Council election weekend has just passed for many parts of NSW but the residents in this newly minted MidCoast Council area must wait another twelve months to have their say.
Meanwhile, at its meeting held last month, the one-person MidCoast Council set down the Ordinary Council Meeting dates for the next 12 months - until the elected Council members take up their roles. As has been the practice from May until now, the locations for these meetings will cycle between Taree, Gloucester and Forster.
Isn't that good you might think? They are sharing the burden of traveling. And it may indeed be good if you wish to speak at a Council meeting and you happen to live in the northern parts of the new Council area.
But what if you live on the Council's southern perimeter, in North Arm Cove, Bundabah, Pindimar, Hawks Nest or Tea Gardens, and wish to address a meeting of Council? Well, each of the three locations (Taree, Gloucester and Forster) will require an 80 minute journey. Any which way you will have a bit of a trip. That 80 minutes is longer than the time it takes to travel to Gloucester for the folk from either Taree or Forster.
Wouldn't it be nice if, perhaps even once a year, an Ordinary Council Meeting could occur a bit closer to us, if not Tea Gardens perhaps Bulahdelah? Is that too much to ask?
I attended a meeting in Tea Gardens organised by someone from Council on Friday last. She related how she had been questioned by others at Council as to why we hadn't been told to attend the Forster meeting held earlier in the week. Those attending Friday's meeting really appreciated her understanding! Sadly that understanding is not shared by many.
