FAQs

The Community Roads Funding Reference Group will allow community representatives, Mitchell Shire Councillors and Council officers to come together to discuss, develop and contribute to roads strategies and initiatives. 

This work is aimed at increasing the available funding to the Mitchell Shire’s local road network, the State Government’s road network and the Federal Government’s arterial road network.

The reference group will comprise of Council officers (Engineers/Major Projects, Parks and Operations, Advocacy and Community Services and research), eight independent community representatives and two Mitchell Shire Councillors.

The group will serve for an initial term of 12-months. Following the initial year, members will join the Reference Group for two-year terms.

The role of the Community Roads Funding Reference Group will assist Council in identifying and implementing of advocacy strategies which encourage increased funding towards local infrastructure from the state and federal governments.

The group, made up of community advocates, will:

• Provide an additional channel for Mitchell Shire Council to support and advocate on strategies and initiatives.
• This group will be able to provide an additonal channel for Council to support, provide feedback and advocate to increase availabe funding to both the Shire's road network as well as state and federally controleld arterial networks.

No. The group is not a decision-making body and will perform an advisory and consultative role. While the Reference Group will be important to roads funding discussions, the group will not be involved in:

• Budgetary and/or strategic documentation for Council consideration.
• Setting operational maintenance or renewal regimes or priorities.
• Prioritisation of strategic road projects;
• Advocate for or against maintenance or upgrading of individual roads
• Make programming or budgeting decisions.
• Make decisions on behalf of Council.

The Reference Group’s activities will compliment Council’s advocacy strategies for increased funding for road maintenance and road safety.

Our community members have extensive knowledge in roads, how they are used and what we need for the future planning of Mitchell Shire. Local knowledge is crucial to the decisions we make. We are growing at a rapid rate and bringing people together to discuss the high-level projects throughout our entire municipality. We need to proactively fit out our region with improved roads infrastructure before we are left retroactively responding to concerns in the decades ahead.

The Reference Group will be tasked with high level projects. We have a dedicated roads team at Mitchell Shire Council who are always working to improve Council-managed roads. We are regularly working with government bodies like VicRoads to ensure roads we use everyday are managed. The Reference Group is looking towards the future of our community.

We are looking for people with expertise and experience. The people who join the Reference Group will need:

• A keen interest in the ongoing financial management of Council’s road infrastructure;
• A keen interest in local advocacy;
• Specialist knowledge and experience in the above interests is desirable but not essential;
• A balanced mix of skills, experience, views and attributes to complement other members of the Reference group;
• So far as is practical, an even geographical representation from across the Shire among members.
• Capacity to regularly attend and participate in Reference group meetings and activities as scheduled;
• Capacity to attend and participate in meetings with elected representative from all tiers of government to promote advocacy efforts; and
• Live, work or own land within the municipality