Council
2 August, 2024
Wendt’s non-stop start
Somerset Mayor Jason Wendt has described his new role as “non-stop” and a “steep learning curve” as he marked his first four months since winning office at the March council elections.
“It has been a steep learning curve for me after taking over from a long-serving mayor (Graeme Lehmann),” he said.
“That in itself brings challenges and a period of adjustment.
“I’m thankful that my many years in business with multiple staff has helped this transition.”
Cr Wendt said the new Council team, consisting of four new councillors and two returning had “hit the ground running” and were bringing fresh insights to improve Council operations, with the view of working together “for a stronger Somerset”.
“So far, it’s been a really exciting and progressive journey, and it’s still early days,” he said.
Despite his optimism, Cr Wendt said the current economy and regional growth had been challenging, calling the task of providing services with limited funding “the toughest part of the job”.
“Council is taking a very active step in advocacy this year, particularly leading into the upcoming State Government elections,” he said.
“Our region needs (and deserves) more and we need additional funding from the state and federal governments to make things happen.
“Our council does an amazing job with the resources they have. What we can achieve with such a low rateable income, looking after the largest council area in South East Queensland, is commendable.”
Cr Wendt named road improvement as one of the hardest aspects to manage, given a lot of them are state-controlled.
“I’m not going to give up on trying to make these roads better,” he said.
“It’s been a very busy four months, with visits to Brisbane, Canberra and everywhere in between to meet with government ministers, advisors and other mayors to advocate for Somerset.”
Cr Wendt said his first budget had proven extremely challenging as he and his council aimed to balance “economic development with rural liveability”.
“It’s a tough time for most of our community, given the cost of living, and so we spent many, many hours in meetings and sitting with directors trying to produce a fair result right across the varied community we have here in Somerset,” he said.
Ultimately the council raised average general rates by a little over 4 per cent.
“It’s a huge task, but we did it, and I’m proud of what we were able to achieve in a short amount of time.”
Despite some big challenges in a short period of time and a busy four months, Cr Wendt said it had been a privilege to attending a variety of community events including Anzac Day services, local shows, volunteer organization events and his first citizenship ceremony, which he described as “surreal”.
He also wanted to thank Somerset’s councillors who he described as passionate, community-minded members.
He said there were some exciting capital projects coming this year.
“All of us are keen to listen to ideas of residents, so please reach out to any of us councillors,” he said.
“We can’t always say yes, but we’re willing to listen and see if something can be improved.”
Cr Wendt also extended his thanks to Somerset’s residents, who he said have been “very welcoming”, for which he is “so appreciative”.
Some of the projects in the pipeline include plans to introduce regional council meetings to improve community engagement.
“It’s an exciting time. I am dedicated and committed to leading a cohesive councillor team forward, in the most efficient way, to make Somerset the envy of other councils."
