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, amendments have been made to the Governance Rules with revised versions being adopted by Council in November 2021, August 2022 and again in April 2024.
Council is now proposing that some minor amendments be made to the Governance Rules to ensure that its meeting processes are clear and fair for the benefit of both the community and Councillors.
It should be noted that Local Government Victoria is in the process of developing Model Governance Rules, following the IBAC recommendations resulting from Operation Sandon. These Model Governance Rules are expected to apply to all councils and they will be finalised and released in late 2025. Local Government Victoria has informally advised Council officers that whilst a comprehensive review of a council’s Governance Rules is not be advisable before the release of the statewide Model Governance Rules, minor amendments such as those currently proposed could be appropriate.
Proposed amendments
The changes proposed to the Governance Rules, are detailed below, with removed text stuck through and added text displayed in italics.
To read as:
(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:
(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; or
(c) The item involves a matter of urgency as determined by the Chief Executive Officer; and
(d) It cannot be addressed through an operational service request process; and
(2) In addition to the requirements in Sub-Rule (1), where Urgent Business is to be admitted to a Meeting Designated for Planning and Related Matters, the urgent business must relate to a planning matter.
To read as:
(n) details of any petitions made to Council, including a full description of the request contained in the petition, if the petition has not already been published in a Council agenda;
What happens next?
Community members are invited to review the proposed Governance Rules endorsed by Council. Feedback is strongly encouraged and may be provided by completing the submission form below by 5pm on 28 April 2025.
Council will consider the review and proposed changes of the Governance Rules at its May 2025 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 Council's website and social media platforms.
