The CIR bites back!
At the front is the Mayoral Minute in which the recalcitrant continues to defy the Department of Local Government and wisdom by not withdrawing but seeking to postpone the $6000 slush fund for councillors and $12000 for himself.
Remuneration of elected councillors is sensibly established by the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal. To cry that councillors are underpaid and need an extra allowance for 'communication' is deceitful, an attempt to get around state regulation and an attempt to pervert proper public information with propaganda.
Note that on page 6, at the front of the Report of the General Manager, the General Manager determinely and properly recommends that the Council simply abandon this grubby plan for a so-called Community Information Reimbursement (CIR) allowance.
In the next section, the FINANCE AND CORPORATE SERVICES report, beginning at page 4, you find discussion of the proper processes of remuneration of councillors.
At the end of all the papers, Councillors Ward, Finkernagel and Green move to rescind (reverse) the silly resolution of 27 May, granting the CIR against all advice.
The Department of Local Government will be watching.
Dates for new council, briefing new council
At pages 6 and 7 the council proposes new dates for meetings beyond the elections. These will, of course, sensibly be reviewed by the new council. On page 8, discussing the programs of development training for councillors by DLG and by this council it is proposed that Council send the Department information on its councillor induction program.
Council does have comprehensive programs to explain its business operations to councillors after elections. There will need to be a profound change in that part of this program to establish a new and proper basis for the elected council to work as a board, to understand the meaning of keeping your finger out of the pie, to understand there are many matters within council management to which elected councillors and mayor have no right to information. The new council needs to establish a proper new basis for ethical conduct, a complete break from the past. If this does not happen and the council is divided and disputing issues of proper conduct, we can expect the council to be placed in administration by the Department of Local Government.
Beyond comprehension - perversion of government
The most amazing report begins next, at the bottom of page 8 of this report. The thing that the Watsonias do best is have one of their number slip in a little resolution which they all swiftly vote on. On 13 May, Clr Kerr got the job of proposing that "for administrative purposes the Mayor be regarded as having the same status as a Divisional Manager". In his advice on this, the General Manager patiently explains that this is blatantly improper. The elected council and the elected mayor have roles comparable to the boards of companies. To offer a comparison (my comparison, not the General Manager's) it is not the business of the Chairman of QANTAS to be the person people to go to get a better place in a queue for tickets. It is not the place of the Chairman of QANTAS to desk in a place deep and powerfully inside the company, accessing information and shoving his power around.
If council reaffirms the Kerr resolution, it will be time for intervention by the Department, before any implementation as this is, by definition, improper.
ULLADULLA TOWN CENTRE DRAFT CONTRIBUTIONS PLAN
This subject is of enormous importance. There is a Development Control Plan [DCP56] for the Ulladulla Town Centre currently on exhibition. The 'Contributions Plan' is the document relating to what developers should pay as contributions to council to enable infrastructure, environmental, amenity and such asset development so that the future development of the town is effective.
These two tandem documents are fundamental to the future of Ulladulla, as a centre physically, socially and commercially. Ulladulla has a choice to be a beautiful seaside place to live and work or to be as mucky as Nowra's centre has become.
The Minute to council notes that a bill in the state parliament will affect future contribution plans, it notes that contributions should be in relation both to the area covered by DCP 56 and also provide amenity and intrastructure beyond that zone. It notes demands developers might make to diminish contribution, and it offers suggestions that 'council might consider' as to how that burden might be reduced.
The total of funds indicated may look grand at $9 million (with council covering 70%) but there have been some questions raised about quality or cost of council works in Ulladulla. $9 million may not go far...
Council is asked to put this on display for comment and also seek views of the Ulladulla DCP Working Party.
All this is coming to a crunch, with a history of community disputation.
DRAFT NSW HOUSING CODES [DES p7]
Discusses new standards coming from the state government, alongside council's existing standards. There is concern that these new codes do not come up to our existing standards. Staff seek approval for a report outlining those concerns be submitted to the state government.
