minutes
of the SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING of the STONNINGTON CITY COUNCIL held in the COUNCIL CHAMBER STONNINGTON CITY CENTRE
(CORNER GLENFERRIE ROAD & HIGH STREET MALVERN)
on
14 November 2013
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Special Council Minutes
14 November 2013
______
a)Reading of the Reconciliation Statement and Prayer
b)Apologies
c)[1]Disclosure by Councillors of any conflicts of interest in accordance with Section 79 of the Act
General Business
1.mayoral and councillor allowance: fixing of allowances
2.Council to Set Term of the Mayor
3.Election of Mayor
4.Mayoral Address
Present:cr erin davie
cr john mcmorrow
cr adrian stubbs
cr john chandler
cr jami klisaris
cr matthew koce
cr melina sehr
cr sam hibbins
cr claude ullin
Council Officers Present:
warren roberts chief executive officer, chairperson
judy hogan civic support officer
Judy Hogan, Civic Support Officer read the Reconciliation Statement and the Prayer
We acknowledge that we are meeting on the traditional land of the Boonwurrung and Wurundjeri people and offer our respects to the elders past and present. We recognise and respect the cultural heritage of this land.
a.Reading of the Prayer
The meeting began with a prayer at 6.35pm.
b.Apologies
Nil
c.Disclosure by Councillors of any conflicts of interest in accordance with Section 79 of the Act
Nil
1.mayoral and councillor allowance: fixing of allowances
MotionMoved cr mcmorrowSeconded crsehr
That the report on the Mayoral and Councillor allowances be received and noted.
Carried
2.Council to Set Term of the Mayor
MotionMoved cr ullinSeconded Cr sehr
That the Mayoral term be set as one year.
Carried
3.Election of Mayor
The Chief Executive Officer Warren Roberts called for nominations for Mayor 2013/14.
Nominations were received as follows:
NominationMoved Cr koceSeconded Cr chandler
That Cr Stubbs be nominated for the position of Mayor for 2013/14.
As there were no other nominations, the Chief Executive Officer Warren Roberts declared
Cr Stubbs elected as Mayorfor 2013/14.
Cr Stubbs moved forward and donned the Mayoral robes and assumed the Chair.
4.Mayoral Address
“I thank my fellow Councillors for the confidence that they have placed in me – your unanimous support shown tonight is a clear demonstration of that.
With 6 new Councillors elected in the 2012 elections we could still be considered to be a new Council, but we have had our first year in office and have shown our community that we are very positive in delivering the best we can for those who live in or work in Stonnington. We do live in a great communitybut it is a community that we can make even better by working together with our residents and business operators and owners and other interested parties.
All Councillors sitting at this table have a selfless desire to serve this community, to make a difference, and to leave Stonnington a better place.
We have all worked hard to show we are professional in our conduct at our formal Council meetings and I’m sure this will continue. I cannot say we are so formal at our briefing sessionswhere we discuss, debate and challenge each other and our officers on the agenda item under discussion.
But in working as a cohesive team we harness our full potential for the benefit of this community which after all is surely a primary reason why all of us choose to stand for election.
As a new Councillor for East Ward,as are my two other East Ward colleagues I am humbled to be given this great opportunity to be Mayor and to be the first from East Ward since then Cr Anne O’Shea was Mayor in 2005 – 2006.
I would like to acknowledge the outstanding service of the “now” immediate past Mayor,Cr Matthew Koce,who was also elected in 2012 and was successful in being elected Mayor in hisfirst year of office. Matthew your commitment to the role is an inspiration to me and to us alland it is my intention to continue with the model that you set as Mayor.
I would also like to take this opportunity to recognise the efforts of all Councillors over this past year and to Cr Ullin and Cr Chandler and Cr Sehr who have been previous Mayors and who continue to serve Stonnington with distinction.
Matthew I hope you don’t mind but I’m going to quote from part of your Mayoral acceptance speech because your words held resonance for me then and do now:
You said.
This is a Council with enormous talent and enormous potential. We have Councillors that mirror much of the diversity within the community. We have mothers and fathers, youth and maturity, we come from different professions and walks of life, but we all passionately share a desire to serve the community in which we live. I want that passion to serve to rise above all else and drive this Council term.
The diversity of our community and within our Council Chamber is one of our greatest strengths. Diversity allows us to see and respond to challenges and opportunities from many different perspectives and angles. It helps us understand different points of view. It helps us to better empathise with and understand the community we represent, at a very personal and authentic level.
In the coming Mayoral year I and my colleagues, the CEO and City of Stonnington staff face a number of challenges:
The first and foremost is planning and more specifically how we implement the new State Government residential zones. We have other planning challenges with 590 Orrong Rd,ongoingdevelopment of Chadstone shopping complex,807 Dandenong Road, continual development around Cabrini Hospital, not only with the Hospital itself but also with a number of medical practices desiring to open in the surrounding area,and there is continuing high or should I say higher rise development in our Forrest Hill precinct.
