JOB creation has emerged as the number one priority of Latrobe City Council as part of its vision for the next four years.
The Draft Council Plan 2013-2017 sets out five key themes for the region’s future, the first being job creation and economic sustainability.
“For a person to want a future in any place, job security plays a pivotal role and this council believes we need to pursue opportunities and businesses that could come to Latrobe City to provide jobs,” Latrobe City mayor Sandy Kam said.
Improved economic management also features heavily in the plan, with council committing to keeping rate increases low and taking a new approach to debt.
“Sometimes you need to borrow more money earlier to bring a project to fruition, because if you wait, the cost of that project could increase dramatically,” Cr Kam said.
Residents wanting to build or develop would be better catered to under the plan as part of an attempt to reduce the time it takes to process planning permit applications.
Cr Kam said council would look into what resources would be needed to make the planning process more efficient.
Within the plan is a commitment to provide “open, transparent and accountable governance”, which Cr Kam said equated to providing more information to the community in areas the council perhaps had not in the past.
“The whole idea is we’ve been voted in by the community and we need to be accountable to the community and the only way we can do that is if they know what’s going on,” she said.
Over the next four years council will also seek to improve the “visual attractiveness” of entrances to all towns by advocating to VicRoads and Vic Track.
“A theme in the community is a pride in their towns,” Cr Kam said.
“Last summer people were concerned about high grasses on land and the fire danger.
“We all need to have a certain standard and maintain that standard… we want to make sure we make a good first impression when people visit.”
The Draft Council Plan 2013-2017 can be viewed at www.latrobe.vic.gov.au/haveasay and Latrobe City service centres.
