HOW AND WHY PEOPLE SHOULD ASK QUESTIONS OF THEIR COUNCILS

Under the Local Government Act 1993 (Meeting Procedures) Regulations 2015, people are permitted you to give written notice to the General Manager – now referring to himself as Chief Executive Officer – at least seven days before an ordinary council meeting of a question to be asked at that meeting. 

The Launceston Concerned Citizens Network encourages citizens with an interest in the City ofLaunceston's affairs – ratepayers, residents and others – to question the Council on its policies, strategic positioning and planning processes and to do so formally. 

The notice period includes Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays but does not include the day on which notice is given, and the day of the council meeting.

It must be noted that for the City of Launceston, the Council will:

• Only formally accept correspondence directed to contactus@launceston.tas.gov.au – and although not stated it might reasonably be assumed that correspondence by post and hand delivery would also be acceptable; 

• Council will not retrieve correspondence from links to blogs, document repositories, external websites etc.; T

• The Council will not acknowledge receipt of correspondence; 

• Correspondence will be reviewed by a Council officer (ˆnd where appropriate the Mayor and Councillors) and where there is new and relevant matters raised, they will be appropriately actioned and questioners can expect to receive a response. 

However, if a matter is regarded as either irrelevant or to have been previously raised and/or addressed, the questioner will not receive a response.

In regard to any questions asked on notice for a Council meeting or asked during a meeting of Council, an approach as above will be adopted. 

Where matters are irrelevant or have been previously raised and/or addressed the chairperson may refuse to accept them. 

The Local Government (Meeting Procedures) Regulations 2015 allows the chairperson of a meeting of Council to refuse to accept a question from a member of the public and the chairperson will give reasons for doing so.