IT'S the end of a very long year for our local leaders.
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As we reflect on the last 12 months of tense debate and tough decision-making on some of our region's most fiercely debated issues, it is perhaps what continues to be not said that says the most about how our team of councillors have worked together.
In September 2020 Port Macquarie-Hastings will go to the polls and vote in a new cohort of local government representatives, including a popularly elected mayor.
After a year of community anxiety over big issues from the verbosely debated orbital road issue to the ongoing concern over the health of the Lake Cathie-Lake Innes waterway, it is safe to say voters will go to the polls with an agenda for action.
So to will our councillor candidates - some returning for another crack at leadership, against a line up new faces.
Regardless of why an individual would choose to be a councillor, and to be honest who would given the amount of uninformed 'council bashing' many people feel they're entitled to dish out, it's important to remember the decision-making follows a process.
Councillors must read reports and be across all the facts on an issue before casting a vote. They must understand the boundaries of legislation (or come informed and armed with facts if challenging them), and they must have conversations with council staff, the relevant authorities and experts, the community they represent and each other.
And whether or not you like or agree with the decisions of your councillors, it is that process that should govern the final outcome for the sake of transparency and the truth. Not hype, emotion or personal agenda.
Cr Justin Levido alluded to the role and responsibilities of councillors at the December meeting with a somewhat amusing analogy about The Muppets.
He asked his colleagues - "Is this council a Muppet Show?" after Mayor Peta Pinson suggested they consider "exploring" moving the monthly meeting time to working hours because the night meetings are dragging well into the evening.
Cr Pinson suggested day time meetings would be a great way to engage young people in local government. Other councillors, including Cr Levido and Cr Turner, were concerned it would prevent a larger portion of the community, and potential new councillors, from participating in the process of local government decision making.
"It is a long work day for those of us who work all day and the people who come and watch the business of council," Cr Pinson said.
She agreed the community should be consulted on any change to meeting times.
"This is not just about meetings length or time but more holistically about bringing the community along the local government ride. It will be interesting to see what comes back from community consultation on this."
It then quickly became a broader debate about how well they were working together.
"The Muppet Show had a successful a spin-off show - the person who hosted it was Kermit the Frog and he had the rest of the Muppets alongside him and a star. The show revolved around that star," said Cr Levido in challenging the mayor.
"When I read the mayor's proposal, there are probably people out there who think that we run council like the Muppet Show. We need to stop this.
"What concerns me about the mayor's proposal is that we need to clearly understand that council meetings are not a public spectacle.
"It is a business meeting of council - the public is able to attend.
"It's critically important we focus on getting the best people to be councillors. Council needs to be best served by councillors with the greatest commitment.
"If we have meetings on a work day - if you knock 9 to 5 workers out of that group who may want to run for council (as a councillor) - it is a worry.
"We don't put barriers in place to stop people running for council."
Cr Alley said council needs to have a discussion about how efficiently it is running its meetings, how meetings occur and how other councils approach them.
Cr Hawkins said council needs to focus on process and agrees with Cr Alley's recommendation.
"Why are meetings going on longer and longer? Cr Turner came up with some fascinating information," Cr Hawkins said.
"Of the 79 council meetings covered, 13 of them were longer than four hours, three were longer than five hours. The rest were shorter than that - what is the problem we are trying to solve? It gives us the opportunity to discuss it and find out what the real problem is so we can function in a more efficient way," Cr Hawkins said.
Cr Turner said the debate was not about meeting times at all.
"Council meetings are to formalise decisions of council. The fact the public is welcome to attend is an just an unusual situation. We need to look at how we make the best decisions," he said.
Council meeting times are set until December 2020.
General manager Craig Swift-McNair will reconsider the matter in March.
Council will also start live-streaming its monthly meetings to the public when it returns for business in 2020.
And if you are one of those people who think council could do a better job, then put your hand up and run in the September 2020 local government election.
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