Council opens survey of community room use a month after trial reduction in hours began

Council is welcoming feedback on the use of the Toowoomba City Libary community rooms, a month after a trial cut back the rooms’ hours of operation.

More than a month after Toowoomba Regional Council began a trial reduction in opening hours at the Toowoomba City Library's community rooms, the council has opened a survey to see how the public would like the rooms used.

TRC Environment and Community Services general manager Nick Hauser said Council welcomed feedback from community and not-for-profit groups on their meeting arrangements.

The trial led Toowoomba’s Margaret Marshall to query what was the point of having community rooms, built with ratepayers money, that the community could not use.

In the days following The Chronicle’s front page story on the issue, TRC reassessed its approach to the trial and committed to conducting a demand assessment and undertaking community surveys.

Mr Hauser said the survey would run for two weeks from Thursday, March 25.

“Survey results will be reviewed to determine how we might accommodate requests for use of the rooms outside our current trial operating hours up to June 30,” Mr Hauser said.

“Council appreciates how highly community groups value these facilities. We also understand that many groups wish to book these facilities in line with their pre-Covid meeting schedules.

“Council is honouring all existing after-hours bookings until June 30 and could extend some after hours use depending on the survey results.

“I encourage all user groups to complete the survey to help us determine the demand for these facilities.”

Mr Hauser said survey results would be considered by Council as part of its overall Service Delivery Review as a matter of priority.

Mr Hauser said it was important to remember that all Council services were funded by ratepayers.

He said Council was conducting the review of operating hours to ensure it offered the most appropriate services at an affordable level for ratepayers.

“It is incumbent on Council to allocate ratepayers’ funds equitably to services that meet community needs,” Mr Hauser said.

The Community Meeting Rooms, plus Toowoomba City Library (and other TRC public facilities) were closed in March 2020 in compliance with state and federal government COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.

Council made an operational decision to re-open the rooms for public use with revised hours in July 2020 after Queensland Government COVID-19 restrictions were relaxed.

During the current trial period, the Community Meeting Rooms are available for hire by community groups between 9am and 5pm weekdays, 10am to 3pm on Saturdays, by negotiation where the request aligns with existing bookings outside of these hours, and for commercial bookings that are hired on a full cost recovery basis.

There is no change to the availability of other community spaces which can be hired, including the Dr Price Room, the Highfields Cultural Centre, Oakey Cultural Centre and the Railway Goods Shed.

To complete the survey, please visit https://yoursay.tr.qld.gov.au/community-meeting-rooms-survey or call Council on 131 872 or email [e-mail]