A summary of the Council meeting held on 28 January 2014

 

All councillors were in attendance.

 

Question time

 

13 questions had been received for the meeting.  All questions related to the residential aged care issue.  One further question which had been submitted had been disallowed as its contents were deemed inappropriate.  This question did not relate to the residential aged care issue.   At the end of question time, it was identified that a further question had been intended to be submitted for the meeting however Council was not aware of the question.  Nonetheless, Council dealt with an answer to this question at a later point during the meeting

A copy of the questions and answers is available in this document.

 

Key decisions

 

Some of the key decisions made at the meeting were:

• Item 1.1 – Community Grants Program for 2014/15: Council resolved to accept the recommendation of the Director, Community Services to set the process for the next round of community grants.  Councillors Dimopoulos, Lo, Nolan, Drieberg and Paterson were appointed to the Monash Community Grants Evaluation Panel which will ultimately provide a recommendation to Council on proposed funding outcomes.
• Item 1.2 – Management of Council’s two golf courses: Following a tender process, Council accepted the recommendation from the evaluation panel  to award the contract for the management and operation of the Glen Waverley and Oakleigh golf courses to ClubLINKS Pty Ltd for $338,250 (inclusive of GST) for a two year period.  This is a new provider which will take over management of the golf courses on 1 April 2014.
• Item 3.2 – Temporary helipad at Fregon Reserve: Council agreed to the temporary relocation of the Monash Medical Centre helipad onto Fregon Reserve, Clayton from February 2014 until early 2017 when a permanent helipad is reinstated within the Monash Medical Centre grounds.  Council made this decision on the basis that Monash Medical Centre will communicate comprehensively with residents, reserve users and other affected stakeholders.
• Item 4.1 – Amendment to the Monash Planning Scheme: translation to the new residential zones: Council agreed to request the Minister for Planning to prepare, adopt and approve an amendment to the Monash Planning Scheme to transition to the the new residential zones.  Council authorised the Director City Development to finalise the necessary documentation and lodge the amendment request with the Minister for Planning.
• Item 7.2 – Amendment to CEO’s delegated powers: Council agreed that the instrument of delegation to the Chief Executive Officer, dated 28 May 2013, be amended to delegate the Chief Executive Officer the authority to appoint an Acting Chief Executive Officer, where the Chief Executive Officer will be absent for a period of up to four weeks.  This change was agreed to on the basis that the CEO’s recommendations to appoint an acting CEO whenever the CEO is planning to take annual leave is a straight forward administrative matter and in the past has always been accepted by Council without comment.

 

Residential aged care matter

 

Council went into confidential business to consider the report of the Evaluation Panel in respect of the residential aged care sale process.

As there was a large number of people in attendance in the public gallery and in order to minimise disruption to those in attendance, councillors left the chamber and confidential business was held in the councillors’ office adjoining the chamber.

At the conclusion of confidential business, the public meeting resumed and I read out a statement to the meeting announcing Council’s decision to sell its two residential aged care facilities to Royal Freemasons.  More information about the sale, including the statement which I read out, is available here.  Following the conclusion of the statement, other councillors were then provided with an opportunity to comment on the decision.

 

 Points of Order

 

This was the second meeting in a row with no points of order taken.  A pleasing trend.