Paying back

IT’S disappointing that Ms Caldwell’s letter (Giving Away Our Money, News, 17 December 2015) failed to share the full facts about council’s recent trees and infrastructure focus groups with readers.
Ms Caldwell is correct that focus group participants received payment but she failed to mention that participants of the latter focus group were asked to give up seven hours of their time on a Saturday.
This is a considerable ask and that’s why it’s only fair that participants were reimbursed for their time.
For large scale consultations such as these it’s not unusual for council to make a payment to participants in respect of their time.
This is consistent with standard consultation industry practice to pay participants involved in lengthy focus group participation.
Given the size of the municipality it’s imperative we have a sample that reflects the city’s demographics, ensuring feedback truly represents the views of the community.
This year council will launch its first Community Engagement Strategy.
In addition to the recent focus groups, we’re currently undertaking door knock surveys across the municipality to ensure council’s consultation program reflects what residents want.
We make no apologies for seeking to improve the way we engage our community.
I look forward to seeking your views on the Community Engagement Strategy later in the year.
Sam Aziz,
Mayor,
City of Casey.