Over the two plus years of administration we have seen all avenues of public participation at council meetings closed to the public. The result has been an organisation that only shows the monthly agenda to the public 5 days before the council meeting. The three public presentation sessions per month have been ended and the administrators and staff have enabled a system of hurdles placed in front of Councillors which prevent any new inexperienced councillors from knowing how to make any changes at Council.
Along with these changes officers requested and administrators approved a new version of the local laws governing Council meetings procedure and the main change made was to prevent councillors calling for a notice of motion to change an existing council policy. Result being that Councillors would only be able to make changes to policies when the officers brought it to a council meeting for review.
Here is the method to make the required changes at Council.
Aim:
To reopen public presentation at Council and make Council once again accessible by ratepayers.
Method:
Administrators approved a staff policy amendment that now states Councillors are prevented from changing a Council policy through a notice of motion, but they are allowed BY LAW to call for an officer report. When the report comes to council, the Councillors can vote on the recommendations or make changes to the recommendations. The local government act after all makes Councillors the decision makers of Council policy at the end of the day.
Action:
Councillor moves a notice of motion calling for an officer report into how Council can improve the public participation policy. This report is called for at the next Council meeting.
At that meeting, Councillors consider the report, its recommendations and either approves one of the officer recommendations or it can move an alternative recommendation.
Outcome:
Within two months, Councillors can make the changes and put in place the public participation policy that ratepayers have been asking for these last two plus years.
The above is the process how to make the changes.
Suggestions that I would propose in the new public participation policy.
I would look at making changes in the following areas.
1. Council agenda needs to be published two weeks ahead of the Council meeting. This allows the public via the local press to learn of any issues they might wish to become involved with.
2. Public participation sessions to be returned so as to allow ratepayers who have an issue with an upcoming Council agenda topic to be able to speak to the Councillors in a public meeting with press in attendance. That way important matters can be seen by all the community and if required, actioned. Councillors would then be informed of ratepayers’ views and could take them into consideration at the Council meeting.
3.Publish a monthly timetable for officer briefing sessions to Councillors and make all but the confidential sessions available on live streaming so ratepayers can watch the discussions and learn more of a topic before it comes to the Council meeting.
There is no reason other than for truly confidential matters that need the doors closed to the public at council. The doors should be flung open, and the community allowed to see how Council functions and what those involved are doing for the community.
Authorised by Don Hill
2750 Meeniyan-Mirboo North Road,
Mirboo North
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