Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of the Greater Geelong City Council held at the Council Conference and Reception Centre - City Hall on 26 November 2013, commencing at 7:00pm.
Cr R Nelson (Acting Mayor)
Crs:
T Ansett
L Ellis
J Farrell
M Heagney
E Kontelj
S Kontelj
R Macdonald
A Richards
S Griffin (Chief Executive Officer)
J Wall (General Manager Corporate Services)
P Bettess (General Manager Economic Development, Planning and Tourism)
G Van Driel (General Manager City Services)
J McMahon (General Manager Community Services)
D Frost (General Manager Projects, Recreation and Central Geelong)
J Brown (Manager Administration and Governance)
R Bourke (Co-ordinator Governance)
J Merlo (Senior Media Officer)
The Acting Mayor declared the meeting open at 7:00pm.
The Acting Mayor acknowledged that we are here today on the land of the Wathaurong People and we pay our respects to Aboriginal elders past and present.
Councillors:
K Fisher
J Irvine
B Harwood (Council Business)
Cr Richards moved, Cr S Kontelj seconded -
That Council allow filming of the Council Meeting.
Carried
Cr S Kontelj moved, Cr Macdonald seconded -
That the Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 12 November 2013 be confirmed and signed.
Carried.
Cr S Kontelj declared an Indirect Interest by Close Association in relation to Notice of Motion – Mobile Phone Antenna Lease – Hamlyn Park, in that his niece owns a property opposite the proposed tower and signed a petition opposing the tower.
Cr E Kontelj declared an Indirect Interest by Close Association in relation to Notice of Motion – Mobile Phone Antenna Lease – Hamlyn Park, in that his niece owns a property opposite the proposed tower and signed a petition opposing the tower.
Question Time is an opportunity for questions to be addressed to Council and while the minutes record the general content, they do not purport to be a transcript of what was said by individuals. Likewise Councillor or Officer verbal responses are in summary form only. Views expressed may not be the views of Council.
Council's practice is to provide a separate document on its website setting out questions and responses including any more detailed written responses which may be provided subsequent to the meeting.
Ryan McGarigle asked what measures are in place to ensure Councillors, when considering a planning permit application, consider the matter which is actually before them, and not other matters. The reason for my question is that at a recent meeting of the Planning Committee to decide on an application for a buildings and works in Roseneath Street, none of the discussion and questions related to the buildings and works. This was despite the expert view of Council’s planning officers and the applicant, that only the buildings and works matters were up for consideration and that other matters were not relevant. Virtually an entire meeting, and subsequent decision were based on matters which were clearly not up for consideration?
Peter Bettess responded that the report submitted by officers can be interpreted differently by individual Councillors on matters going before VCAT, and they will define the scope of considerations.
Christine Brooks asked about the negotiations for the ownership of Ocean Grove Park to be transferred to Council. “My question is addressed to Cr Jan Farrell: Councillor, will you suspend negotiations on this matter until the members of the Ocean Grove Park Association have voted as to whether there should be a transfer of ownership? I refer to my letter published in Bellarine Times on 21 November 2013, which questions why Council is spending its time and resources on these negotiations regardless of the fact that the members of the Ocean Grove Park Association have not yet voted as to whether there should be any transfer of ownership.”
Cr Farrell responded that a performance space in Ocean Grove Park has been the subject of Council discussions for 3-4 years. Council supported the Ocean Grove Park Association with funding to develop their business case and detailed design some years ago. An allocation of $200,000 towards construction of the performance space was made in the 2013/14 budget, subject to the Park being transferred to Council ownership.
Discussions are on foot with the Park’s owners Trust for Nature and the President of Ocean Grove Park Inc Colin Atkins. All parties want to make sure there is a covenant or memorandum of understanding that maintains the park as public open space for future generations. We will continue to negotiate with Trust for Nature in good faith. Matters concerning the members of Ocean Grove Park Inc are an internal matter for them.
Lynette Hughes asked the following:
Why do we need a CEO, Mayor, Councillors when the Committee for Geelong, G21, Northern Futures, Geelong Otway Tourism, Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, Deakin University, all taxpayer funded and their network of funded organisations, City of Greater Geelong bureaucrats and underlings (all funded with separate and hidden agendas); and now overpaid Enterprise Geelong are making all the decisions on behalf of ratepayers of CoGG, and who is running the Council and What is their ‘real’ triple bottom line agenda?
