A special meeting

The Special Meeting of Electors held on Monday, September 17 was an eye-opener.

The conduct of the President, CEO and councillors who attended was interesting, and revealing of their attitude to the community and us pesky ratepayers and electors.

They were grim-faced throughout, but grinned and nodded when someone from the crowd referred to the meeting as a ‘Kangaroo Court’. 

Special Meetings of electors are enshrined in the Local Government Act in order to give residents and ratepayers a voice when they feel an issue is being ignored by their elected representatives. These meetings can only be called when at least 100 electors are prepared to sign a notice calling for such a meeting.  Any decisions taken by a special meeting of electors must be forwarded to a Council meeting as recommendations or motions.  The final decision on whether to accept or reject a recommendation from the electors then rests with Council.

At this special meeting, electors sent their councillors a clear message that they want Zinnecker’s House retained and money set aside from Shire reserves to repair, renovate and restore the house.

They also sent a message that they want the Shire CEO to fulfil his obligation to be accountable, in relation to the advice he said he obtained that the existing Council resolution to retain Zinnecker’s House did not have to be revoked prior to Council deciding to “deconstruct” the house.

How were these messages received by the CEO and councillors present?

Several councillors present openly voted “No” to the motions which were carried, thereby indicating they are not willing to wait for the Council meeting to consider the recommendations of the meeting, but have already made up their minds.

The President at one point tried to stop an elector from moving a motion. The CEO then intervened in the middle of debate to tell an elector what he should and should not say in relation to the motion being debated. When the elector tried to respond to the CEO’s criticisms, he was shouted down by the President.

Cr Sue Moscarda went further. She declared that this motion (see Item 3 below) was “offensive”.  She accused the elector who moved the motion of insulting her by daring to question her integrity.

The motions carried by the meeting of electors which will now go forward to Council as recommendations were:

1.      That Council revoke Resolution C.14/0412 (Which was; ‘Funds be included in the 2012/13 budget for the deconstruction/demolition of Zinnecker’s House with all materials deemed suitable for reuse being set aside for possible use in the renovation of the Bridgetown Railway Station’)

2.      A)  Council transfer the sum of $200,000 from the land and building Reserve to the building maintenance reserve and;
 B) Council arrange for works to be carried out to make safe, renovate and restore Zinnecker’s House to a standard suitable for public access, such as accommodation, using funds from the building maintenance reserve.

3.          A) In the Public Interest, and in Council's interest Council publically disclose at the ensuing      Ordinary Council Meeting the content of the 'additional information' it claims it considered in its decision to reverse its previous position to retain Zinnecker's House.

B) In the Public Interest, and in Council's interest and in the CEO's best interests Council instruct the CEO to disclose and table to Council and present this information at the ensuing Ordinary Council Meeting whom, and when, from the Department of Local Government provided advice to the CEO that 'concurred' with the view of the CEO that the existing resolution to retain Zinnecker's House did not require rescinding.

                             

The handling of these motions at the forthcoming Council meeting will be an interesting test of whether the officers and councillors are familiar with, and prepared to act in accordance with the first line of the ‘COUNCIL'S MISSION STATEMENT’  which is:  “The Shire (its Council and Employees) will listen to the community, provide ethical and open leadership…