Steering the ship for the new Golden Plains Shire Council will be Helena Kirby, stepping into the mayoral role for the second time.
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Cr Kirby is hoping for a more collaborative and inclusive council, with residents from Haddon in the shire's north to booming Bannockburn in the south feeling like their voices are being heard equally.
Golden Plains is facing several of the same challenges other semi-rural councils are dealing with - the pandemic has accelerated growth which means infrastructure needs to keep up, while also devastating businesses.
There are some big developments on the horizon, however - as well as pushing forward with 25 projects big and small across the shire, helping stimulate employment during the pandemic recovery, enormous wind farms are either under construction or about to be.
For Cr Kirby, the focus must be on the residents.
Last year, the council began a wide-ranging consultation process on its 2040 plan, which is yet to go before the new council.
HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW
There were also about 2000 submissions on a controversial change to Local Law No.2 - as well as setting out rules for rubbish dumping and roadsides, some residents were angered by proposed changes to the number of animals allowed on properties, and the use of motorbikes in daylight hours.
Debate on the changes is expected to return to council by March.
Cr Kirby said there needs to be more of this engagement - the council's first order of business will be drafting a four-year council plan, which is also open for consultation.
"I'd really like to see the people working in the offices connecting with people out in the shire - it's such a big area, there's 1700 kilometres of roads - and if we can do that, it means people don't have to travel all the way to Bannockburn, especially if they live in Smythesdale, or Haddon, or Napoleons, those sorts of areas," she said.
"We're un-subdivided - if you're a councillor in Bannockburn, we want to make sure they're going down to Napoleons and Grenville and Dereel, all those areas.
"What we're planning on doing is going out to the smaller towns and trying to get average people to come along, have a chat and a coffee with us.
HEAR FROM OTHER MAYORS
"Sometimes you concentrate too much on the bigger towns, we want to get to the rural areas."
While Bannockburn has grown by about 8.5 per cent in the past 12 months, Cr Kirby added there has also been about 4 per cent growth in the northern towns which border Ballarat.
Considering Ballarat's massive growth to its southwest, this growth could be advantageous for Golden Plains residents, Cr Kirby said.
"I think it works well together - as their infrastructure moves down, they bring water and sewerage," she said.
"In our townships, we had one program in the past in Smythesdale with sewerage connected, and in Bannockburn, but the rest of the shire doesn't have sewerage connections.
"As Ballarat moves down closer, they bring that with them."
Another priority will be attracting more businesses to the shire, and thus more employment - but Cr Kirby said while the shire will support businesses as much as it can, "people want to keep it a rural shire".
"If they want to, they can live in Ballarat or Geelong or Melbourne, but they move here for that beautiful rural lifestyle," she said.
"It's about accommodating those people, but also there's the challenges of keeping the roads well-kept and maintained - they move out here, it might be a gravel road, then their expectations go up - 'why can't I have a sealed road?'
"Those sorts of expectations are going to be very hard to keep up with.
IN THE NEWS
"We've been very fortunate with the state government - the amount of grants we've had in the last few years has been really good, and especially through COVID as well.
"In the next 12 months we'll have 25 projects on the go, which is amazing for Golden Plains Shire.
"If we can get all those projects off the ground, it'll keep local people employed, regional people out of the Central Highlands or Geelong region, and just keep the employment continuing."
READ THE FULL INTERVIEW BELOW
ON STANDING FOR MAYOR
"This is my second term as mayor, I've been a councillor for 13 years, this is my fourth term.
"I think the last couple of years, there has been a bit of adversity out in the community, they were looking for someone who could step up into the role and bring everyone back together again, and be part of the community.
"It's bringing council together in partnership with the community.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
"I brought that forward as part of our council plan for the next four years, it actually hasn't come back to the table yet, but I'd really like to see the people working in the offices connecting with people out in the shire.
"It's such a big area, there's 1700 kilometres of roads.
"If we can do that, it means people don't have to travel all the way to Bannockburn, especially if they live in Smythesdale, or Haddon, or Napoleons, those sorts of areas.
"It's getting the councillors out in the community as well, because we're un-subdivided - if you're a councillor in Bannockburn, we want to make sure they're going down to Napoleons and Grenville and Dereel, all those areas - you're still representing them.
"Last year we did our community engagement with the shire, that was a vision to 2040, a 20 year range.
"We took that out to the community, they came back with their ideas and aspirations, and we put them into four different priorities - liveability, community, prosperity, and sustainability.
"Now that we have those four themes, we're bringing them out to the community in the council plan, and we want their ideas in each of those areas, and what we can do for them in the next four years.
"There's something to reference back to - when thinking through ideas, you might think, 'how could I prosper living in the shire?'
"For example, for youth, they might need more employment.
"We don't have a huge range of shops and businesses in the shire, but maybe it's advocating for them to get employment in Ballarat and Geelong, that also helps.
"Since we've amalgamated, we're standing on our own two feet, and we have to make sure we provide services for our residents.
"What we're planning on doing is going out to the smaller towns and trying to get average people to come along, have a chat and a coffee with us
"Sometimes you concentrate too much on the bigger towns, we want to get to the rural areas.
"It might be something little, and sometimes you get positive feedback, which is even better.
"You have to be positive, I think it makes a big difference to the people around you as well.
LOCAL LAW NO.2
"I think it's settled down a little bit, but only because it hasn't come to council yet.
"We'll do our strategic planning, get our new councillors on-board, go through what happened before we went to election and fill them in on what's happening in that space.
