Council
Ordinary Meetings
Ordinary meetings of Council are held in the Council Chambers at 7pm on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Any changes to ordinary meeting dates are advertised locally, and meetings are open to all residents. Recommendations from the two Standing Committee meetings the week prior are considered and adopted as appropriate.
Public question time is held at the beginning and end of the meeting, where members of the public can ask questions of Council.
How Decisions are Made
Council will typically receive recommendations from its two Standing Committees, which meet a week prior to each Ordinary meeting of Council. Sometimes whole sets of recommendations are adopted at Full Council with very little discussion or debate. This is because the respective Standing Committees formulate their recommendations based on the receipt of Officer Reports, and subsequent discussion between Councillors, Officers and members of the community. Any further debate that may be required will take place at the Ordinary meeting of Council.
Committee recommendations should not be enacted until they are adopted as resolutions of full Council.
Standing Committees
Like Ordinary Council meetings, Standing Committee meetings are also open to the public and any person wishing to address the Committee on any matter in the agenda may do so by attending the relevant Committee at the advertised commencement time.
A community group or individual wishing to have a matter brought before Council should contact the Chief Executive Officer, two weeks prior to Standing Committee meeting, as agendas close on the second Monday of the month, one week prior to the meeting.
All Purpose Committee
Meetings of the All Purpose Committee are held in the Council Chambers, commencing 1pm on the third Tuesday of each month (except January).
The role of this Committee is to oversee and make recommendations to Council on:
- All aspects of physical development, forward land use planning, budgeted expenditure and policy development relative to the Engineering, Town Planning, Building, Health and Environmental portfolios;
- All aspects of corporate and community direction in the form of initiatives, opportunities and policies referred by members of the public, community-based organizations, government, sub-committees, Councillors and Officers; and
- The delivery of Council's strategic aims, provision of expenditure for non budgeted items, as well as consideration of long-term financial planning, asset management and all statutory financial reporting.
Audit Committee
Meetings of the Audit Committee are held in the Council Chambers, as required but are advertised in the local newspapers and on our web page. The primary objective of the audit committee is to accept responsibility for the annual external audit and liaise with the local government's auditor so that Council can be satisfied with the performance of the local government in managing its financial affairs.
Your Councillors
Council Departments
The Shire of Esperance comprises five departmental sections. Each section works under an Executive Manager and is responsible for different functions and works within the Shire.