The Acting Mayor took the question on notice.
Questions 2 and 3 were not deemed questions, but rather statements, and therefore do not warrant a response.
Paul Westcott asked the following questions in relation to the Bus Interchange:
It has been reported in the media and elsewhere that there is, once again, a regrettable push to remove the bus interchange from Moorabool Street. Is the Council aware that since the interchange was re-established in Moorabool Street in late 2010 there has been a twenty percent increase in bus use in Geelong, which assists the implementation of Council policy to promote sustainable transport use?
The Acting Mayor took the question on notice.
Have the people who propose that the bus interchange be removed for a second time from Moorabool Street identified any alternative location that will give public transport users similarly direct and convenient access to the centre of Geelong and to other bus routes?
The Acting Mayor took the question on notice.
In the event that this proposal is taken any further, will Council agree to undertake a full and open public consultation which examines both the suitability of the current location and any alternative which might be proposed? I note that such a consultation, conducted by Council in June 2011, overwhelmingly backed the retention and improvement of the present location?
The Acting Mayor took the question on notice.
Cr Richards added any future proposals would be via a full and open public consultation.
Colin Wallace addressed Council as follows:
I refer to the Hansard of the Legislative Assembly of Victoria for Wednesday 13th November 2013, pages 4018 to 4022, particularly where Premier Denis Napthine refers to a meeting at his office in Treasury Place at 4pm on Wednesday 14th August 2013 at which Mayor of the City of Greater Geelong Keith Fagg told Premier Napthine of his intention to resign and where, on page 4022, Premier Napthine says, “I can advise the house with respect to the meeting on 14 August that people present at the meeting were me, Keith Fagg, his brother Barry Fagg, Paul Jamieson, acting CEO at the meeting on Wednesday 14th August, particularly considering that the evening before at the Council Meeting all five of the City of Greater Geelong’s general managers, including the person directly above Paul Jamieson in the hierarchy, Jenny McMahon, were present, with another of them Dean Frost the acting CEO in Stephen Griffin’s absence, or, considering the question another way, when, according to a report by Greg Dundas in the Geelong Advertiser on Friday 16th August, the day of the official announcement of Keith Fagg’s resignation, General Manager Dean Frost was acting CEO on Thursday 15th August and he was also acting CEO at the Council Meeting on Tuesday 13th August, why was Manager Paul Jamieson acting CEO at the 4pm meeting on Wednesday 14th August where Mayor Keith Fagg told Premier Denis Napthine he intended to resign?
The Chief Executive Officer responded the Paul Jamieson referred to is not the Paul Jamieson employed by this Council.
Dennis Foster asked the following questions in relation to the proposed Telstra Tower in Hamlyn Park Reserve:
What form does the public submission process take? Is it a petition, or is it a specific form to be completed that is provided by Council? Is it a submission we are expected to do as a community group or does Council prefer this to be completed by multiple individuals? How is the submission lodged to Council – is it in person or via the Council website?
What timeframe can we expect for the public submission process to be completed given our VCAT hearing date is the first week in March 2014?
What guidelines doe Council request that we follow with respect to the content of our public submission? What grounds do you recommend we use in our submission? How many objectors does Council ultimately require in order for our public submission to be successful?
We have already tabled 353 names on a public petition and there have been 219 objection forms filed with Council. How do you recommend that we integrate this into our public submission?
Cr Richards responded that a Notice of Motion is being presented this evening and if successful what we will see is a four week submission period in 2014, and will be mindful you need to be at VCAT in March 2014.
Individuals should forward submissions either handwritten or by email to Council. The submissions will be considered by council officers and a report will be brought to Council.
Mary Wallace asked if there is a Paul Jamieson working for Council?
The Chief Executive Officer responded, yes there is.
Adam Agosta asked a series of questions in relation to the G21 Regional Growth Plan – Implementation Plan, but did not provide a record of his questions.
Peter Bettess provided a detailed verbal response to the questions on the night.
Nil.
In accordance with the provisions of Section 63 of the Act, a person elected as a Councillor cannot act in that capacity unless they have made an ‘Oath of Office’. The Oath is made using a Bible, or alternately an affirmation may be made.
The Chief Executive Officer invited Cr Darryn Lyons to come forward to make an Oath of Office.
Cr Darryn Lyons made his Oath of Office, briefly addressed the gallery and assumed his Chair as the new Mayor of the City of Greater Geelong.
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