YARRIAMBIACK Shire councillor Kylie Zanker has 13 years of council experience under her belt and a previous term as mayor but she is just as excited as ever to embark on a new term as mayor.
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"There is always, always something to learn; that's what is amazing about the role of council," she said.
"There is always something the community want to shows you or tell you about that we can advocate for.
"It's never boring that's for sure."
Ms Zanker said she was looking forward to the responsibility.
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"There is so much play going forward, so much that we can do in our communities. I'm really looking forward to seeing how that pans out," she said.
Ms Zanker said to her, council means community.
"That was the reason I stood," she said.
"It was about advocating for our communities and working with our community to move forward.
"Council and community go hand in hand. When we work together with community we can achieve so much more."
Ms Zanker said 2022 will be an exciting year.
"We've got so much," she said.
"We've just had lots of money come in for infrastructure, so roads and footpaths which ratepayers are always so interested in.
"We've got partnerships with E-Rup and Rupanyup community about housing developments. In the top end of our shire we have the power house at Hopetoun.
"There is seriously so much going on, I can't list them all."
Ms Zanker said she wanted to have a focus on strategic planning.
"I would like to see us work on our new strategic plan going forward and actually tick those things off," she said.
"We have in the past but to actually consolidate some of the things that have been there for a while and move forward with those."
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Ms Zanker said in her ten years she had seen council's role develop to more, much to the benefit of the community.
"Going forward there is a lot to look at like skills shortages and gaps, some of those things in the past have predominantly never been a council responsibility," she said.
"In the ten years in council I can definitely see there has been a shift - if council doesn't pick that up and work with community to achieve that, it doesn't happen.
"Such as the housing shortage which what we are looking at now with Wimmera Development Association and with council purchasing some blocks of land to build - some of those proactive things are one of the huge changes in the landscape of what council used to be.
"That will be our strength moving forward, working together with the community and action groups."
Ms Zanker grew up in Warracknabeal and moved back after living in Melbourne for a few years.
"We just knew this was home," she said.
"I vividly remember the furniture truck unloading and people coming saying 'I'll give you a hand'.
"Then a casserole would arrive and a bunch of flowers; it just felt like home. It was where we needed to be."
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