Bargara and district residents will have easier access to Bundaberg Regional Council customer service when a new shopfront office opens on 18 March.
The new office will replace the current service centre on Hughes Road.
People will be able to make enquiries, pay rates and register their dogs while shopping and enjoying a coffee in the Bargara town centre.
Councillors and officers will have space in the building to meet residents.
Free public Wi-Fi will also be offered as part of the initiative.
Located within Bargara Beach Plaza, the new shopfront is right in the heart of Bargara’s shopping district.
Two customer service staff will be stationed there between 8.15am and 4.45pm on weekdays.
The existing Bargara Service Centre on Hughes Road will remain open until 25 March.
Its closure was always intended when the State Government merged local councils more than 10 years ago.
Three months of community consultation
Council recently undertook three months of community consultation on future use of the Bargara cultural centre and soon-to-be-vacant service centre.
The consultation included town hall meetings, a community survey and a poll.
The five town hall meetings were each attended by 10-40 participants.
Twenty-one people made written submissions and 28 survey responses were returned.
At a Council briefing meeting today, officers put forward a recommendation to invite expressions of interest for future use of the buildings on Hughes Road.
It was stated that no decision has been made or will be made until expressions of interest are evaluated and further consultation occurs.
In assessing expressions of interest, the meeting heard that weightings would favour proposals that meet a community need or service gap, and demonstrate positive social and economic outcomes.
The public consultation so far will help inform potential users about community expectations to ultimately achieve the best possible outcome for residents and ratepayers.
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