WHAT local services do Cabonne residents value most, and how much are they willing to spend to maintain them?
Those are among the questions Cabonne’s councillors and municipal staff will put to communities across the municipality as part of its Future Ready initiative.
The long-term consultation process is seeking to give residents information about council’s financial position, the services it currently provides, and the costs associated with maintaining them, before seeking community input into future service and financial decisions.
Municipal staff and councillors are seeking to improve long-term financial and service forecasting over a 10-to-20-year horizon to better anticipate community needs and associated expenses, according to acting general manager Matthew Christensen.
He also said residents and ratepayers will gain clearer insight into these details during the upcoming Future Ready engagement sessions.
“We need the community’s input of what they would like us to do if they like us to continue on that path, down to discrete services, what they’d like us to see increase, maintain, or drop, and how much those services are they willing to pay for and by how much,” he said.
Mr Christensen said council plans to detail its current operations, including existing services, works programs, and underlying financials, prior to exploring future options.
The discussion could consider potential reduced funding models and what changes council and the community may need to make in response to rising costs and financial pressures.
Mr Christensen said a central element of these discussions will involve identifying which areas residents wish for council to prioritise.
The Future Ready sessions are planned to run for the next 12 months, with Mr Christensen saying the consultation is an ongoing process rather than a single event.
He also said the feedback will help council understand community expectations before decisions are made about future finances and service delivery.
“It’s most certainly necessary from a council point of view in that they need to understand what the constituency is after, and they want to make informed decisions going forward in the best interest of the community,” he said.
Given that Cabonne comprises a number of towns and villages with varying priorities, the consultation process must balance localised demands with the broader objectives of the Shire.
Although Mr Christensen acknowledges the distinct identity of each local community, he also highlighted the necessity of evaluating all the priorities collectively.
“We certainly celebrate the diversity of all of our villages, but at the end of the day, we are one Cabonne,” he said.
Seeking to provide equal access to all residents and ratepayers is a key consideration for municipal staff and councillors, Mr Christensen said.
As part of the Future Ready process people will be asked to consider individual services alongside the broader financial position of the Shire.
Issues like what services should the council maintain or expand, what could potentially be reduced, and how much is the community willing to pay for what it values, will be at the forefront of discussions.
Mr Christensen said the answers to those questions will remain central to the Future Ready process, as Cabonne Council staff develop a long-term financial and service strategy.
Currently community members can share their views via Cabonne Council’s Have Your Say platform, and at upcoming consultation sessions, with additional avenues for input continuing over the next year.