In this time of a serious health pandemic the thought of electing nine community members to council is probably not at the forefront of most minds.
But if we are to cast our ballots in October, the decision on who to vote for cannot be taken lightly.
Our councillors serve four-year terms. They're responsible for some of the most important decisions that shape the future of the region.
They make the nitty-gritty decisions regarding management of things such as rubbish, sports facilities, public amenities, zoning and parking — which state and federal governments try to avoid (unless they are pumping in money). At Tuesday's meeting, the council will decide if it's to proceed with the Shepparton and Mooroopna 2050 Growth Plan — and that's not some basic document.
So it begs the question, should the Victorian Government delay the October council elections?
NSW has delayed its council elections for one year until September 2021 and adjusted its councillor term to three years.
New Zealand delayed its federal election by four weeks.
But add Victoria's situation during this second wave of coronavirus infections, with more stringent restrictions, and the question surely needs to be changed to: when will the government delay the election?
From an outside view, going ahead with the October election is plausible.
It's a postal ballot, so there's no need to line up in long queues munching on a democracy sausage, thus avoiding the risk of close contact transmission of coronavirus.
Plus, many of us are already consumed by social media, so candidates could campaign behind closes doors.
However regional Victoria is sometimes lumped in with metro Melbourne (not limited to recent COVID-19 restrictions).
The fact of the matter is, despite our love of social media, councillors and candidates across the state — particularly in Melbourne — cannot campaign outside of their homes.
If Melbourne's local elections are delayed, then it's more than likely regional Victoria's will be too.
I've spoken with one City of Greater Shepparton councillor about running the election during the coronavirus pandemic, and this person told me "it would be almost impossible to run a successful campaign during this time".
The councillor also said candidates could not solely rely on social media to run a campaign, as it was common for people to miss posts and a high number of older voters wouldn't be on social media.
“There's door knocking, town hall meetings and debates — although they don't happen as much as they used to — letter drops and just generally getting out to the main streets and shops to meet people,” the councillor said.
All candidates must have an equal opportunity to campaign.
Some could argue that by going ahead with the October elections, councillors who are seeking reelection would have an advantage due to their higher community profile.
Although if none or few of them are re-elected it might give us an indication of how popular the council is with ratepayers.
Regardless of what decision the government makes, it won't be easy considering what impact it will have on Victorians.
Ultimately, a decision must be made soon, as time is already an antagonist.
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