As part of the City of Palmerston Municipal Plan 2018/19, Council committed to preparing a Community Plan by the end of November 2018.

The Community Plan:

• sets a vision and priorities for Council over a ten-year period, ensuring that all parties are working towards agreed outcomes
• provides a long-term plan that goes beyond the four-year cycle of a Council
• contains success measures which provide guidance on how the organisation is tracking towards these goals, providing more accountability and transparency

The document will be informed by current and future documents, including the Long-Term Financial Plan, Community Infrastructure Plan, Economic Development Plan and Rating Strategy.

The draft Community Plan was developed in consultation with the Palmerston community. Council used an innovative process where a group of business owners, parents, young people, volunteers, professionals, tradespeople and retirees were given information and resources to make decisions and write the plan themselves. 

Having the community write the plan ensures that when Council makes decisions, Council is responding to the priorities and needs of the Palmerston community.

Please note: the Community Plan was previously referred to as the Strategic Plan. 

Consultation

The draft Community Plan was available for the broader community to review for a three-month period, from Wednesday 21 November 2018 to Thursday 28 February 2019.

Council adopted it's City of Palmerston Community Plan at its ordinary meeting on Tuesday 2 April 2019. 

Key documentation

Community Plan
Draft Community Plan

Timeline

9 August 2018: Workshop with the Elected Members to outline process and seek initial input. 
August/September 2018: Council recruited approximately 50 community members to participate in a forum to develop the Community Plan for Council. The forum was led by external company democracyCo. Nominations to be involved in the forum closed on Thursday 6 September. 
August/September 2018: Community-wide survey (including Forum participants) to provide ideas for and expectations of a Community Plan.  
8 October An Indigenous Leaders and Community Forum led by the Larrakia people provided ideas and aspirations which were presented to the Forum.
30 September 2018 (Forum Day 1): Forum group developed ideas, priority actions and initiatives about how to engage the community in the future. 
1 October 2018: Staff were encouraged to contribute to the process and also provide their advice on the workability of priority actions that emerge from the Forum. 
13 October 2018 (Forum Day 2): Participants' families were able to join in and work on outcomes so far. Invitations were extended to Palmerston and Rural Area Youth Group and local school students to attend. 
14 October 2018 (Forum Day 3): Participants finalised Mission Statements and strategic focus. 
15 October 2018: This workshop convened to agree on priority actions and measure of success. 
21 November 2018 (Council Meeting): Council completed the drafting of the Community Plan for public consultation. 
21 November 2018-28 February 2019: Three-month public submission period. 
March 2019 (Council Meeting): Council considers the draft Community Plan, with any recommended changes resulting from public consultation, for adoption.