Today on the Local Government News Roundup, a council meeting closed and police called to an unruly public gallery; a mayor calls for more councils to support the Voice to Parliament; tributes for Australia’s longest serving female councillor; the timeline for a council demerger announced; a council’s smart cities plan prompts protests and a police warning; CEO appointment news, a countback result; and much more from around the world of local government.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government.
Listen to this episode here, and find the link for your podcast player here for any of the 194 episodes to date.
Transcript (with story links):
Episode 194 LG News Roundup, 03 February 2023
The Local Government News Roundup – brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government.
Hi, this is Chris Eddy, with the latest from the Local Government News Roundup.
On the podcast today – a council meeting closed and police called to an unruly public gallery; a mayor calls for more councils to support the Voice to Parliament; tributes for Australia’s longest serving female councillor; the timeline for a council demerger announced; CEO appointment news, a countback result; and much more from around the world of local government here on the Roundup.
A meeting of Yarra Ranges Council this week was adjourned by the Mayor over concerns for the safety of councillors and staff.
Mayor Jim Child said he felt he had no other course of action after a number of outbursts from a crowd of more than 100 agitators.
Police were called to assist and ensure people left the venue safely.
The meeting was reconvened online later in the evening.
The council had earlier issued a statement correcting misinformation circulating in the community about the 20 minute neighbourhood concept.
Moonee Valley City Council has unanimously resolved to support the introduction of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.
Mayor Pierce Tyson said he believed Moonee Valley is among the first Victorian municipalities to publicly and formally declare their support for the ‘Voice’ which will give constitutional recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The decision was made on Tuesday night when considering a Notice of Motion brought forward by Cr Katrina Hodgson.
Mayor Tyson called on other municipalities to declare their support for the Voice To Parliament.
Development Victoria is going to VCAT over the refusal of two planning permits by Knox City Council in relation to the proposed Knoxfield development.
In December, the council refused the permit applications for a 105 lot residential subdivision and construction of wetlands on the Burwood Highway. It had received more than 1170 objections to the proposals.
The CEO of Horsham Rural City Council has had his contract extended by four years.
Sunil Bhalla joined the council in April 2018, and is now committed through 2027 following a council decision this week.
Mayor Robyn Gulline has paid tribute to Mr Bhalla’s leadership through recent years, including steering the organisation through the COVID-19 pandemic, and developing strong partnerships with all levels of government, industry, community leaders and organisations.
Read the Council’s formal statement here.
A countback has been conducted to fill an extraordinary vacancy on Mornington Peninsula Shire Council in Seawinds Ward, after the resignation of Kerri McCafferty.
After the countback procedure, Simon Brooks has been returned to the council. He served in Seawinds Ward from 2016 to 2020.
Councillor-elect Brooks will be sworn in on 7th February.
The Big Rainbow has found its home in Daylesford, after Hepburn Shire Council settled on Victoria Park as the location for the new landmark.
Daylesford was chosen from a shortlist of four locations last October, and the shire has since conducted community consultation to determine exactly where it should be erected.
The Big Rainbow is expected to be installed in time for the ChillOut Festival on the long weekend in March, and will remain in place for three years.
Mayor Cr Brian Hood said the Big Rainbow will be a colourful addition to the shire.
It was originally unveiled in Circular Quay in Sydney last year as a temporary installation, and is expected to be a major visitor attraction in its new home.
Briefs:
Wyndham City Council is the first local government in metropolitan Melbourne to implement a new “Ditch the Flick” campaign – urging cigarette smokers to bin cigarette butts.
The campaign aims to stop cigarette butts ending up as litter on the ground and in waterways.
It includes new bins and clear directional signage at cigarette hotspots such as Station Place and the Werribee train station.
In a Victorian first, Knox City Council has entered an agreement with Australian company JOLT to install more EV charging stations across its council area.
Seven public chargers will be installed in select shopping centres, with the aim according to Mayor Marcia Timmers-Leitch to attract new visitors and help people with the transition to electric cars.
The new chargers will be installed at no cost to the Council, and will be rolled out in the coming weeks.
Melton City Council has unveiled a Federal Budget submission, with a bid for funding of key priorities like the Outer Metropolitan Rail and Road Ring.
The council is also calling for investment in the Western Intermodal Freight Terminal; skills and training to address workforce shortages; and upgrades to the rail network and the Western Highway.
Albury City Council has paid tribute to Australia’s longest serving female councillor, Patricia Gould, who has passed away at the age of 87.
Ms Gould served the Albury community for 42 years, from 1974 until retiring in 2016. She has three periods as mayor for a total of more than eight years.
Patricia was awarded an OAM in 2004 for her service to local government and the Albury community; and received a lifetime achievement award in the 2016 Ministers’ Award for Women in Local Government.
Councillors – the annual VLGA FastTrack Councillor Leadership Development is coming up on Friday 31st March, with the theme “Leading in Times of Chaos’ A limited number of seats still available – Check out the VLGA website for registration
and more details.
The Local Government News Roundup is proudly brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association – the national broadcaster on all things local government.
The NSW State Government has produced a preliminary roadmap for the demerger of Cootamundra-Gundagai Council.
The timeline for the implementation of the demerger sees the legal path being established after the March state elections due to the need for legislation to facilitate the process.
The current merged council would cease functioning in mid-2024, allowing the new councils to commence operations prior to the local government elections in September of that year.
A transition manager will be appointed later this year to oversee the demerger process.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate says he won’t consider introducing an ‘acknowledgement of country’ at his council’s meetings in the current term.