"We had about 2000 rejections to it, but some people don't want motorbikes next door.
"It's going to be a very hard issue, we need to make a compromise between the two.
"We'll go through that with the new councillor group and bring it to the table in March.
CORONAVIRUS RECOVERY
"Now that businesses are starting to open up again and people are starting to get their feet on the ground, I think it's going to be slow for the first four or five months.
"Let's see what happens when the payments stop coming through to some of the workers who have been paid while they've been unemployed.
"We need to advocate for more businesses in our shire, and we'll do what we can to help new businesses set up.
"There are also a lot of home-based businesses in the shire - from a plumber to trucking, for example - and at the end of the day, we'll do everything we can do accommodate them and make sure business is growing, because that's what we need in Victoria, and Australia.
"The pubs really copped it badly as well.
CHALLENGES
"People want to keep it a rural shire.
"If they want to, they can live in Ballarat or Geelong or Melbourne, but they move here for that beautiful rural lifestyle.
"It's about accommodating those people, but also there's the challenges of keeping the roads well-kept and maintained.
"They move out here, it might be a gravel road, then their expectations go up - 'why can't I have a sealed road?'
"Those sorts of expectations are going to be very hard to keep up with.
"We've been very fortunate with the state government - the amount of grants we've had in the last few years has been really good, and especially through COVID as well.
"In the next 12 months we'll have 25 projects on the go, which is amazing for Golden Plains Shire.
"If we can get all those projects off the ground, it'll keep local people employed, regional people out of the Central Highlands or Geelong region, and just keep the employment continuing.
GRANTS
"At the end of the day, it goes by numbers.
"You're working with the state and federal governments, and they want to know the numbers, and what the benefit is - for example, how many jobs would be created if we opened up a swimming centre or another piece of community infrastructure, like upgrading a library or opening a new one in Smythesdale, say.
"We try and focus on what the community want, and if we can deliver, that's a bonus.
"So if we can get bigger grants, that helps as well, because it means it can go to bigger towns, like Smythesdale, so we can focus on our council money being directed into smaller towns, and that's worked really well in the past.
ROADS
"We have a list now, where we can turn around and go out to the communities, to tell them which areas will be graded and when.
"At the same time, all of them think VicRoads roads are our roads.
"We've got three B-grade roads, the highways, and they're the ones that always need work done, they have an enormous amount of traffic on them.
"We have to get it out there that they're not our roads, they're VicRoads' roads.
"The community comes back with the feedback and they think they're our roads, but they're not.
"It's about us, and this includes when you're mayor, advocating to politicians that we need more investment in these roads, because they are pretty bad.
"You get a few potholes, and it costs a lot of money for people to repair their cars if they're tearing out rims or tyres.
WIND FARMS
"At the moment, the Mount Mercer one is up and running, the Berrybank one is halfway completed.
"Out of that money, we've had a million dollars invested in the shire, which is fantastic - it's money we didn't have and money we didn't have to ask for from the government, and we've been leveraging that money for other government grants, which is what we've been doing.
"Berrybank's right in a very large farming community, and at the moment they're going through the process of directing the funds to the locals.
"It could be scholarships or entrepreneurships, but some of the smaller towns - Linton, Smythesdale, Scarsdale - they'll have street upgrades done in those townships.
"I do believe there are some issues with sound and noise, and we have to weigh it up - we have to make sure we're not all one-sided, we have to make sure we're looking after both sides, people who are for and against wind farms.
"The one at Rokewood will be starting up at the end of this year and that will be massive for the township, and the surrounding townships.
"The shops are going to benefit as well, there will be so many more people coming into the shire for these works.
"You're looking at 700 people on the ground, and a lot of locals will be employed.
"It's servicing the whole region, with specialists coming out of Geelong and Ballarat - it's getting the whole region working.
"I've also heard of that many AirBnBs going up around the shire now.
"They're all done through the internet so you don't really see it face-to-face, but apparently there are a lot out there which are getting people from Melbourne coming into the shire to spend their money.
"Whether it's for tourism or for workers for when they come into the shire, there will be more places for them to reside in the shire.
"Even with hotels being closed, a lot of have had major renovations done - even though it's been very hard for them to close, they've been able to spend time on their businesses and repaint, or put in a new garden to get ready for music to come back.
GROWTH
"The amount of growth coming into the shire is great.
"In the northern end, we've had a four per cent increase, and Bannockburn's looking at 8.5 per cent.
"That's in the last year, since 2019.
"People are moving to the outskirts near Ballarat, where they want more of the lifestyle.
"In Bannockburn, at this end of the shire, there's 18,000 new residents - it's crazy when you think of how many people are moving in.
"It's just so close to Melbourne, and there's the coast.
"We've got 24,000 residents in the shire, and that should increase to about 40,000 by 2050.
"We're planning for it, that's for sure - we've finished the Northern Settlements strategy, and with all that, through Cambrian Hill, Ross Creek, and Smythesdale, it's all been looked at.
"Once the residents are ready to move in, there'll be more space on the outskirts of Ballarat - it's joining up, it's crazy.
"I think it works well together - as their infrastructure moves down, they bring water and sewerage.
"In our townships, we had one program in the past in Smythesdale with sewerage connected, and in Bannockburn, but the rest of the shire doesn't have sewerage connections.
"As Ballarat moves down closer, they bring that with them.
"We're probably lucky - in Cambrian Hill, there's land up for auction at the moment.
"It makes it easier for our northern end."
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