VCAT have also approved,as the independent planning umpire a number of very large (and not so large) and what our residents consider to be insensitive developments despite this Councils and their opposition, and I daresay we will have on-going activity with this tribunal in prosecuting our and your view of appropriate development.
It is hoped that how we as a Council implement the new zones will allow us to respond to these planning challenges and to safeguard the amenity of our community.
Population Growth
The State Governments “Plan Melbourne” indicates a population growth for greater Melbourne of 2,000,000 by 2050 with the need for an additional 600,000 dwellings. It goes without saying that Stonnington will be expected by the State Government to accommodate development activity to meet part of this growth.
(Stonnington’s population is expected to grow by 16% between now and 2031. That means we will need to accommodate an additional 16,000 plus residents.)
Impact on Infrastructure
What does this mean for our already overstretched transport system, ourroads, trains and trams are already overcrowded and our schools are already at capacity. With this expected growth the State Government must also ensure appropriate infrastructure is provided along with any major development and not after the event.. I will be passionate in pressing this case.
State Secondary School
I will also argue strongly for provision of a State Government Secondary School within Stonnington ---- currently we have no State Secondary school such within Stonnington– but I am aware that the State Member for Prahran the Hon. Clem Newton-Brown is leading a committee to redress this. He will have my support and this Council’s support in him.
Open Space
A growing density of population has also highlighted the urgent need for more public open space. In Stonnington we have the second lowest percentage of open space in Victoria.
Talk to almost any sporting club and they will tell you that there are not enough sports groundsand that the grounds we have are being over used. Talk to local families and many will tell you that more parks and playgrounds are needed.
I can assure you, that as Mayor, I will be putting the case very strongly to the State and where appropriate the Federal Government for increased investment into local infrastructure and in particular public transport, schools, roads and drainage.
Finances.
Stonnington’s Budget is in a sound financial position. However, balancing the resources of Council to meet a host of challenges,rising costs and diverse community needs will be difficult in the current economic climate. We must and will keep a close eye on the budget bottom line.
I am sure that as a Council we will continue down the path of careful and responsible fiscal management of Council’s budget.
Other areas of equal importance to those mentioned are our Chapel Street Redevelopment activity, our work on improving our side of the Yarra River, improving our cycle and shared cycle and pedestrian paths, continuing to advance our Sustainability agenda, and naturally our on-going commitment to our Arts and Cultural activities and importantly engaging with our Trader Associations to maintain our shopping precincts as a safe place to shop and engage with friends and family.
These are but a few of our challenges. Our Council Plan 2013 – 2017 will identify many more.
To ensure we can meet these challenges and deliver upon community expectations, I would like to recommend to Councillors that we have a new committee on Strategic Planning, to go with our present four Committees, which are:
- Finance
- Economic Development, Tourism and Arts .
- Social Development
- Environmental Sustainability
The Strategic Planning Committee will ensure we are prepared for the planning challenges in front of us and to ensure our planning scheme is relevant to the changing circumstances that we face. As mentioned earlier the State Government “Plan Melbourne” indicates a growth in Melbourne’s population to 2050 of 2,000,000 and the need to build 600,000 new dwellings – and I doubt these will be ¼ acre blocks.
To meet this growth will mean more development along our main roads, our tram and train lines and near our activity centres. This new committee will provide us with the necessary information and tools to ensure we are ready to face these planning and infrastructure challenges.
And Finally
In my role as Mayor and as a Councillor my focus will always be on making Stonnington an even better place to live, work, operate a business, to raise a family as I and my wife have done) or a place to retire to.
I live in Stonnington, I love this City, it is the community that I represent and you will always be foremost in my mind.
To my wife Carole, my sons Anthony and Luke, my friends in the Gallery and to those who helped me get here in the 2012 election I sayThankyou.
Without your support and guidance I would not be here now.
God bless and a safe journey home to all.
Councillors Reply
Cr Koce rose to wish the Mayor Cr Stubbs his congratulations and support in his role as Mayor (as immediate out-going Mayor) and wished him every success.
Councillors then responded with various comments including acknowledgment and support and thanked the out-going Mayor Cr Koce and Mayoress Linda Koce for their work and commitment over the past year.
There Being No Further Business the Mayor, Cr Stubbs thanked everyone in the gallery for their attendance and invited them to join the Councillors in refreshments.
The Meeting Closed at 7.15pm
Confirmed 2 December 2013
……………………………………..
CR ADRIAN STUBBS
MAYOR
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[1]Note that section 79(1)(a) of the Act requires Councillors to disclose the nature of aconflict of interest immediately before the relevant consideration or discussion