Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of the Greater Geelong City Council held at the Council Conference and Reception Centre - City Hall on 9 December 2014, commencing at 7:00pm.
Belinda Ritchie
Colin Wallace
Mary Wallace
Ros Lewis
Jennifer Bantow
Bill Clydesdale
Cr D Lyons (Mayor)
Crs:
T Ansett
L Ellis
J Farrell
K Fisher
B Harwood
M Heagney
J Irvine
E Kontelj
S Kontelj
R Macdonald
R Nelson
A Richards
G Miles (Chief Executive Officer)
J Brown (Acting 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)
R Grant (Manager Tourism)
K Paton (Manager Arts and Culture)
S Sodomaco (Manager Health and Local Laws)
R Bourke (Co ordinator Governance & Legal Services)
D Chiller (Co ordinator Communication and Marketing
A Paterson (EO – Mayor)
The Mayor declared the meeting open at 7:00pm.
Council acknowledges Wadawurrung Traditional Owners of this land and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People who are part of the Greater Geelong community today.
Nil.
Cr Ansett moved, Cr Harwood seconded -
That the Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 25 November 2014 be confirmed and signed.
Carried.
Nil.
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.
Belinda Ritchie submitted a question prior to the meeting, however as she was not present a written response will be forwarded.
Colin Wallace asked –
Would Councillors in their role as employers of the Chief Executive Officer and any readers of the Minutes of the Council Meeting of 25th November 2014 – in the present time and in the future – note the facts that I did not submit my question prior to the meeting, that my question ended with the words ‘avoids completely the matter of whether these Minutes are important content?’ and that I gave the sheet from which I read my question to Acting General Manager Mike Kelly upon the end of my participation in Public Question Time?
At the 25th November 2014 Council Meeting, Acting General Manager Corporate Services Mike Kelly had a prepared response which he used, even though he did not have access to my question beforehand, and his prepared response did not answer my question which by its nature could only be answered by the Chief Executive Officer – who was there at the time – and I am asking Councillors in their role as employers of the Chief Executive Officer, would they take responsibility for this which happened under their noses?
In the subsequent written response I received from the City of Greater Geelong, the question I put at the 25th November 2014 Council Meeting was evaded and would Councillors in their role as employers of the Chief Executive Officer take responsibility for this?
John Brown, Acting General Manager Corporate Services, noted the comments and added that Council has responded to this issue three times previously, and there is nothing further to say.
Mary Wallace asked would Councillors note that at the last Council Meeting, 25th November 2014, my question for Cr S Kontelj was not answered on the night and that in the subsequent written response from Council my question was evaded?
The Mayor noted the comment.
Ros Lewis asked the following in relation to the Art Gallery Redevelopment and Heritage Centre:
The Geelong Town Hall is one of the oldest in Victoria, and is one of the finest Classic Greek Revival town halls in Australia having served continuously as the centre of local government in Geelong since 1856. It’s therefore important that the Town Hall remains the seat of local government and that Council continues to meet here.
Could it please be clarified that under option 4, the Art Gallery expansion would take in the laneway and the later additions of this room and adjacent meeting rooms only, and that the original Joseph Reed 1854 design building will remain in Council use? Also on which building are the extra stories planned and is it possible that Council could regain extra floor-space, perhaps for a Council Chamber and grand staircase, by restoring the first floor level above the foyer area?
The old Heritage Centre contained the Bill Morrow Theatrette and the Phillip Brown Collection room. Bill Morrow, Ian Wynd and Peter Alsop, all now deceased, were instrumental in the creation of the Heritage Centre.
Can the new Heritage Centre please have areas called – the Philllip Brown Collection room and areas named in honour of Bill Morrow, Ian Wynd and Peter Alsop?
Cr Farrell asked the questions be taken on notice.
Jenny McMahon responded that as outlined in the Council report the preferred Option 4 will be made available to community members to make comment on.
Jennifer Bantow addressed Council as follows:
Geelong CBD Planning Authority
Its recently been reported that the new State Government will create a Geelong Planning Authority which would assume control over CBD development from the Council.
Could Council please advise what it knows of this proposal and if under this Authority some decisions may be reviewed, such as the 11 storey building in Myers Street. The Trust was advised that under recent planning scheme changes no advertising was required, not even to neighbours, and that no notice would be taken of any submission.
Also, perhaps recent residential zoning may be reviewed? The National Trust would like to see all properties with a Heritage Overlay reviewed to become Neighbourhood Residential.
The Mayor took the question on notice. He added the Government only finalised the Cabinet within the last 48 hours and Council will certainly discuss this matter in due course.
Motoring Museum in the old Federal Woollen Mill in North Geelong
This is a terrific idea. Could it be possible for other buildings on the site to be used for other museum collections? Many collections were identified in a study by the Arts and Culture Department a couple of years ago.
The Mayor responded that the Woollen Mill is privately owned and agreed the Motoring Museum is fantastic and that he is hopeful the buildings would provide for other collections.
Bill Clydesdale asked questions in relation to the Telstra Tower in Hamlyn Park:
Why was the process approved in all stages by a panel, cancelled? It was advertised that only 139 submissions were received against. Re-advertised for the purpose of the lease, a small group canvassed opposition, on quite immoral, biased views.
Why at this point were new and biased viewpoints accepted? A valid need for provision of services was subsequently denied. Why was a small group allowed to derail a need, purely for personal reasons? This is a mockery of the panel and their deliberation.
Cr Richards responded that he presented a Notice of Motion around the process. Council received an overwhelming number of petitions about not proceeding with the lease for the tower in Hamlyn Park and Council took into account what the public wanted. The public spoke loud and clear that they didn’t want the tower there.
The Mayor added a written response will be forwarded in 14 days.
Cr Fisher presented a petition containing 95 signatures asking Council to relocate the skate park at Windsor Park in an effort to make the North Shore Football and Netball Club safer for families.
Cr Richards presented the Mayor with three Awards won by the City of Greater Geelong as a result of the M~M2014 : Mountain to Mouth event. The awards are as follows:
Australian Event Awards 2014 - ‘Best Cultural, Arts and Music Event’
Australian Event Awards 2014 – ‘Best Community Event’
VicHealth 2014 Victorian Health Promotion Foundation Award – ‘Building Health Through Arts’
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