Council Minutes - Section C: Notice of Motion - 25 June 2019
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Notices of Motion tabled at the Ordinary Meeting of Council on 25 June 2019 which was held at the Council Conference and Reception Centre in City Hall, 57 Little Malop Street, Geelong.
The utilisation of Little Malop Central (the Mall) as a public space in the central business district has over a number of years been the focus of the Council and its stakeholders. There is increasing community concern that the Mall is not delivering a safe and inclusive public space for the community.
There are a range of activities that are programmed regularly to increase activation of the Mall including “Food Truck Friday”, buskers and other events to encourage people to use this area.
Council has proposed a capital allocation of $250,000 in the 2019/20 budget for the delivery of a master plan including a thorough engagement process to enable capital works to be undertaken to potentially fully refurbish the Mall and its adjoining side streets. The works required to implement the master plan will take considerable resources and time, as well as the support of key stakeholders in the central business district and the community.
In the meantime, there is an opportunity to activate the Mall to encourage greater community use and access. Short to medium term activation initiatives may also help inform the longer-term future of the space.
Councillor Kontelj moved, Councillor Mansfield seconded -
That Council:
Work with key stakeholders including the Victoria Police, traders, property owners and other agencies to identify short and medium term initiatives to activate the Mall;
Request the Chief Executive Officer provide a report to Council by the end of August 2019 outlining the above and:
include an outline of the costs and timelines for implementation; and
identify specifically which initiatives can be implemented by no later than 15 December 2019.
Carried.
On Monday 17 June 2019 the Minister for Local Government, the Hon. Adem Somyurek MP announced that the Victorian government was committed to deliver a new Local Government Bill this year. As part of the announcement, the Minister released the Local Government Bill Reform Paper on proposed additional changes to the Local Government Bill 2018, which will now be amalgamated into the 2019 Bill.
Local Government Victoria have requested that feedback about the 2019 Bill be provided by 17 July 2019.
Whilst the Minister released the Paper outlining the proposed changes, the Local Government Bill 2019 draft has not yet been released nor is an Explanatory Memorandum available to assist in understanding the proposed changes.
The changes incorporated into the 2019 Bill are in some instances a significant departure from the current provisions of the Local Government Act (Vic) 1989, and it is important that the community, the administration and Councillors understand the changes to enable considered feedback about the changes to be provided.
As a member of the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV), the Council has requested the MAV write to the Minister requesting an extension of time to provide feedback.
This Council would like the Greater Geelong community to be provided with a reasonable opportunity to understand the proposed changes and provide their feedback to the Minister. To do this, the deadline for providing feedback should be no earlier than 30 August 2019.
Councillor Asher moved, Councillor Aitken seconded -
That Council request the Chief Executive Officer write to the Minister for Local Government, the Hon. Adem Somyurek MP seeking an extension of time until at least 30 August 2019 to provide feedback on the Local Government Bill 2019.
Councillor Murnane left the meeting room at 9:44pm.
Carried.
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