A record we trust

For more than decade, Geoff Lake has worked hard on Monash Council to get things done and to get Council working for us.  He has a record we can trust.

1983A record we trust

  1. Victoria’s lowest rates
  2. A debt free council since 2015 (for the first time ever for Monash)
  3. Reduced Council bureaucracy
  4. Increased spending on capital works and local infrastructure
  5. Introduced the $50 rate rebate for pensioners
  6. New energy-efficient street lights – reducing Council’s carbon footprint by 18% and saving over $400K per year
  7. No junkets, no pomp, no ceremony
  8. Resolving issues and fixing problems for residents
  9. Stopped dysfunctional meetings
  10. High quality and efficient services

A reflection on the 2012-16 Council term

Posted by on 4:18 pm in Councillor performance, Effective meetings, Financial management, Improving efficiency, Improving services, News, Record | 0 comments

A reflection on the 2012-16 Council term

The following is my end of term address which I delivered to the last Monash Council meeting of the 2012-16 term on Wednesday, 19 October 2016.   Given this is the last Council meeting for this term of Council, I would like to make a few comments looking back over the past four years. Reflecting on these four years this afternoon, it occurred to me that I don’t think there has ever been a period of such rapid change and new initiatives in the 22 year history of Monash Council. The election of most us in October 2012 now seems much...

read more

Campaign for rate reform to fix Victoria’s archaic rates system

Posted by on 9:18 pm in Low rates, News, Pensioners, Priorities, Rate reform, Rates, Record, Seniors | 0 comments

Campaign for rate reform to fix Victoria’s archaic rates system

Rate notices in Monash have recently been sent out.  Monash will collect 2.5% more in rates in 2016/17 compared to the previous year 2015/16. However, unfortunately this does not mean a uniform increase of 2.5% every property. The amount of rates paid by each property is determined by the biannual valuation of all properties.  The most recent revaluation was completed on 1 January 2016.  It is the most recent valuation of all properties in the municipality which determines the amount of rates paid by each property. If a property has increased...

read more

Fixing Council’s dysfunctional meetings – reports from the independent monitor

Posted by on 11:06 pm in Councillor performance, Effective meetings, Record | 0 comments

Fixing Council’s dysfunctional meetings – reports from the independent monitor

There was a protracted period leading up to my election as mayor in May 2016 where meetings of Council had experienced a pronounced decline in behavioural standards amongst a small group of councillors and persons in the Public Gallery. In response to this, Council resolved at the May 2016 meeting to support my recommendations to: introduce Supplementary Standing Orders to supplement its Meeting Procedures Local Law No 1 to strengthen conduct requirements at meetings; and establish the short term position of an independent Governance and...

read more

Interest free deferral of rates for pensioners

Posted by on 7:09 am in Low rates, Pensioners, Priorities, Rate reform, Rates, Record | 0 comments

Interest free deferral of rates for pensioners

At the 27 September Council meeting, I recommended to Council that it vary the Council’s Financial Hardship Policy which I instigated in 2015 to: reduce the interest rate charged on deferred rates for pensioners to 0% where a person is over the age of 65 and can prove they have lived in their home for more than 10 years; and reduce the interest rate charged for the deferral of Council rates for all other persons qualifying under our Financial Hardship Policy from 4.75% to 2.5% per annum. This change was supported by most other...

read more

Improving Council meetings: A new audio system

Posted by on 8:30 am in Councillor performance, Effective meetings | 0 comments

Improving Council meetings: A new audio system

One of the challenges in maintaining order at Council meetings for the chairperson was not having effective control over the microphones and amplification equipment in the Council Chamber. The amplification and audio system in the Council Chamber was showing its age and was in need of renewal. At the 31 May 2016 Council meeting, Council accepted my recommendation that Council officers as a matter of priority implement improvements to the quality of the audio system so that amplification of our proceedings is improved for all persons in the...

read more

Fairer rates for people with no Council waste collection

Posted by on 12:13 pm in Core functions, Financial management, Improving services, Low rates, News, Priorities, Rate reform, Rates | 0 comments

Fairer rates for people with no Council waste collection

On 30 August 2016 Council supported my recommendation to resolve in principle to introduce a separate waste and environmental charge as part of the annual rates bill. This is to address the growing unfairness where more than 1,000 residential ratepayers in Monash are currently paying for waste collection services through their general rates which they do not receive. Unlike most other councils, Monash Council does not have a separate waste charge.  A waste charge is levied only on those ratepayers who receive a waste collection service from...

read more

Council joins the ‘Keep Me Posted’ campaign

Posted by on 7:55 am in News, Pensioners, Seniors | 0 comments

Council joins the ‘Keep Me Posted’ campaign

Council supported my recommendation at the 30 August Council meeting to join consumer advocacy campaign, Keep Me Posted. Keep Me Posted is a campaign representing advocate groups, charities, consumer groups, employer and employee representatives, industry and political representatives who believe in the right of choice for consumers as to the way that major service provider companies communicate with them. With recent trends from corporations to charge a fee for paper based statements it is the most vulnerable people across Australia that...

read more

Councillors censured for not attending meetings and not providing apologies

Posted by on 2:01 pm in Councillor performance, Effective meetings, News | 0 comments

Councillors censured for not attending meetings and not providing apologies

At a special Council meeting on 19 July 2016, Council resolved its frustration that Cr Theo Zographos and Cr Robert Davies were not showing the professional courtesy to Council or the community they represent by providing apologies in advance of meetings missed or providing reasonable notice of a planned extended absence. At the special meeting of Council, the Council resolved to require that Cr Zographos and Cr Davies provide certain apologies and undertakings to Council in relation to improving their conduct. Neither Cr Zographos or Cr...

read more

Improving councillor attendances at meetings

Posted by on 8:53 am in Councillor performance, Effective meetings | 0 comments

Improving councillor attendances at meetings

I called a special meeting of Council on 19 July 2016 to consider issues relating to councillors not turning up to meetings and not providing reasonable notice of apologies. I had become alarmed at the attendance record of some councillors and, in particular, the approach that some councillors were taking in either providing no prior apology when they are absent from a Council meeting or providing unreasonable or insufficient notice of a planned extended absence. All councillors who are elected to Monash Council are aware that Monash Council...

read more

Fixing dysfunctional meetings: stopping disruptive Points of Order

Posted by on 10:58 pm in Councillor performance, Effective meetings, Record | 0 comments

Fixing dysfunctional meetings: stopping disruptive Points of Order

Past meetings of Council prior to my election as mayor had seen a pronounced decline in behavioural standards amongst a small group of councillors and persons in the Public Gallery. This had led to meetings being unacceptably unruly, disruptive and unpleasant.  In particular, there have been a number of instances where these councillors or persons in the Public Gallery have completely disregarded the rulings or directions of the previous mayor.  A number of complaints have been made in response to this conduct. It is important that Council...

read more