Today on the Local Government News Roundup, Wodonga looks to its neighbour to support its push for a new hospital; council land deals in the news; the fight against illegal dumping steps up in Greater Geelong; Melbourne’s plan to be a world leading student city; senior executive appointment news; and much more news from around the world of local government.
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Transcript (with story links):
Episode 199 LG News Roundup, 21 February 2023
Hi, this is Chris Eddy, with the latest from the Local Government News Roundup.
On the podcast today – Wodonga looks to its neighbour to support its push for a new hospital; council land deals in the news; the fight against illegal dumping steps up in Greater Geelong; Melbourne’s plan to be a world leading student city; senior executive appointment news; and much more ahead on the Local Government News Roundup.
Wodonga Council is calling on neighbouring Albury City Council to support advocacy efforts for a new hospital and additional government funding.
The Border Mail reports that the council has supported a proposal from Cr Kev Poulton that Albury be urged to join its advocacy for a single site hospital on a greenfield site, and more adequate funding from the NSW and federal governments.
Wodonga Council already has a position that Victoria divert its funding for an upgrade of the Albury hospital to a single site, greenfield option.
Cr Poulton told this week’s meeting that a cohesive community approach was needed, rather than a divided or politicised approach.
More here (Border Mail, 21 Feb 23 $)
A site earmarked for a major apartment complex has reportedly been acquired by Merri-bek Council for an estimated $18M.
According to an exclusive Realestate.com.au report, the council will use part of the site for public open space, and develop or on-sell the remainder for other uses.
The Pascoe Vale site failed to sell when last offered to the market in 2018.
It’s understood the open space development will be part of the council’s A Park Close to Home strategy which is seeking to have a park with at least 500 metres of all residents,
Horsham Rural City Council is getting ready to relocate its main depot after purchasing a suitable three hectare site.
The move will free up prime development land in central Horsham, which the council is readying for alternative land uses.
CEO Sunil Bhalla said the council had wanted to move the facility for some years, due to a range of limitations with the current site, including the incompatibility of heavy fleet movement through the city’s streets at early morning and late afternoon.
It’s expected the new operations and depot on Plumpton Road will be ready for use in 2025.
Greater Geelong Council is stepping up efforts to deter illegal dumping along its coastline by putting in a number of vehicle barricades.
The move follows the removal of 700 tyres and car wreckage from shallow waters at Point Henry recently.
A council spokesperson told AAP that tyres were often dumped in large quantities, with Point Henry one of a number of hot spots across the region.
It costs the council around $800,000 to respond to more than 4,000 clean up requests each year.
Melbourne City Council is working on a campaign to position the city as world leading for student experience.
The Herald Sun says the council is set to vote on a strategy aimed at attracting fee paying University students from around the globe.
International student figures are recovering but are still only 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
The proposed strategy aims to make Melbourne renowned for excellence and innovation, culture, safety and employment opportunities after graduation.
Herald Sun, 20th Feb 2023, p.3
A new organisation structure has been formally adopted at the City of Ballarat.
The structure includes a new directorate that brings together economic development, visitor economy and arts and events with responsibility for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The new structure will take effect once a director of economy, experience and commonwealth games is recruited.
The Borough of Queenscliffe has appointed experienced local government executive Kelvin Spiller as its Acting CEO while Martin Gill takes indefinite personal leave for health reasons.
The appointment of Mr Spiller is for an initial period of 8 weeks.
Now for more local government news from around Australia.
Hobart City Council will this week consider a recommendation to reject a push to rename a major CBD street.
A petition with nearly 280 signatories was received in September, advocating for Macquarie Street to be renamed, as it is named after NSW Governor Lachlan Macquarie who was purported to be responsible for deaths of many Aboriginal people.
The Mercury reports that Council officers have recommended the suggestion be dismissed because it would create a significant precedent, and expose the council to criticism.
The council was due to consider the matter at its Monday night meeting this week. The Mercury report suggests councillors may consider further consultation in relation to the renaming proposal.
The Mercury, 20 Feb 2023, p.3
South Australia’s Local Government Association has called for urgent legislative change to reinstate the elected members of 36 councils who have lost office due to an administrative error.
LGA SA President Dean Johnson said while it was essential to have accountability and transparency in relation to campaign donations and gifts, the cost and consequence of not getting paperwork in on time was disproportionate and unwarranted.
He also points out that some of the affected members have been frustrated by the new process, citing difficulties with the Electoral Commission’s digital submission portal.
Mayor Johnson has suggested immediate changes could be made to legislation to restore the elected members, saving ratepayers potentially thousands in election costs and avoiding the need for legal appeals.
