Agenda of Special Governance Committee Meeting

Agenda (Open Portion)

Special Governance Committee Meeting

Page 4

7/11/2016

Special Governance Committee Meeting (Open Portion) held Monday,
7 November 2016 at 4.20 pm in the Lady Osborne Room, Town Hall.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Ruzicka (Chairman)

Deputy Lord Mayor Christie

Cocker

Thomas

Reynolds

ALDERMEN

Lord Mayor Hickey

Zucco

Briscoe

Sexton

Burnet

Denison

Harvey

Apologies: Nil

Leave of Absence:

Alderman Denison

1. co-option of a committee member in the event of a vacancy

2. Indications of Pecuniary and Conflicts of Interest

Ref: Part 2, Regulation 8(7) of the Local Government (Meeting Procedures) Regulations 2015.

Aldermen are requested to indicate where they may have any pecuniary or conflict of interest in respect to any matter appearing on the agenda, or any supplementary item to the agenda, which the committee has resolved to deal with.

Item No. 4.1

Agenda (Open Portion)

Special Governance Committee Meeting

Page 6

7/11/2016

REPORT TITLE: Proposed 2017 Council and Committee Meeting Schedule and Temporary City Planning Committee Delegation

REPORT PROVIDED BY: Manager City Government

Deputy General Manager

1. Report Purpose and Community Benefit

1.1. The purpose of this report is to submit the proposed 2017 schedule for Council and committee meetings for the Council’s consideration.

2. Report Summary

2.1. The 2017 meeting schedule (Attachment A) has been prepared using the usual approach which is based around a monthly meeting cycle which includes two Council and City Planning Committee meetings and one meeting of each of the other Council committees.

2.2. This approach is considered appropriate as the pattern of meetings is well understood and has a logical alignment within each month of the year.

2.3. The Council has resolved to conduct an Aldermanic Workshop to give further consideration to the present structure and operation of its Council committees. It is proposed that this be scheduled in early 2017.

2.3.1. Should the Council resolve at a later date to amend the structure of its committees, the meeting schedule will be amended accordingly at that time.

2.4. In the event that any urgent business arises which cannot be accommodated within the proposed meeting schedule, special meetings will be convened as required.

2.5. It is recommended that the Council provide a delegation to the City Planning Committee, consistent with the delegation provided in prior years, to enable planning applications to be approved during the Christmas period.

3. Recommendation

That:

1. The proposed 2017 Council and committee meeting schedule, marked as Attachment A, be adopted.

2. In the event that any urgent matters arise which cannot be accommodated within the 2017 meeting schedule, special meetings be convened as required.

3. The City Planning Committee be provided with the following delegation in order to facilitate the processing of planning permit applications during the Christmas period:

To determine all planning permit applications which would otherwise be determined by the Council, between 12 December 2016 and the first ordinary scheduled Council meeting in January 2017, in circumstances where it would not otherwise be possible to determine the application within the statutory time period required under Sections 57(6), 57(6A), 58(2) or 58(2A) of the Land Use Planning and Approvals Act 1993, and an extension of time cannot be obtained, unless an Alderman has requested the convening of a special meeting or meetings to determine the application.

(i) In respect to the above committee meetings, any non-committee members who may attend, be deemed ex-officio committee members for those particular meetings, in order to allow Aldermen the opportunity to vote on agenda items.

4. Background

4.1. A schedule is compiled annually which outlines the meeting dates for Council and Council committees and is submitted to the Council for adoption.

4.2. A formalised meeting schedule provides the community and Aldermen with a framework around the conduct of Council business.

5. Proposal and Implementation

5.1. The draft schedule continues the existing practice of attaching the same days and times to meetings during the monthly cycle and has been drafted to reflect the normally quiet business month of January by the omission of meetings in the earlier part of that month.

5.1.1. Noting that December is a particularly busy month, the proposed schedule provides for two Council meetings on 4 and 18 December. Consequently adjustments are required to the scheduling of committee meetings during November and December to ensure an even flow of business for those Council meetings.

5.2. The spread of meetings across each month provides optimal operational continuity.

5.3. In previous years the Council has provided a delegation to the City Planning Committee, which can be referenced as Section 7.1(v) of the City Planning Committee Terms of Reference, to enable planning permit applications, where an extension of time cannot be obtained, to be determined by the committee.

5.4. The Council has resolved to conduct a further workshop to give consideration to the present structure and operation of its Council committees and the annual scheduling of Aldermanic workshops.

5.4.1. To this end, should the Council resolve at a later date to amend the structure of its committees and Aldermanic workshops, the meeting schedule will be amended accordingly.

5.5. Adoption of the meeting schedule is sought prior to the release and dissemination of the information to Aldermen, Council officers and members of the public to enable the efficient planning and management of Council business.

5.6. In accordance with Regulation 7(2) of the Local Government (Meeting Procedures) Regulation 2015, the Council’s adopted meeting schedule will be advertised in The Mercury in January and also published on the City of Hobart website.

6. Strategic Planning and Policy Considerations

6.1. This matter aligns with Goal 5 of the Capital City Strategic Plan 2015-2025, strategic objective 5.1, which states:

The organisation is relevant to the community and provides good governance and transparent decision making.

7. Financial Implications

7.1. Funding Source and Impact on Current Year Operating Result

7.1.1. There are no funding implications arising from this report.

8. Social and Customer Considerations

8.1. The adoption of a forward annual meeting schedule enables the community to access information in relation to matters of interest to them.

9. Delegation

9.1. This matter is delegated to the Council.

As signatory to this report, I certify that, pursuant to Section 55(1) of the Local Government Act 1993, I hold no interest, as referred to in Section 49 of the Local Government Act 1993, in matters contained in this report.

Margaret Johns

Manager City Government

Heather Salisbury

Deputy General Manager

Date: 4 November 2016

File Reference: F16/124132

Attachment a: 2017 Proposed Meeting Schedule ⇩

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