In 2020 following consideration of community feedback, Council adopted new Governance Rules which set out the operating rules on how Council meetings will be managed and how Council decisions will be informed. The Governance Rules also establish the requirements for Councillors and staff during election periods and when disclosing conflicts of interest.
Since then, some minor amendments have been made to the Governance Rules, with revised versions being adopted by Council in November 2021, and again in August 2022.
In February 2023, Council decided to undertake a review of the Governance Rules. On 9 August 2024, Council endorsed the reviewed Governance Rules, to receive community feedback until 11 September 2023. However, at its meeting of 8 November 2023, Council resolved to undertake a further review of the Governance Rules provisions relating to minutes, rescission notices, conflicts of interest and quorum.
Council is now proposing that some further minor amendments be made to the Governance Rules to ensure that Council decision-making and meeting processes are clear and fair for the benefit of both the community and Councillors.
The proposed Governance Rules include feedback from Councillors, Council officers as well as benchmarking against other metropolitan councils. Council is now seeking feedback from the community on the most recent proposed amendments and you are invited to have your say.
Proposed amendments
If, after 30 minutes from the scheduled starting time of any Meeting, a quorum cannot be obtained, the Chairperson, or if the Chairperson is not present, those Councillors present or, if there are no Councillors present, the Chief Executive Officer or, in the absence of the Chief Executive Officer, a Delegate, may reschedule the Meeting for a period not exceeding seven days from the original date of the meeting.
If, during any Meeting or any adjournment of the Meeting, a quorum cannot be maintained, the Chairperson, or if the Chairperson is not present, those Councillors present or, if there are no Councillors present, the Chief Executive Officer or, in the absence of the Chief Executive Officer, a Delegate, may reschedule the Meeting to a date not exceeding seven days from the original date of the meeting.
(1) If the Agenda for a Meeting makes provision for urgent business, business cannot be admitted as Urgent Business other than by resolution of Council and only then if the submitter provides a clear justification for how:
(a) It relates to or arises out of a matter which has arisen since distribution of the Agenda; and
(b) Deferring the item until the next Meeting will mean a decision on the item will not have any effect on the matter.
(2) The Chief Executive Officer, in consultation with the Mayor, may also bring to the attention of Councillors, an item of Urgent Business, that is urgent in nature, and that cannot be addressed through an operational service request process.
Unless Council resolves differently, there must be a time provided for questions of Council and Community Statements at every scheduled Council Meeting not designated for Planning and Related Matters to enable members of the public to submit questions to Council.
Prior to the hearing of Questions of Council and Community Statements, the Mayor will inform Councillors and the public of the total number of questions received for the Council meeting (including how many have been taken on notice).
A copy of all questions and community statements including those to be taken On Notice received before 5pm on the day of the Council Meeting, will be distributed to Councillors as soon as reasonably practicable.
The Chairperson may elect to answer the question themselves or a Councillor may nominate themselves to answer each question. Prior to responding, the Chairperson may seek contextual information from the person submitting the question.
Notwithstanding Sub-Rule (5)(a) where a Notice of Rescission has been received prior to the publication of the proposed minutes (and a notation has been recorded as per Rule 3.11.1 (p)), the resolution will not be deemed to have been acted upon.
Where a recission motion has been received prior to the publication of the proposed Minutes, that a notation be recorded in the proposed minutes advising that the resolution is subject to a Notice of Rescission to be considered by Council;
What happens next?
Community members are invited to review the proposed amendments to the Governance Rules endorsed by Council. Feedback is strongly encouraged and may be provided by completing the submission form below by 5pm on Friday 8 March 2024.
Council will consider the review and proposed changes of the Governance Rules at its April 2024, Council Meeting. The meeting will be held at the Coburg Civic Centre and members of the public are invited to observe proceedings from the public gallery. The meeting will also be live streamed on Councils website and social media platforms.
Further reading:
- The publicly available Model Governance Rules concerning electronic attendance at meetings can be found on Local Government Victoria's website (Local Government - Local Government).
- For access to the recommendations regarding Governance Rules contained in the Operation Sandon report, visit the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission's website, please visit Operation Sandon | IBAC.
