Draft Community Vision and Council Plan 2025-2029

We're inviting community members to review and make submissions on our draft Council Plan 2025-2029 and revised Community Vision 2025-2035.

Background

We’ve developed a new four-year Council Plan 2025-2029 and refreshed our 10-year Community Vision. These documents are important strategic frameworks that guide Council's priorities, resource allocation, and service delivery.

The Community Vision sets our shared aspirations for Indigo Shire's future, establishing the broad direction and values that will shape our community through to 2035. This vision was originally developed in 2021 and has now been refreshed to ensure it continues to reflect community priorities.

• View the draft Community Vision 2025-2035

The Council Plan 2025-2029 translates this vision into action, outlining specific objectives, strategies and actions that Council will implement during its four-year term. The plan focuses on four key themes:

1. Places and Communities
2. Economic Resilience and Opportunity
3. Environment and Heritage
4. Governance and Financial Sustainability

• View the draft Council Plan 2025-2035

The Engagement Process

The development of both the refreshed Community Vision and new Council Plan has been shaped by extensive community input. The findings from both the Community Vision review engagement and the Council Plan engagement can be viewed under documents.

Community Vision Review

The objective was to review the current vision and associated pillars to ensure they remained relevant. Engagement activities included:

• Online survey accessible to all community members, open from March to September 2024
• Four drop-in sessions held across the Shire

Council Plan Development (October-December 2024)

• Engagement tools included surveys, an ideas board, and an interactive mapping tool
• 1,900 visits to the ENGAGED INDIGO platform resulted in 284 active contributors
• 260 surveys were submitted, along with 121 contributions to the ideas board and 41 location pins
• Engagement was promoted through multiple channels including newsletters, social media, newspaper advertising, farmers markets, and pop-up events

What We Heard

Through our engagement activities, several key themes emerged that have shaped both documents:

Community Connection and Inclusion

• Strong desire for inclusive communities where people feel valued, connected, and have equitable access to services
• Recognition of the unique character and needs of each township
• Support for initiatives that build community resilience and foster social connections

Environmental Leadership

• Strong emphasis on climate action and environmental protection
• Support for increased tree canopy coverage and biodiversity initiatives
• Interest in sustainable waste management and circular economy principles

Township Character and Heritage

• Passion for preserving the unique character of each township
• Recognition of our rich heritage assets as defining features of our Shire
• Interest in balancing heritage preservation with contemporary needs and accessibility

Economic Resilience

• Support for diversified economic opportunities that enable people of all ages to thrive locally
• Recognition of tourism as an important economic driver that must be balanced with community needs
• Interest in housing diversity and accessibility to support population growth

These insights have directly informed the strategic objectives, key strategies, and specific actions outlined in the Council Plan.

What Happens Next

1. How to Make a Submission: Submissions can be made via email to Melinda Collis, Executive Manager Customer Experience and Engagement at info@indigoshire.vic.gov.au by 5pm 4 June, 2025
2. Consideration of Submissions - All submissions received during the public exhibition period will be carefully considered by Council
3. Adoption - Following consideration of submissions, Council will consider adopting the final Community Vision and Council Plan 2025-2029 at its meeting on 23 June 2025.
4. Implementation - Once adopted, Council will begin implementing the actions outlined in the Council Plan, with regular progress reports provided to the community quarterly.

We encourage all community members to review these important documents and provide any further feedback to help ensure they reflect our collective vision for Indigo Shire's future.