27/06/2026
Hi everyone,
It's been a little while since my last update, and June certainly turned out to be a busy month!
One of the things I enjoy most about being your North-Central Ward Councillor is that no two weeks are ever the same. Every day brings new opportunities to meet people, learn more about our community and help work through the issues that matter to residents.
Over the past month I've had the opportunity to:
🌿 Meet with residents about a wide range of local concerns and continue responding to emails and enquiries on issues including parking, planning, playgrounds, noxious weeds and other neighbourhood matters.
🌿 Meet with businesses, primary schools, sporting groups and community volunteers to discuss planning, facilities, parking, accessibility and other local issues.
🌿 Catch up with the wonderful volunteer who created the Lake View Contemplation Garden and hear the story behind this beautiful community space.
🌿 Present an award at Edgewater Primary School.
🌿 Attend the Joondalup Business Association networking event.
🌿 Attend the City's Volunteer Appreciation Event to thank our Friends Groups and conservation volunteers for everything they do to care for our local environment.
🌿 Continue my own professional development by completing online learning, a webinar, an all-day training workshop at WALGA and renewing my annual CPR qualification. While this is a mandatory requirement for my business, it's also a skill I hope I never need to use and one that I believe everyone should have.
Of course, that's only part of the role. A significant and most important amount of work also happens behind the scenes through meetings with City officers, Strategy Sessions and Briefing Sessions, all helping to inform the decisions made at Council.
Some of the key Council decisions this month included:
🌿 Adoption of the 2026–27 Budget, Five-Year Capital Works Program and Corporate Business Plan. While no one welcomes a 6.5% rate increase, I supported a budget that continues to deliver essential services and infrastructure while also supporting an organisational review and efficiency assessment. Supporting the budget doesn't mean believing it's perfect, it means continuing to look for better value and smarter ways of delivering services. Every dollar we spend is a dollar entrusted to us by our community.
🌿 Unanimous support for the Mayor's motion calling for the closure of Tamala Park Landfill as soon as practicable and continued advocacy for the communities affected by its impacts.
🌿 Supported a review of the Corporate Sponsorship Program, including improvements to the policy and assessment process to strengthen transparency, consistency and accountability.
🌿 Supporting greater accountability for Councillor-funded professional development while recognising individual circumstances.
🌿 Supporting the removal of ratepayer-funded alcohol from the Elected Members' Lounge.
🌿 Council voted to retain councillor-hosted dinners. I supported an alternative that would have replaced these with larger volunteer, community and stakeholder appreciation events, recognising significantly more people from our community for a similar overall cost.
I understand that every decision won't please everyone, but I remain committed to listening to residents, asking questions and making decisions that I believe are in the best interests of our community while providing value for ratepayers.
I'm also grateful to work alongside my North-Central Ward colleague, Cr Denise Councillor Denise Mercer - City of Joondalup. While we each bring different experiences and perspectives, we share a commitment to listening to residents and working together on matters affecting our local community.
We'll be holding another Community Coffee Catch-Up next month, and I'll share the details very soon. We'd love to see you there! ☕
A big thank you to everyone who has contacted me over the past month. Your emails, phone calls and conversations help me better understand what's important to our community and ensure your voices are represented around the Council table.
If you have a question, concern or suggestion, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Bettina
