Lockyer to cast vote
LOCKYER Valley residents will return to the ballots on February 10 for the Lockyer Valley Regional Council by-election after councillor Jim McDonald was elected to state parliament.
Nominations will open on January 13 and close at noon on January 23.
Cr Chris Wilson said the job was open to all enrolled Lockyer Valley residents.
“Our council at the moment has a strong focus on financial sustainability, so it’d be good to see someone come on board with that outlook,” he said.
“Obviously Cr McDonald held the environment portfolio, so someone with that background would be most beneficial as well.
“The role of council is very important to the community, so I’d encourage anybody who isn’t on the electoral roll to (enrol) before January 19 - it’s the best way to have your say in what happens in your community.”
The by-election is expected to cost about $100,000-$150,000.
“We’re in negotiations with (Electoral Commission Queensland) to try and reduce those costs as much as we can for our ratepayers,” he said.
“Basically, we’ve got the option of a postal election or a booth election, so we’re looking at having a booth election and reducing the number of polling booths to try(to reduce costs).”