Brimbank council administrators are at odds over how the first local election in eight years should be conducted, come October 2016.
Residents will vote by post on Saturday, October 26 next year, which administrators John Watson and John Tanner say will save ratepayers about $200,000 on the cost of collecting votes at polling booths.
But the third administrator, Jane Nathan, fears the postal vote decision comes at the expense of community engagement, dubbing it a case of “efficiency over effectiveness”.
“It’s [a council election] about community engagement,” Ms Nathan said.
A council report found attendance voting provided a “public display of democracy” but was also a more expensive exercise. It estimated a postal election would cost $711,081, compared to an attendance poll costing $912,031.
The council’s corporate and community relations director, Helen Morrissey, said postal voting attracted a higher participation rate, reduced the rate of informal voting and was generally a lot cheaper.
“Council does not have the expense of hiring halls from schools,” Ms Morrissey said.
“It’s a far more efficient way to engage with the community,” Mr Tanner said.
But Ms Nathan challenged this premise.
“It’s not about figures and statistics. People can share information and views, and meet the candidates. Personalities play an important role,” she said. “Councillors must connect with the community before and after the election.”
The last Brimbank council election was conducted at polling booths in 2008. The council was sacked in 2009.
The decision on the 2016 election is one of the rare occasions Brimbank administrators have been divided.
Most Victorian councils used postal voting at the previous municipal elections in 2012.
