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.

Elwood Floods Forum - Monday March 26th

With the recent aniversary of the February 2011 floods the following community forum -details below from webpage listed in links-organised by the local environment group LIVE is very timely .

I have accepted an invitation to speak as a Glen Eira councillor - with the vast majority of run-off coming from our muncipality this is an increasingly important issue and one that was raised at last Thursday's community plan forum in Ormond.

The Elwood Floods Forum will be held as follows:

7pm-9pm Monday 26 March 2012
Phoenix Theatre, Elwood College,
101 Glen Huntly Road, Elwood

WHY hold a FORUM on FLOODS?
In February 2011 Elwood was devastated by a flood. It was called a 1 in 500 year flood. However if you actually look at the records, there was a similar flood in February 1989, and another in the 1960's. The records show that there is a major flood in Elwood, about once every 20 years.

Many questions spring to mind:

■Is the 1 in 500 year flood really a 1 in 20 year flood?
■Will major floods become more frequent?
■When floods do occur, will they be worse, and do more damage?
■Can something be done about the floods?
■Who is responsible for taking action, and what are they doing?
■What are the responsibilities of Council, State and Federal Government and Melbourne Water?
■If the next flood struck tomorrow, are people prepared?
■Are homes adequately insured? Are insurance premiums now prohibitively expensive?
■If you can't return to your home where can you go?

LIVE is organising the Elwood Floods Forum to ask these questions of people in positions of responsibility. We are not seeking to blame anyone for the floods, or the damage they do. We just want to understand the current situation, and to discuss practical responses with those who have the power to do something.

Speakers are:

Felicity Browning and Meni Christofakis - Elwood residents flooded in 2010 will speak of their experience.Audience members who were flooded will be invited to tell of their experiences.

Then the following speakers will have 5 minutes each to respond:

■Rachel Powning, Mayor of the City of Port Phillip
■Martin Foley MP, State Labor Member for Albert Park
■We hope that the State Government Minister Water, Peter Walsh, will speak.
■Adam Bandt MP, Federal Greens Member for Melbourne
■Rufus Coffield-Feith, Elwood Resident and Australian Youth Climate Coalition co-president
■David Spratt, Climate Change Expert, co-Author of Climate Code Red
Questions and debate: The audience will be invited to ask questions.

Also present will be experts on Flood Insurance, Real Estate, Flood Prevention, Emergency Services, Melbourne Water, Local Councils and State Government representatives. These people will be introduced at the commencement of the forum and will be asked to respond to questions appropriate to their roles

Rosstown Community forums coming up

Every five years Councils are required to adopt a Community Plan which identifies and outlines the priorities, issues and direction that each municipality will work to over this time period.

The present plan in Glen Eira is from 2008-13. I would to have preferred that the plan be consulted and formulated in the first half of 2013, that is at the end of the time not 3/4 thru. This would have allowed the full data from the recent census (not yet available) to be used and a new councillor group post election in have input. I wasn't in the majority here.

Saying that the following community consultation forums are still very important in providing residents with the opportunity to have input into the Glen Eira Community plan.

Thursday 16 February 2012 - Glen Huntly, McKinnon and Ormond residents
7pm-9pm
Ormond Senior Citizens Centre
2 Newham Grove, Ormond

Wednesday 22 February 2012 - Carnegie and Murrumbeena residents
7pm-9pm
Carnegie Library and Community Centre – Boyd Room
7 Shepparson Avenue, Carnegie

Other forums covering all wards are listed in the council homepage - see links

Attendance election for Glen Eira

At last Tuesday's night meeting Councillors voted for an attendance election to be conducted in Glen Eira at the local government elections to be held on October 27th this year -see previous posting.

I fully supported this position as it will provide the best process for the community to elect a new Councillor group for the next term.

Ewaste collection days announced

The following three ewaste collection days will be held in the first half of this year. There was a great response to the collection days held last year with approx 80 tonnes of electronic waste including computers and TVs being almost completely recycled instead of otherwise going to landfill.

Collection days across Glen Eira will be:

Sunday 26 February — 8am–4pm
Glen Eira Town Hall, corner Glen Eira and Hawthorn Roads, Caulfield

Saturday 24 March — 8am–4pm
Moorleigh Community Village, 90–92 Bignell Road, Bentleigh East

Sunday 20 May — 8am–4pm
Carnegie Swim Centre, Moira Avenue, Carnegie

Carnegie Pool - uncertain future.

From today's Leader

SWIMMERS fear the Carnegie pool will close with the imminent opening of the new multi-million dollar Glen Eira Sports and Aquatic Centre.

Resident Mischa Brus said many swimmers were worried the pool in Moira Ave would become defunct soon after the Bentleigh East centre was completed.Mrs Brus, who takes her four-year-old daughter Eviana to swim classes at the Carnegie pool, said there were no advertisements for the Carnegie pool, but plenty of publicity for GESAC.

“It’s like they’re leaving the Carnegie pool for dead,” Mrs Brus said.

“They’re putting in so much effort into GESAC, but no effort into advertising the Carnegie pool.

“There’s a feeling that they don’t care.”

Cr Neil Pilling has called for assurances the Carnegie pool would remain open and for $1 million to maintain it (”Centre needs cash”, the Leader, January 5, 2010).

“It’s an ongoing issue,” Cr Pilling said this week.

“Last year, council passed a motion saying they value the pool, but nothing is definite, nothing will become clear until a year or two after GESAC opens.

“It needs to be refurbished, it’s getting more and more rundown every year.

“We need to do something soon.”

Glen Eira Mayor Jamie Hyams said there were “absolutely no plans” to close the Carnegie pool.

Comment: Like hundreds of other residents I enjoyed a great fun day at the pool over last weekend's hot spell. The spacious surrounds compliment this valued community asset. This issue will have to be decided in the next term- I have and will remain committed to the retaining and refurbishment of our local pool.

2012 Council elections - postal or attendance?

One of the important decisions that will be made soon by Glen Eira and all other councils in the near future is the type of election - postal or attendance that will be conducted at this years local govt elections in October this year.

I will be favouring an attendance election as similar as conducted for all state and federal elections. History has shown in Glen Eira and elsewhere that an attendance election greatly reduces the number of dummy candidates standing only to feed preferences to other candidates.

Those who remember the 2005 postal election in Glen Eira will attest to the over twenty candidates per ward that stood , many to be fair to say weren't genuine.

This situation was greatly improved in the 2008 attendence election where it has to be said residents were voting for real candidates who were able to engage at least sufficient community support to staff polling booths.