Galway City Community Forum has published its first policy document, which will be presented to the Galway City Development Board and Galway Corporation's strategic policy committees over the coming months.
The forum, which was established last year, acts as the collective voice of the community and voluntary sector in Galway and currently represents just under 200 groups.
The policy document will focus on housing and accommodation, environment and waste, older people, social inclusion, transport, planning and the arts.
The forum unanimously adopted a motion calling for a fully inclusive Galway Transport Initiative. One of the recommendations in the transport and planning section was the creation of a western rail-link that would join Cork, Limerick, Shannon, Ennis and Galway with Sligo and Derry.
The forum is also calling for a quality public transport system for the city and the establishment of a joint Galway Corporation/County Council planning and transport committee.
Change is already happening within one local authority - Galway County Council has appointed six new directors and a head of finance from its existing management team, led by Mr Donal O'Donoghue, county manager. Five strategic policy committees have also been established to give elected members and relevant sectoral interests an opportunity to get involved in policy-making in Co Galway from an early stage.
"I am confident that strengthening the members' role in relation to policymaking will benefit the people of Co Galway," the county manager said in a statement.
Combined with the new management team, it would "place Galway County Council in a strong position to face up to challenges and maximise the opportunities that will occur over the coming years," he added.