BYRON SHIRE COUNCIL
14.1 - Attachment 2
DRAFT Community Roundtable Protocol
1. Definition - Byron Shire ‘Community Group’
A formal group of at least 10 members, who reside within Byron Shire local
government area and represent a broad range of interests.
2. Purpose
The purpose of the Community Roundtable is to:
2.1 provide a medium for sharing information and knowledge to gain an understanding of differing perspectives and interests;
2.2 improve the level of understanding between community groups regarding the competing demands for improved infrastructure and services within the Byron LGA.
2.3 enable community groups to participate in planning ‘whole of shire’ future strategic direction for communities, services and Council and prioritise outcomes.
2.4 enable Council to update the group on strategic initiatives and future state and local government direction.
2.5 access community group connections to share information more broadly.
2.6 enable Councillors to listen to community groups.
2.7 give Council confidence to act on its legislative and regulatory power in dealings with the state government
3. Structure
The Community Roundtable:
3.1 will be chaired by Byron Shire Council Mayor or his/her delegate.
3.2 is open to all Byron Shire Councillors to attend.
3.3 will be attended by the General Manager (or his delegate), the Director Infrastructure Services, Director Corporate and Community Services, Director Sustainable Environment and Economies, Executive Manager Organisational Development and relevant staff.
3.4 will meet every three months at alternating locations within Byron Shire.
3.5 has one nominated spokesperson from each community group to speak on behalf of the group. This can be rotated.
3.6 operates on the basis of consensus and information exchange rather than on a binding vote.
4. Agenda
In the interest of access, transparency, equity and timeliness:
4.1 Byron Shire Council will request Agenda items two weeks prior to the scheduled meeting.
4.2 The Agenda will be emailed one week prior to the scheduled meeting.
4.3 Byron Shire Council has the option of presenting Agenda items at each meeting.
4.4 Each community group can submit up to two Agenda items; however, due to the number of Agenda items received, it may not be possible to consider all items at the meeting.
4.5 Community group submitted agenda items are considered a priority and are encouraged to be ‘shire-wide’ and broad in nature.
5. Conduct
Everyone in attendance must:
5.1 treat each other with respect at all times.
5.2 not harass, discriminate against, or support others who harass and discriminate against colleagues or members of the public. This includes, but is not limited to harassment and discrimination on the grounds of sex, pregnancy, age, race, responsibilities as a carer, marital status, disability, homosexuality, transgender grounds or if a person has an infectious disease.