General manager John Brown said the council would use social media for the first time as a tool to engage with different cohorts within the municipality.

“Generally people might think we use it just for communication of when things are on … [but] you’ve got to think beyond the traditional methods of engagement,” Mr Brown said.

“Social media, whether we like it or not, is an important part of our everyday lives and so much happens there.”

He said through the use of Facebook the council hoped to communicate more effectively with community members who might not make contact at regular meetings or speak directly with council officers.

Councillors chose to defer the preparation of the new strategic plan six months ago in the hope there would be greater clarity on the impact of potential changes to the municipality’s southern boundary.

Mr Brown said an adjustment between Break O’Day and Glamorgan-Spring Bay could result in a change of local government areas for Bicheno and Coles Bay.

“We waited because wanted to see where local government reform was going … if a boundary adjustment was going to happen soon we wanted to have those communities as part of the process,” he said.

“We don’t want to write the plan and then find that those communities may have to wait to be part of it for years.”

With no timeframe in sight, the council is likely to decide to push ahead with public consultation and the creation of a plan, which could be reviewed if reforms were to occur.

The development of the new strategic plan will set the broad directions and priorities of the council for the next decade.

In the council agenda for Monday’s meeting Mr Brown recommended that a budget of $49,000 be established for the documents preparation.

He said if a review was needed after potential boundary changes the council would work to minimise additional costs with small-scale consultation and a rewrite of the 2017-2027 plan.