Geoff has always focused on the things that matter most to local residents – ensuring that Monash Council is not distracted by the mission creep some other councils get carried away with. He has the priorities we share.
Priorities we share…
- Low rates
- Focusing on core council functions, not mission creep
- Protecting our neighbourhoods from inappropriate development
- Transforming Kingsway
- Fighting for rate reform to stop ‘bill shock’ caused by skyrocketing property prices
- A new 800 to 1,200 space FREE car park on Montclair Avenue in the heart of Kingsway
- Backing residents over unfair Council red tape
- A Council working efficiently for us
Posted by Geoff Lake on 10:24 am in Priorities, Transforming Kingsway | 0 comments
Let’s face it – everyone in Glen Waverley has experienced how hard it can be to get a car park in the Glen Waverley Activity Centre – especially after 6.00 pm at night. This problem is only getting worse as the popularity of the Glen Waverley Activity Centre continues to soar. As the chair of Council’s Glen Waverley Activity Centre Steering Committee I have led the development of a radical plan to make parking issues a thing of the past in Glen Waverley with a new 800 to 1,200 space multi deck car park on Montclair Avenue in the heart...
read more
Posted by Geoff Lake on 10:21 am in Priorities, Transforming Kingsway | 0 comments
There is an opportunity to transform Kingsway to create Melbourne’s best outdoor dining precinct. Council is proposing to remove the existing 99 kerbside car parks on either side of Kingsway and replace this with widened footpaths to promote an amazing outdoor dining experience throughout the strip. Car parking will continue to be available on Kingsway down the centre median strip. We are not proposing that cars be removed entirely from Kingsway at this stage, but rather that pedestrians and outdoor dining along Kingsway take...
read more
Posted by Geoff Lake on 10:18 am in Priorities, Transforming Kingsway | 0 comments
Council has a proud track record of facilitating catalyst projects in Glen Waverley to encourage growth of the centre. These projects have included the Bogong and Euneva car parks and the Ikon, Ibis and Novotel developments. There continues to be significant private sector growth and interest in Glen Waverley. In particular, we now see significant residential development occurring in the Activity Centre with a significant number of residential apartments approved in the last 12 months. Council encourages higher density development within...
read more
Posted by Geoff Lake on 11:06 pm in Councillor performance, Effective meetings, Record | 0 comments
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
Posted by Geoff Lake on 7:09 am in Low rates, Pensioners, Priorities, Rate reform, Rates, Record | 0 comments
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
Posted by Geoff Lake on 8:30 am in Councillor performance, Effective meetings | 0 comments
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
Posted by Geoff Lake on 12:13 pm in Core functions, Financial management, Improving services, Low rates, News, Priorities, Rate reform, Rates | 0 comments
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
Posted by Geoff Lake on 8:14 am in News, Priorities, Transforming Kingsway | 0 comments
At the August Council meeting, Council supported my and Cr Drieberg’s recommendation to express concern that the state government’s smoking reforms fall well short of the Monash community’s expectations. This is because the proposed reforms fail to prevent smoking in outdoor drinking areas and create various loopholes which might be exploited to allow smoking in outdoor dining areas to continue. We are particularly concerned that outdoor eating areas like Kingsway in Glen Waverley and Eaton Mall in Oakleigh will not become smoke...
read more
Posted by Geoff Lake on 7:55 am in News, Pensioners, Seniors | 0 comments
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
Posted by Geoff Lake on 10:59 pm in News | 0 comments
This is my last column as mayor prior to the end of this Council term in October. I would like to thank my colleagues and the Monash community for the opportunity to serve as mayor again. This was certainly an unexpected opportunity coming after the resignation of former mayor Stefanie Perri in May to contest the recent federal election. As this Council term draws to a close, I am pleased that the current group of councillors will be handing over to the next group of elected councillors a Council which has never been in stronger shape. Over...
read more
Recent Comments