Council Meetings
Council holds monthly Ordinary Meetings. Western Downs Regional Council’s Ordinary and Special meeting agendas and minutes are available online. Alternatively, you can view previous years minutes by contacting Council.
Pursuant to the Local Government Regulation 2012, Council makes the agenda (excluding confidential items) for Ordinary or Special meetings publicly available by 5.00pm on the next business day after notice of meeting is given to Councillors. The unconfirmed minutes of each Ordinary or Special meeting must be available for inspection by the public, at a local government’s public office and on its website, within 10 days after the end of a meeting; and when the minutes have been confirmed must be made publicly available as soon as practicable after confirmation.
Council's Ordinary and Special meetings are open to the public as part of Council's commitment to transparent decision making and engagement with our community.
Ordinary Meetings are held at the regional Customer Services Centres on a rotational basis.
An area is made available at each Council meeting for members of the public to attend the meeting and as many people as can reasonably be accommodated in the area are able to attend the meeting.
The rules for conducting meetings are dictated by:-
Visitors must not interrupt the conduct of business at Council Meetings. If a person interrupts or obstructs the proper conduct of the meeting, the Chairperson of the meeting may ask the person to withdraw from the meeting place.
Recording from the gallery is prohibited unless first approved by the Chairperson of the meeting.
The Local Government Regulation 2012 allows Council meetings to be closed to the public to discuss particular matters if Council consider it necessary. Council resolutions (decisions) cannot be made while the meeting is closed to the public, the matter can only be discussed. Decisions must be made in open session. The reasons for which a Council meeting may be closed to the public are:
- the appointment, discipline or dismissal of the Chief Executive Officer
- industrial matters affecting employees
- the Council’s budget
- rating concessions
- legal advice obtained by the Council or legal proceedings involving the Council including, for example, legal proceedings that may be taken by or against the Council
- matters that may directly affect the health and safety of an individual or a group of individuals
- negotiations relating to a commercial matter involving the Council for which a public discussion would be likely to prejudice the interests of the Council
- negotiations relating to the taking of land by the Council under the Acquisition of Land Act 1967
- a matter the Council is required to keep confidential under a law of, or formal arrangement with, the Commonwealth or State.
- an investigation report given to the local government under Chapter 5A, Part 3, Division 5 of the Local Government Act 2009.
To deal with confidential agenda items, Council will resolve to go into a closed session which requires all visitors to vacate the meeting room until the meeting is again opened by Council resolution.
The community can engage with Council through our meeting processes in the following ways:-
Petitioning Council
A petition is a formal written request signed by ten (10) or more people that can be used to lobby Council.
Any petition presented to a meeting of the Council shall:-
- be in legible writing or typewritten and contain a minimum of ten (10) signatories;
- include the name and contact details of the principal petitioner (that is. the person who is the organiser and who will act as the key contact for the issue);
- include the postcode of all petitioners; and
- have the details of the specific request/matter appear on each page of the petition.
A petition may be presented to a meeting by a Councillor, the Chief Executive Officer or delegate who will read and state the nature of the petition or a member of the public, as part of a deputation.
Where a petition is presented to a meeting, no debate on or in relation to the petition shall be allowed, and the only motion which may be moved is that:-
- the petition be received and a report be brought back to Council; or
- the petition be received and no further action be taken.
Council will respond to the principal petitioner in relation to all petitions.
Deputations
Deputations are where an individual or a small group address Council on issues that are important to them. The address can be on any topic, it does not need to be in relation to an item on the Meeting agenda. Deputations from the public are welcome at Council's Ordinary Meetings. Speaking time is generally limited to 5 minutes.
If you wish to make a deputation to a Council meeting, please email info@wdrc.qld.gov.au, via post to PO Box 551, Dalby Q 4405 or call the Council Customer Service Centre. Applications must be received not less than seven (7) business days before the meeting unless otherwise determined by the Chief Executive Officer.