2021-02-09 Services & Organisation Committee Meeting Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                9 FEBRUARY 2021


Recommended Online Approach
Council currently utilises the Your Say Noosa platform via its website for a range of community
engagement solutions. This platform allows information to be disseminated via a web page view,
and offers survey/ polling options to engage with the community on particular issues.
The Your Say platform allows additional licencing of its participatory budgeting tool for a minimal
cost. This tool (screenshot below) can be used to engage the community regarding Council’s
budget, and allow a resident / ratepayer to sit in a Councillor’s shoes to recommend spending
priorities and ensure that the budget is balanced by either increasing revenue or reducing
spending in other areas. It is recommended that the ‘balance the budget’ participatory tool be
used as both an educational tool for the community on how Council’s budgeting process works,
and to also help Council to understand whether the spending priorities of users aligns with
Council’s current and future spending priorities. Any significant funding misalignment can then be
explored and understood as part of the budget process.




Recommended Face to Face Approach
Face to face interaction as part of the budget process is important, particularly for those residents
and ratepayers without access to online tools. Whilst face to face engagement has occurred in
the past with specific elements of the community (i.e. business associations for special levy
development etc.) broader face to face opportunities have not occurred.
The preferred face to face approach for the 2021/22 budget process is as follows:
1.   Two initial Councillor led half day sessions to allow residents to meet with Councillors to
     discuss their budget priorities. The sessions would be 30 minutes in length, and be by prior
     appointment to ensure that time is productively used. Feedback would be documented and
     then considered during the broader budget deliberation process.
2.    Face to face support for those residents / ratepayers that require assistance in
      understanding specific budget issues or completing the online ‘balance the budget’
      participatory tool. Those residents keen to contribute to the process and requiring support
      will be encouraged to contact Council and book a time to attend a Council facility where
      staff will be available to assist with discussing particular issues and also completing the
      online tool.
It is proposed that for the initial budget consultation process the face to face approaches above

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