According to a report from the ABC, Mayor Tate believes having an acknowledgement before council meetings is not efficient, and he “doesn’t waste a minute on other things”.
While 60 per cent of Queensland’s councils include an ‘acknowledgement of country’ at their meetings, Mayor Tate says Gold Coast City Council won’t join them before the end of the current term in March 2024.
Read the ABC report here.
A South Australian council has responded to what it described as ‘misleading and disturbing information’ circulating online and in print form about its adoption of smart cities technology.
Information Age reports on protests led by the No Smart Cities Action Group about the City of Salisbury’s roll out of CCTV cameras to deal with graffiti, hoon driving and illegal dumping; and sensors for bins and car parks.
A councillor’s motion sought to dispel suggestions that its smart city technology program was for anything other than delivering efficiencies and saving ratepayer money.
It directly addressed a long list of claims, including that the Council was supporting the agenda of globalist bankers, and seeking to control resident’s brains through the installation of mind control.
The motion was supported by all but two councillors.
Meanwhile, SA Police have told the ABC that they will consider taking action to recover the costs of responding to a growing number of pop-up protests, along with possible charges against protest organisers under the Public Assemblies Act.
Read the Information Age report here; the ABC report here; and the councillor’s motion here (p.39)
City of Newcastle CEO Jeremy Bath has received a new contract that will see him serve in the role through December 2027.
According to the Newcastle Herald($), the decision to extend Mr Bath’s employment was made almost 12 months ago at the first meeting of the newly-elected council.
At that time, the Council authorised its performance review panel to negotiate and finalise the new employment contract.
Councillors were informed of the new contract taking effect in December.
Local Government Association of the Northern Territory life member Kerry Moir has been awarded the Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day 2023 Honours List for her service to local government and the community.
Mrs Moir was a councillor with the City of Darwin from 1992-2012 and was a member of the LGANT Executive from 2000-2012, including President from 2006-2012.
She was involved in significant reform in the local government sector, including a review of the sector and subsequent development and implementation of the Local Government Act 2008.
Briefs:
SA’s Local Government Minister, Geoff Brock, has hit back at Burnside CEO Chris Cowley’s criticism of a requirement on councils to take advice from the ESC on their financial sustainability.
Mr Brock says the scheme will go ahead, and he has questioned whether Mr Cowley’s letter represents the view of the elected Council. Indaily.com.au has more detail on the Minister’s response.
Wingecarribee Shire Council has secured $1M in state government funding to support the protection and preservation of koalas.
Over the next four to five years, the money will be spent on improving habitat and corridor mapping, signage, and the continuation of the successful Southern Highlands Koala Conservation Project.
Bunbury City Council will seek permission to retain a vacancy until elections in October this year, after the resignation this week of Cr Kris Plumb.
Mr Plumb was a councillor for three years, and the council says it won’t be making any further comment out of respect for his privacy.
Expectations on regional WA councils to attract and retain GPs is becoming unrealistic, and impacting on the delivery of other Council services
That’s the message from the West Australian Local Government Association, which is citing examples of packages up to $1M being offered by small shires to attract doctors to their communities.
WALGA President Karen Chappel said at least 30 regional WA Councils are contributing to wages, leasing, infrastructure upgrades, accommodation and vehicle expenses to secure basic medical services.
She said regional shires are increasingly competing against each other for GP services, which are fundamentally a Federal and State responsibility, but are being met in large parts of the state by local government.
Read more from WALGA here.
Now to the International Spotlight:
In Ontario, Canada, not far from Niagara Falls, a councillor has been escorted from the chamber by security for the second time in as many months.
Cr Tony DiMarco has clashed heatedly with Mayor Frank Campion at recent Welland City Council meetings over plans for a redesign of the city’s Civic Square.
The Waterloo Region Record reports that Cr DiMarco is opposed to the redesign and says it shouldn’t be before the council.
When asked by the Mayor to retract some of his statements, the exchange became heated, leading to the councillor being expelled from the meeting.
There were no residents present at the meeting, which was being livestreamed until the mayor called a recess.
In England, a councillor has been directed to apologise after admitting in court to assaulting a blogger outside a Council meeting in late 2021.
The BBC reports on how Steve Melia of Sandwell Council was found to have brought the council into disrepute, with an ethics and standards committee finding he had a lack of remorse for his actions.
The incident occurred before a council meeting when protestors challenged arriving councillors over a proposed development of a former golf course.
Cr Melia, who was fined by the court, resigned from his committees to quote, “concentrate on the development of my skills further”, but there are still calls for him to fully resign.
At Stoke-on Trent, the city council has apologised after a brick sculpture was accidentally knocked down during a roadworks project.
The sculpture, of internationally renowned potter Josiah Wedgwood, was unveiled in 1986 at a festival and moved to its current location in 2009.
Council Leader Abi Brown told the BBC she was devastated by the mistake; a local historian says it’s a scandal and that the sculpture must be repaired.
The council has launched an investigation into the incident.
A new online system for planning applications in Northern Ireland has been described as “not fit for purpose” and “unacceptably poor”.
The peak body for architects, the Royal Society of Ulster Architects, says serious issues have plagued the system since its launch in early December.
It says it has received feedback from members that many of the functions worked better in the old system that was replaced.
The society is calling on the responsible government department to address the issues urgently.
It has published a list of the most serious issues with the system, which according to the BBC is being used by ten of the 11 councils in Northern Ireland.
Read the RSUA statement here.
That’s the latest from the Local Government News Roundup.
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