Council must have Governance Rules in place to guide how decisions are made. These Rules ensure decisions are fair, transparent, and consider the views of those affected.
The Governance Rules can be updated, but Council must involve the community in the process.
Since the last update in August 2022, Council has incorporated the commitments made to the Municipal Monitors, Local Government Inspectorate and Minister for Local Government. These changes have led to a full review of the Governance Rules, and include legislative changes and further refinement. We are now seeking community feedback on these proposed changes.
Some examples of the proposed changes are:
- Further refining the use of Notice of Motions.
- Improving how conflicts of interest are disclosed.
- Expanding the scope of presentations to include matters impacting the municipality.
- Improving the process for Urgent Business to be clear and easily understood without changing the intent.
- Removed the ability for the Mayor to move or second a motion by temporarily vacating the Chair and for the Deputy Mayor to chair.
- Amended the Petitions and Joint Letters (Rule 62) to permit petitions submitted via change.org or similar online platforms. If a petition or joint letter does not comply, the Chairperson can allow it instead of requiring a Council resolution to suspend the relevant Rule.
The full list of proposed changes, including the rationale, can be found here.
