In what is believed to be a first for Victorian Local Government, Surf Coast Shire has used a citizens’ jury to recommend actions about how Council manages roads, stormwater drainage and roadside vegetation in one of its townships, Aireys Inlet.
A 12 member jury sat for three days in July.
Members were selected to match the profile of the general community, covering age, gender, and permanent or non permanent resident status.
Council’s Community Planning and Development Coordinator, Chad Foulkes, said jury members heard from a range of expert witnesses, including the local catchment management authority, neighbourhood groups, Council Officers and engineers.
“Once the jury had heard a range of views and visited sites in question, they developed an informal report, which was presented to Councillors,” he said.
“The report included a range of principles and guidelines as to how road and drain related issues should be managed in the future.
“Councillors then had the opportunity to respond to the report and ask questions of the jury.”
Council will now use the findings as a key decision making tool when determining future work on roads and drainage in Aireys Inlet.
Surf Coast Councillor, Libby Mears, has advocated strongly for community engagement as a way for Council to do business.
She said it has been very rewarding to be part of the steering group that designed this community engagement process.
“It clearly acknowledges and values community expertise alongside technical expertise in addressing a complex issue,” she said.
“The outcomes described by the participants are very important, and I believe these outcomes will have a lasting and positive impact on these community members and on the broader community as a whole.”
Surf Coast Mayor, Councillor Rose Hodge, said the juries should be seen as complementing, not replacing, existing consultation and decision making processes.
“The jury is not a replacement for elected representatives, nor a substitute for existing community involvement processes,” she said. “Rather it will assist Councillors to make informed decisions.”
“When juries have been used elsewhere, they typically provide considered and moderate recommendations that successfully blend competing claims and help reconcile groups holding differing points of view.”
Council is now looking to use the juries for other issues as they arise.
For further information contact Chad Foulkes on (03) 5261 0698.
