Councillor Geoff Wise, assets and infrastructure director Sarah Stephen and Cr Neil Gorey listening to community member Mike Bourden (second from right).
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
Moama residents took the opportunity to raise local concerns and speak directly with Murray River Council councillors during a community meet-and-greet.
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The informal session gave residents the chance to discuss issues ranging from infrastructure and roads to the future direction of council.
Moama resident Bill Worley came along the session on July 14 to get a better handle on how council works and to put forward concerns about infrastructure in his rapidly expanding neighbourhood.
“We've got a brand-new estate that I moved into three years ago, and I wanted to talk about issues regarding the estate and the infrastructure, things like water pressure,” he said.
Mr Worley was also interested in hearing about council’s long-term vision.
“I think it’s important to have a target, not only where you’re going, but how you’re going to get there,” he said.
“I came down to find out the ins and outs of what our council does and how they support their constituents.”
He said meeting councillors in person helped residents better understand who was representing them.
“I think it’s important because you need to know who is representing you and what they can bring to council,” he said.
“Moama is growing very quickly, and I think the infrastructure needs to be right to support that growing population.”
Fellow resident Mike Bourden made the trip specifically to push for action on the deteriorating condition of a road running behind Moama Anglican Grammar School.
He said ongoing construction work had rendered the road effectively impassable, even though it serves as a critical secondary exit for residents in the surrounding area.
“It’s the only second exit from Cobb Haven, but it’s so bad you can’t use it,” Mr Bourden said.
“I wrote to council last year about the state of the road and never received a reply.”
Murray River Council gave community members a chance to chat to councillors and staff in an informal setting.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
Mayor John Harvie explained the community sessions came about after council moved away from holding formal meetings across different towns, largely due to the expense of live-streaming technology.
“Instead, we take our workshops around the villages and towns and invite members of the public to come along and meet their councillors and have a chat,” he said.
Cr Harvie conceded that daytime sessions did not suit everybody, but noted that evening meetings posed real logistical challenges given the distances some councillors needed to travel.
He encouraged residents to use the sessions to discuss local issues or raise concerns about their experiences with council.
“We’re always trying to improve our customer service and always trying to meet the needs of our community,” he said.
Cr Harvie added that the sessions gave council staff the opportunity to link residents straight to the relevant officers for their specific concerns, making it far more likely those issues would actually be addressed.
“It’s good from the point of view that if you come to things like this and meet the councillors, you become familiar with who they are,” he said.
“You probably feel less worried about giving them a call.”
Cr Harvie encouraged residents who were unable to attend the sessions to contact council directly.
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