THE Victorian Electoral Commission has been contracted by Moira Shire to conduct the long-awaited Yarrawonga-Mulwala bridge plebiscite.
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Moira chief executive Mark Henderson said the VEC’s independence and experience was a key factor in council’s decision.
But a final result in the non-binding poll to cost council about $20,000 won't be known until October.
“The goal of the plebiscite is to provide a robust, independent and democratic process to confirm Yarrawonga residents’ preferred future alignment for a new Yarrawonga-Mulwala bridge," Mr Henderson said.
"The VEC’s experience in overseeing elections and plebiscites will ensure we achieve this goal.”
The plebiscite will involve ratepayers and residents in the postcode boundaries of 3730 and 3728 and include Yarrawonga, Yarrawonga South, Telford, Esmond, Boosey, Bathumi, Burramine, Burramine South, Bundalong, Bundalong South, Boomahnoomoonah, Tungamah, Youarang and Wilby.
It will involve four phases starting with confirming a person’s eligibility to take part in the plebiscite which will take most of July.
A community awareness campaign will follow before voting packs are mailed out and voting takes place by registered participants.
Voting will end in late September before results are announced in October.
“The four phases will overlap as we work our way through to October, and we will take guidance from the VEC to ensure any information and communication by council is objective and reflects confirmed decisions and facts,” Mr Henderson said.
“Voting is not compulsory however, the result will provide a solid basis for presenting the views of our Yarrawonga community to key decision makers.
“Most eligible voters are already enrolled to vote but if you have recently relocated into the postcode boundaries of 3730 and 3728 and you haven’t updated your enrolment details or your mailing address has changed you are encouraged to contact the VEC to confirm your enrolment.”