Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) reinforced the importance of community petitions at the Ordinary Meeting of Council on 15 November.
When discussing a petition that was submitted in October, TRC Planning and Development Committee Portfolio Lead Cr Bill Cahill said Council encouraged residents to be active participants in the future of the Region.
"It's heartening to see the interest so many members of our community have in environmental matters like the protection of mature growth trees," Cr Cahill said.
"This was evident with a submission made on 25 October titled, 'A Petition to Reform Vegetation Management Laws in the Toowoomba Regional Council Area in particular to Provide Stronger Protection for Mature Growth Trees' which had more than 6000 names.
"While it's moving to see how passionate our community is on this matter, unfortunately Council hasn't been able to accept this petition as it needs to meet certain guidelines. As a result, we have been in touch with the person who submitted the petition to provide further guidance about how they can resubmit this petition at a future meeting of Council."
While Council was unable to accept the initial petition, TRC Planning and Development Committee Chair Cr Megan O'Hara Sullivan said the sentiment behind the petition had been heard by Council.
"Our community is passionate about environmental matters," she said.
"Council looks forward to receiving a revised petition on this matter and we wish to take the opportunity to encourage all members of our community to go through the petition guidelines on Council's website when making a submission."
When making a submission, residents must ensure the petitions are valid and include the signature and address of the principal petitioner, and the signatures of each petitioner which signals their consent to have their name included. Petitions must also include the facts or reasons for the petition and a request for action by Council.
Petitions provide an important vehicle to brings matters of concern to Council's attention on any matter that comes under local government jurisdiction.
Council has a dedicated webpage with step-by-step information about the requirements for preparing a petition, and information about how petitions are processed. This can be found onCouncil's website.
