Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of the Greater Geelong City Council held at the Council Conference and Reception Centre in City Hall, 57 Little Malop Street, Geelong on 10 December 2019, commencing at 7:00pm.
Barry White
Erica Hunt
Sanja Van Huet
Lionel McWilliam
Glenda MacNaughton
Mercedes Drummond
Patrick Hughes
Councillors:
S Asher (Mayor)
A Aitken
K Grzybek
B Harwood
E Kontelj
S Mansfield
J Mason
P Murnane
P Murrihy
R Nelson
T Sullivan
M Cutter (Chief Executive Officer)
B Luxford (Director Economy, Investment and Attraction)
G Smith (Director Planning, Design and Development)
M Dugina (Director Customer and Corporate Services)
R Stevens (Director Community Life)
R Leonard (Acting Director Governance, Strategy and Performance)
K Phyland (Executive Manager People and Culture)
The Mayor declared the meeting open at 7:00pm.
Council acknowledged Wadawurrung Traditional Owners of this land and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People who are part of the Greater Geelong community today.
Nil.
Councillor Grzybek moved, Councillor Sullivan seconded -
That Leave of Absence be granted to Councillor Stephanie Asher (Mayor) from 24-26 January, 2020.
Carried.
Councillor Mason moved, Councillor Sullivan seconded –
That Councillor Grzybek (Deputy Mayor) be appointed as Acting Mayor during the Mayor's absence between 24-26 January 2020.
Carried.
Councillor Sullivan moved, Councillor Asher seconded -
That Leave of Absence be granted to Councillor Jim Mason from 23 December 2019 to 19 January 2020.
Carried.
Councillor Kontelj moved, Councillor Grzybek seconded –
That Leave of Absence be granted to Councillor Anthony Aitken from 26 December to and including 4 January 2020.
Carried.
Councillor Aitken moved, Councillor Grzybek seconded -
That Leave of Absence be granted to Councillor Sarah Mansfield from 26 January to 14 February 2020.
Carried.
Councillor Mason moved, Councillor Murrihy seconded -
That Leave of Absence be granted to Councillor Bruce Harwood from 20 December 2019 to 5 January 2020 and 19 January to 26 January 2020.
Carried.
Councillor Grzybek moved, Councillor Harwood seconded -
That the Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held on 26 November 2019 be confirmed.
Carried.
Councillr Harwood declared a Direct Interest in the Notice of Motion in that he has an interest in land within the Distinctive Areas and Landscapes.
** Councillor Murnane left the meeting room at 7:07pm.
Question submitted by Christie Hall will be responded to in writing.
Barry White asked, “Where is the Lara Traffic Management Plan”?
Guy Wilson Browne responded the public exhibition for the Lara Traffic Management Plan has closed. Council has assessed the submissions and are finalising the draft plan to reflect community and stakeholder feedback. A revised plan will be presented to Council early in the New Year. Guy added Council will be in touch with Mr White and the group to provide an idea of the final plan.
Question asked on behalf of Erica Hunt:
What is Council doing to address the ecological crisis and sixth mass extinction at local government level? How is Council addressing Josie Horne, Junior Mayor’s recommendation regarding declaring a climate emergency?
The City has an extensive range of actions helping to improve our natural environment and reduce extinctions in the region. This includes programs protecting nationally significant plants and animals as well as ecosystems – including the Hooded Plover and Victorian Volcanic Plains Grasslands. The City is committed to creating more habitat for species and has expanded our conservation areas under management by approximately 50% in the last five years. In these reserves (and other areas) we have undertaken extensive planting programs to increase habitat.
The City recognises that we need to do more and is currently finalising a Sustainability Framework which will guide all of our decision making. This will be a tangible way, along with the many actions currently underway which will help address climate change and improve our natural environment.
** Cr Murnane re-entered the meeting room at 7:13pm.
Sanja Van Huet asked:
How does Council intend to revive public confidence around their actions toward sustainability in the City of Greater Geelong? One suggestion is to remove continual commentary around the One Plant Living and instead align with a group such as the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, which will ensure that Council remain accountable rather than self-reporting.
Guy Wilson Browne responded there are extensive sustainability initiatives being undertaken right across the City’s programs – this includes building efficiency upgrades, changes to our vehicle fleet and installation of renewable energy. We agree that more work needs to be done – hence we have committee to major initiatives such as changing our streetlights to energy efficient LED’s and sourcing electricity for our buildings from renewable energy.
One Planet Living was integrated into the City’s programs following consultation with the community and stakeholders as part of the development of the previous Environment Management Strategy. The City became just the third in Australia to be certified under this International Framework. A number of local community sustainability groups have also adopted the principles since this time.
There are a number of sustainability frameworks that are commonly used with local government. The City is currently reviewing these as part of the development of the Sustainability Framework.
Cease answering correspondence to questions and letters with rhetoric and self-aggrandising comments. The letters received are patronising, inherently incorrect in terms of action and are not in line with some of the verbal commentary made during Council meetings.
Your feedback is noted.
Make publicly available both the brief provided to the environmental consultancy, and also the correspondence from Councillors to Council employees related to the construction of the brief for environmental consultants?
Council is happy to provide a copy of the scope for the development of the sustainability framework that was used as the basis to seek the engagement of an environmental consultancy.
Lionel McWilliam asked about the proposed new fire station, originally to be sited on the corner of Caddy’s Road and Windermere Road. We now believe it will be located at 147-153 Windermere, this will create extreme environmental problems for Serendip Sanctuary and Serendip Creek?
Gareth Smith responded the proposal is subject to a planning permit and consultation period.
The following questions in relation to Agenda Item 3 – Amendment C363 – Central Road, Drysdale – Consideration of Submissions:
Glenda MacNaughton:
How much time and resources have Council officers spent with interested property developers in drafting Planning Amendment C363 to assist its passage through the planning approval process? How much time and resources have they spent with the 63 objectors to C363 in drafting objections to prevent its passage, and do these comparative figures support the officer’s statement in their report to tonight’s meeting that, “The Amendment has appropriately considered social equity principles”?
Mercedes Drummond:
In their report to tonight’s meeting, Council officers state that C363 has “appropriately considered social equity principles”. Do you agree with them in light of the fact that they have changed C363 in response to objections by 21 residents of Marsh Court, but rejected a further 42 objections, including 6 from community associations across the Bellarine Peninsula, representing the views of hundreds of your constituents?
Patrick Hughes:
Do you think it is acceptable for Council officers to reject the professional advice of an independent hydrology consultant – that a drainage basin could be created on our property 5 metres from our home without destroying it – yet accept unquestioningly the assertion by the developer driving C363 that it could be 17 years before such a drainage basin on our property is needed (quoted on P28)? Do you also think it acceptable for Council officers to state that our home should be destroyed because it would be less than 15 metres from the proposed drainage basin, despite several houses in the neighbouring Curlewis estate being less than 15 metres from a drainage basin?
The Mayor responded the above questions in relation to Amendment C363 will be addressed during debate of the item later in the evening.
A petition was presented by Frankie in relation to recycling and asked that Council improve waste and resource recovery efforts.
Jan Calaby presented a petition containing 130 signatures from concerned residents in relation to the proposed Drug Rehabilitation Centre in Mt Duneed.
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