PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT COUNCIL MEETINGS

Members of the public have opportunities to participate in Council Meetings in a number of ways. Ordinary Council meetings are monthly - see Council Meeting Dates.

Observer

All members of the public are welcome to attend Council meetings as an observer.  Members of the public who attend in this capacity must not participate in the meeting. Public however are able to participate in the following ways:

Deputations & Submissions

With the permission of the Shire President, a member of the public can address the Council personally on behalf of a resident or group of residents. A deputation may relate to an item on a Council meeting agenda, or a matter concerning the affairs of the Shire generally.

Each deputation is normally allotted a period of ten to fifteen minutes, although again this period may be extended if required.

Requests for a deputation should be in writing addressed to: Attention: The Shire President C/- The Chief Executive Officer, PO Box 1145, Narrogin WA 6312 or email enquires@narrogin.wa.gov.au. Requests for a deputation must be received by the Chief Executive Officer before 12 noon on the Thursday before the next scheduled Council Meeting. Approval may be granted but is dependent upon other commitments and topic presented. A written summary may be requested prior to enable assessment of the presentation.

Public Question Time

Under the Act, Public Question Time occurs early in the meeting to allow members of the public to ask questions before the business of the agenda is dealt with.  The Shire welcomes questions at Council meetings subject to its adopted policy and procedures. Simply download a submission form, fill in your questions and submit to the Shire office by 4pm the day prior to the meeting. (Notice of questions allows officers time to research and provide an answer at the meeting).  Priority will be given to those questions relating to matters on the agenda and also those received on time. Questions can also be raised without notice at a Council meeting and staff can assist you with this process. For information about Public Question Time please see Policy No 1.4 - Public Question Time Management in the Shire's Policy Manual.

Public Question Time Submission form

Petitions

Written petitions can be addressed to Council on any issue within the Council’s jurisdiction. Petitions are tabled at the next available Council meeting and referred to the CEO for consideration and reporting. The guidelines for submitting a petition are as follows:

A petition is to be addressed to The Shire President and be made by electors of the district.  The request must be stated on each page of the petition and contain the names, addresses, signatures of the electors making the request, and the date each elector signed. It must contain a summary of the reasons for the request and state the name of the person who is coordinating the petition, and an address and contact details at which notice to the petitioners can be given.

Disturbances from Members of the Public

Any member of the public addressing or observing the Council meeting is to extend due courtesy and respect to the Council and the processes under which they operate and must take direction from the person presiding. Interrupting or interfering with proceedings may attract a penalty in line with Council’s Meeting Procedures Local Law 2016.