dates and times for sessions are listed on the City’s Let’s Chat online forum.

The updated Community Vision 2025–2035 and the draft Council Plan 2025–2029 outline the City’s priorities for the next four years.

Development and ongoing review of council plans is a statutory requirement after each local government election. The Ballarat council’s draft document has been compiled over several months and has included a two-stage community engagement process in late 2024 and early this year.

That process also included a review and update of the 10-year Community Vision to ensure it remains relevant.

Both documents are open for review and feedback on the City’s mySay website.

City of Ballarat mayor Cr Tracey Hargreaves said the community engagement process was a valuable tool in developing the draft plan.

“We heard from more than 1700 Ballarat residents and a further 43 residents participated in the community panel,” Cr Hargreaves said.

“The insights provided through these channels showed us what our community’s priorities are and interestingly, how they have shifted.”

The Community Vision was first adopted in 2021 with a decade-long outlook. The revised edition now extends through to 2035 and specifies community safety as a priority, as well as working towards expanding the local economy and attracting a diverse range of industries.

“The draft Council Plan 2025–2029 outlines the steps council will take over the next four years to achieve the vision,” Cr Hargreaves said.

“It articulates very clearly what council will prioritise and balance to best support our community, and we look forward to working with and for our community as we bring this plan to life over the coming years.”