Glen Eira reforms continued

Here are a range of reforms primarily on council meeting procedures that I am presently advocating for -

- introduce a public question time along reasonable guidelines at the beginning of each council meeting, currently only written questions allowed.

- introduce notice of motion provisions as outlined in previous postings

- abolish Ward grants currently at $5k pa per ward spent at Crs discresion - these are seldom used and are a hangover from a previous era.

- publish on Glen Eira homepage recordings of council meetings

- also publish VCAT record on website with link to all VCAT decisions so residents, developers and objectors can see council's record on planning disputes.

Glen Eira reforms - relocation of council meetings

Along with a series of council meeting reforms that I will continue to advocate for I feel there is also a strong case for an alternative facilty in the town hall to be used for normal council meetings like the format used for Yarra Ranges above.

The present court-room like chamber with its heiracheal seating arrangements might have reflected local govt one hundred years ago but now is totally out of kilter with a modern progressive council seeking to engage with the community and encourage attendance at meetings.

The traditional chamber could still be used for ceremonial aspects like the Mayoral and new Councillor inaugurations or for showing visitors where councils used to operate many years ago!

From a practical and symbolic view this reform is much needed.