Residents throughout the Clarence Valley have the opportunity to discuss the council’s suite of draft planning and financial documents with councillors and staff this week. Council general manager, Ashley Lindsay, said the face-to-face consultations would take two forms; drop-in centres where people could turn up at the various venues and discuss the planning and financial documents currently on exhibition and get help on how to make a submission, or people could sign up to participate in one of the series of roundtables where ideas and issues could be discussed with councillors and staff. “To keep the discussion at the roundtables focused, we’ve decided they should concentrate on a possible application for a special rates variation as we believe that is the area that is likely to attract the most interest,” he said. “People will still be required to make submissions by the usual formal means, but these roundtable forums will give them the opportunity to work through some of the planned efficiency measures and service reductions currently before councillors.” Drop-in centres (no bookings required) Maclean (Council Chambers) and Iluka (Library) – Wednesday, May 31 from 10am-2pm. Grafton (Community and Function Centre), South Grafton (New School of Arts) – Thursday, June 1 from 10am-2pm Yamba (Yamba Shopping Fair) – Friday, June 2 from Noon-3pm Roundtables (bookings required – RSVP to Karlie on 6643 0212) Iluka (Library) – Thursday, June 1 from 5:30pm-7:30pm Maclean (Council Chambers) – Friday, June 2 from 5:30pm-7:30pm South Grafton (New School of Arts) – Saturday, June 3 from 4pm-6pm Yamba (Yamba Shopping Fair) – Sunday, June 4 from 11am-1pm