CUTBACKS: Council will review community committees.
ORANGE City Council may cut the number of community committees as part of a review into the structure of the 32 consultative bodies.
Councillors will be briefed about the committees’ future at a meeting next month and will drive what changes need to happen for the four year term of council.
Cultural Heritage Committee member Scott Gilbank said many of the committees were “completely disfunctional”.
“They are very spasmodic in meeting, and while they do have some sort of structure ... they could do with a lot more rigidity and purpose,” he said.
“Some of the communities are formed just because this is what they’re supposed to do.”
He said the heritage committee started strong but lost it’s way and “got a bit wobbly” with few meetings.
“I think some should be amalgamated,” he said.
But fellow heritage committee member Charlie Everett disagreed - he called for the council to make meetings monthly instead of quarterly so they can have more input into council meetings.
He said a number of committees was culled when councillor John Davis became mayor including the tourism committee.
“We need more general input into tourism,” he said.
“The more input from people we can get the better I feel.”
Council spokesman Nick Redmond said community engagement was a requirement from the state government.
All positions were thrown open after the council election.
“You’ve got council making decisions and the community and their expectations and between these two things the committee structures,” he said.
“The review is making sure we’ve got the flow through.”
Councillor Neil Jones was the former chair of the Environmental Sustainability and Tree Sustainability committees and also held posts on about seven other committees.
“I certainly think there should be a review of the success and otherwise of the committees,” he said.
“There were some that were for a specific purpose and I’m not sure they need to continue.”
Cr Jones said the council needed to get the right mix.
“The committees are the way in which we are able to be transparent to the community and offer them an opportunity for involvement,” he said.
“It’s really up to the community how they respond.”
Mr Gilbank said the council should be more structured with who they invite to join the committees looking at the background and record of the members.
“It’s a battle to get the right people to join the committees,” he said.
“There are a certain amount of people who think ‘I’ll have a go’ and some people who say ‘what’s the point I’ll come along and bash my head against the brick wall’ so they keep away from it.”
Council will call for new members for all committees in October.