More than 3000 people turned out this week to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the day Darwin became the frontline of Australia’s World War II defences.
The crowd heard recounts of the catastrophic loss of life from bombs falling in Darwin on February 19, 1942.
Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis said the anniversary was a day to remember and reflect on the way the people of Darwin bounced back.
February 19 is a National Day of Observance, alongside ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day.
An auction of properties with five years or more of unpaid rates has raised nearly $1M for Broken Hill City Council.
The ABC says nearly 100 lots were sold over a two day public auction, including a house sold for $38K and a triple block of land for a little over $100K.
General Manager Jay Nankivell said the council will conduct the event annually to avoid having a backlog.
Meanwhile, Broken Hill Council has received a NSW state government grant of $112K to deliver a plan and business case for an expansion of the city’s airport.
The expansion is expected to be required to handle a predicted increase in the region’s mining industry.
Wingecarribee Shire will fast track upgrades to a Bowral street, after hazardous materials were discovered beneath the road surface.
Work on a multi million dollar upgrade of Station Street has detected coal tar beneath the road pavement – a by product of the production of coke and coal gas, which is a known carcinogen.
It is thought the coal tar came from former industries that occupied the site decades ago.
The council will conduct there partial closures of the road over the next few weeks to enable the safe excavation and remediation of the area.
Sunshine Coast has introduced the largest fleet of fully electric, commercial grade, ride-on mowers of any local government in the country.
The council has taken delivery of five new environmentally friendly mowers, that are as much as 50 per cent quieter than other mowers.
Mayor Mark Jamieson said the introduction of the mowers is one of the council’s transformational actions to be a zero-net emissions organisation and low-carbon community by 2041.
Balranald Shire Council has found its new general manager.
Craig Bennett will take up the position on 1st March.
The vacancy at Balranald arose after the sudden death of its general manager Jeffery Sowiak last November.
Mr Bennett was GM of Glen Innes Severn Council until last July when the council terminated his contract.
Bernard Smith was appointed the new GM at Glen Innes last month.
Now for today’s International Spotlight:
In London, mayor Sadiq Khan has announced a free meals program for every primary school pupil in the city for the upcoming 2023/24 school year.
The BBC quotes a spokesperson who says the plan would save families around £440 per child over the course of the year.
The one-off program will commence in September and comes at a cost to the council of £130M, funded from additional business rates income.
Mayor Khan said the program will support families through the cost of living crisis, after the government failed to act on his repeated requests to provide a free school meals.
At least three councils in Kent in England are planning to replace CCTV equipment because the cameras are made by a company with links to the Chinese government.
The BBC reports that the company, Hikvision, has faced accusations that its technology is linked to the oppression of certain ethnic groups in China.
In 2021, a parliamentary committee recommended the company’s equipment should not be permitted to operate in the UK.
The councils of Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Malling, and Tunbridge Wells have said they’ll replace the cameras, while at least two others are believed to be considering their position.
Analysis published by the Guardian news outlet shows that a small number of English councils are responsible for most of the prosecutions brought forward against people abusing the use of disabled parking permits.
While 54% of legal actions were brought by Lambeth, Birmingham, Hammersmith and Fulham councils, two-thirds of local authorities did not prosecute anyone at all.
The vast majority of prosecutions related to people using someone else’s blue badge permit.
Disability charities have used the data to call for more action to clamp down on blue badge misuse. The President of the AA, Edmund King, said it was shocking that the majority of local authorities are not taking enforcement seriously.
A city in California has become the second in the US to regulate what supermarkets are allowed to display in checkout aisles.
Perrin City Council has passed an ordinance to improve the nutritional quality of foods and beverages at checkouts – requiring supermarkets to replace products like chips and soft drinks with fruit, nuts and low or no-calorie drinks.
As reported by the website Progressive Grocer, local community groups led a campaign to get the new rules in place, following a similar measure in the Californian city of Berkeley that came in in 2020.
In Las Vegas, Nevada, voters in the city of North Las Vegas have made history by electing the city’s first black mayor.
Pamela Goynes-Brown is following in the footsteps of her father, Theron Goynes, who was the first black man to serve on the city council, and whose own run for mayor decades ago fell short.
Mr Goynes, now 93 and stricken with dementia, sat next to the new mayor recently as she gave her inaugural speech.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports on how a tight-knit family worked together to deliver a long overdue historic moment. It’s a recommended read for the week – link in the show notes.
That’s the latest from the Roundup for the 21st February 2023.
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I’ll be back later in the week with more of the latest local government news.. Until then, thanks for listening, and bye for now.