RESIDENTS have been invited to share their ideas and thoughts about the City to River plan at a community meeting hosted by a ratepayers group on Sunday.
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The forum will be the second meeting organised by the Horsham Rural Ratepayers and Residents Association, which was formed in April last year in response to Horsham Rural City Council's proposed plan.
The meeting will be held at 1.30pm on Sunday at the Horsham Football Clubrooms.
The first meeting held in July last year was attended by about 60 people. No councillors or officers were present despite being invited by the group.
Horsham Rural Ratepayers and Residents Association president Di Bell said council staff had not been invited to the second meeting because she wanted people to be able to speak freely.
In a media release Ms Bell said most people contacting them felt council had ignored their concerns and they were "frustrated" by the "top down approach taken by council working with outside consultants".
"Although there are repeated HRCC statements that the Community has been heard, that doesn't appear to be the feeling in the general community," she said.
"The clear agreement by most people seems to be they want to see things improved and enhanced, but without blatant disrespect for long time clubs and groups and their members and volunteers."
Ms Bell invited people to email original submissions or ideas to horshamrrr@aapt.net.au so they could be discussed at the forum. She said no names would be shared.
The Mail-Times has contacted Horsham Rural City Council for comment about the ratepayers meeting and next stage of the plan.
A council spokeswoman they had not received any information about the meeting.
The ratepayers meeting comes as council begins its annual community satisfaction survey, which will involve about 400 residents receiving phone calls enquiring about their thoughts on council's performance and service delivery.
Independent market research agency National Field Services has been commissioned by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning to conduct the survey in all Victorian councils.
The ratepayers group shared a post about the survey to their Facebook page with the comment: "Very important to give accurate feedback and thoughts."
At the most recent Horsham council meeting in February the group's president Di Bell said that council had failed to "properly involve" the community.
The group's petition, signed by more than 2000 people, calling on council to suspend the plan until better "community engagement, inclusion and transparency of processes was resolved" was dismissed by council at a December meeting.
At the same meeting council deferred a vote for the second time on the City to River masterplan amid 'bullying and inaction' claims.
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