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.
A record we trust…
- Victoria’s lowest rates
- A debt free council since 2015 (for the first time ever for Monash)
- Reduced Council bureaucracy
- Increased spending on capital works and local infrastructure
- Introduced the $50 rate rebate for pensioners
- New energy-efficient street lights – reducing Council’s carbon footprint by 18% and saving over $400K per year
- No junkets, no pomp, no ceremony
- Resolving issues and fixing problems for residents
- Stopped dysfunctional meetings
- High quality and efficient services
Posted by Geoff Lake on 2:17 pm in Councillor performance, Effective meetings | 0 comments
Prior to my election as mayor, Council meetings had seen a pronounced decline in behavioural standards amongst a small group of councillors. This had led to meetings being unacceptably unruly, disruptive and unpleasant. In particular, there had been a number of instances where these councillors had 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 takes action to require all councillors to observe reasonable professional...
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Posted by Geoff Lake on 8:08 am in Councillor performance, Effective meetings, Record | 0 comments
Upon my election to fill the vacancy in the position of Mayor three weeks ago, I signalled to Council and the community that restoring the orderly and respectful functioning of Council meetings would be my main focus in the role. Preceding my election as mayor, the previous three meetings of Council had finished at midnight, 3.00 am and 11.30 pm, respectively, which are well past the latest finishing time contemplated by Local Law No 1 of 10.00 pm. This concerning trend of excessively late finishing times indicates that Council is not...
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Posted by Geoff Lake on 10:31 pm in Councillor performance, Effective meetings, Record | 0 comments
Past meetings of Council have seen a pronounced decline in behavioural standards amongst a small group of Councillors and persons in the Public Gallery. This has 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 takes action to restore its...
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Posted by Geoff Lake on 10:58 pm in Councillor performance, Effective meetings, Record | 0 comments
Upon my election to fill the vacancy in the position of Mayor three weeks ago, I signalled to Council and the community that restoring the orderly and respectful functioning of Council meetings would be my main focus in the role. Council meetings had been rapidly descending into chaos with finishing times extending well past midnight and regular disruptive and unruly conduct by both some councillors and some members of the Public Gallery. This is an example of the sort of conduct which was regularly occurring: This was illegally shot from the...
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Posted by Geoff Lake on 11:53 pm in Councillor performance, Effective meetings, News | 0 comments
It is a surprise to be back in the position of mayor again following the resignation of the previous mayor, Stefanie Perri, to contest the coming federal election. I want to thank Stefanie for her service to Council. She is one of the best councillors I have had the pleasure to serve with and she will be keenly missed. A lifelong resident of Clayton, Stefanie brought a freshness of perspective, a steely determination and an impressive capacity to get things done during her two terms as a councillor. Having been mayor three time previously,...
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Posted by Geoff Lake on 10:29 pm in Councillor performance, Effective meetings, News | 0 comments
The following is my acceptance speech upon being elected mayor on 4 May 2016 to fill the vacancy in the position which had occurred by the previous mayor’s resignation at the April Council meeting. I thank my colleagues for their support. I want to make it clear at the outset that this is not a position I have had any particular desire to do again. But in the circumstances of a vacancy occurring mid-term and unexpectedly, and given the worrying decline in behaviour at recent meetings, I think it is important that someone with...
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Posted by Geoff Lake on 8:36 am in Financial management, Improving efficiency, Low rates, Rates | 0 comments
Monash Council spends more than $1,000,000 each year on legal expenses. Unlike other areas of Council expenditure and procurement, there is no sophistication to Council’s purchasing of legal services and there is no competitive process undertaken. Alternative arrangements that can reduce these costs and still deliver the required high level of professional advice and service in a timely manner are available to Council. These options should be explored to determine more cost-effective arrangements for the future. I am pleased that Council...
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Posted by Geoff Lake on 11:25 am in Pensioners, Rate reform, Rates, Seniors | 0 comments
Prior to 2015 Council had no hardship policy. A ratepayer, even if in crippling financial hardship, would be charged oppressive penalty interest rates (which is approximately more than double home loan rates offered by the major banks) on any unpaid rates. Recognising that financial hardship can be experienced by many in our community, Council accepted my proposal to the 28 April 2015 meeting that Council develop a hardship policy. The policy is to be developed based on recent work by the MAV and the Public Interest Law Clearing House...
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Posted by Geoff Lake on 10:50 am in Financial management, Low rates, Pensioners, Priorities, Rate reform, Rates, Record, Seniors | 0 comments
The last time that Council made any significant changes to its rating system was five years ago when it determined to move from rating on the basis of site value (SV) to rating on the basis of capital improved value (CIV). Since that time, residential ratepayers have paid an increasing share of the overall rates burden in favour of business ratepayers because of property valuation changes. This is not fair. I am pleased that Council supported my recommendations to the April 2015 meeting to re-balance the Monash rating system so that the...
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Posted by Geoff Lake on 10:31 am in Low rates, News, Pensioners, Rate reform, Rates, Seniors | 0 comments
After narrowly failing to convince a majority of councillors in the past, I finally succeeded at the April 2015 Council meeting to get Council to introduce a Council-funded pensioner rate rebate of $50.00. The key rationale for proposing the introduction of a pensioner rate rebate of $50.00 is because the level of rate increases in Monash (like other councils) has risen above the cost of living since the mid-1990s. Monash Council has 13,501 eligible pensioner ratepayers which is nearly 20% of total residential ratepayers in Monash. Despite...
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