In April, traffic blackspots, community improvements and places with tourism potential came under the spotlight at Logan, when the recently elected Council and senior executives toured the new City.
Located in southeast Queensland, Logan more than tripled in area, adding 78,400 people to its population, following major changes to Queensland Local Government, which took effect in March. Council took on a large section of the now dissolved Shire of Beaudesert, as well as the Beenleigh-Eagleby suburban area, which was previously part of Gold Coast City Council.
With budget talks having started on 30 April, Councillors were keen to get an overview of the entire City. Covering a lot of ground, they visited areas from Woodridge to Cornubia, Beenleigh to Jimboomba, and countless places in between.
Discussion on board the tour bus and with residents was centred on providing the best services to the City’s 261,000 residents.
“It was certainly an eye opener for many of the returned Logan Councillors and new Councillors coming into Logan,” said Logan Mayor, Councillor Pam Parker.
Travelling by bus, each divisional Councillor took the microphone as the bus toured their division.
“This gave us an understanding of the issues that each Councillor has in their division and allowed us to comprehend the size of the City and the magnitude of infrastructure issues for our future budgets,” Mayor Parker said.
She said that local residents she engaged with on the tour seemed pleased to see Councillors taking an interest in the new Logan.
With Council keen to increase its focus on environmental and tourism issues, the tour itinerary included an old Council owned Butter Factory, the Beenleigh Historical Museum, the Daisy Hill Koala Sanctuary and Eagleby Wetlands, as well as several libraries, community centres, and waste transfer stations. The tour also included a brief stop at the newly completed Cedar Grove Weir, which was funded by the Queensland Government to secure water supplies for residents and businesses in the region.
“We couldn’t visit all 63 suburbs in one day, but we saw some of the City, enabling Councillors and senior executives to have a grasp of the enormity of the task ahead,” the Mayor said. “The next four years are going to be vital for planning."
