Towong Council wants residents to join an advisory group that will meet throughout February to determine how pools should be run in the future.

The group will put a recommendation to the April meeting for endorsement.

Deputy mayor Andrew Whitehead said a review of council-owned pools had been on the radar for a number of years.

“This is something a lot of councils will be looking at, and it’s been shown if you don’t involve the community in these decisions, the community is not as willing to take them on board,” he said.

“We want to get more people here, and we need to come up with the best way to run the pools, at the right price.

“We want people to get involved and have their say.”

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The group will be asked to consider access to all residents, costs incurred to council and safety standards.

Examples from elsewhere in the region will be looked at, including the community-run Eskdale pool, which is linked to the town’s primary school.

Council decided in 2016 to review pool management, lower its funding contribution to the Eskdale pool, and reduce opening hours of the Corryong and Tallangatta pools – which were costing $230,680 to run annually.

A reduction of the season was an impact of state rate capping and the federal government’s freeze on the indexation of financial assistance grants, council told an inquiry into the sustainability of rural councils in 2016.

Cr Whitehead said it was important to balance costs and access.

“We’ve been down different paths – we’ve reduced hours and now brought them back,” he said.

“Eskdale is a great example of what can be done when the community comes together, and we’ll be involving them in this process for some guidance for the advisory group.

“That’s not saying that (the situation at Eskdale) is the way it’s got to go – we’re coming into this with an open mind and no agenda.”

Applications can be submitted via email at info@towong.vic.gov.au or directly to council offices, and close at 5pm on Monday.

A survey can also be submitted until that time at the council’s website.