Extraordinary Council Meeting 24 May 2021

Minutes of Extraordinary Council Meeting held on 24 May 2021 and livestreamed on Council’s website.

Meeting commenced at 6.03PM

Present:
Darcy Byrne Victor Macri Marghanita Da Cruz Mark Drury Lucille McKenna OAM Colin Hesse Sam Iskandar Tom Kiat Pauline Lockie Julie Passas Rochelle Porteous Vittoria Raciti John Stamolis Louise Steer Anna York Peter Gainsford Elizabeth Richardson	Mayor Deputy Mayor Councillor Councillor Councillor Councillor Councillor Councillor Councillor Councillor Councillor (6.06pm, Attended remotely) Councillor (6.28pm) Councillor Councillor Councillor General Manager Chief Operating Officer, Director Development and Recreation
Cathy Edwards-Davis	Director Infrastructure
Caroline McLeod	Acting Director City Living
Katherine Paixao	Acting Governance Manager
Carmelina Giannini	Acting Governance Coordinator

APOLOGIES:       Nil

DISCLOSURES OF INTERESTS:           Nil

Councillor Porteous entered the Meeting at 6:06 pm.

Procedural Motion (Passas/Macri)

THAT Council permit 6 speakers to speak on item 1.

Motion Carried

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Da Cruz, Drury, Hesse, Iskandar, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, McKenna OAM, Passas, Porteous, Stamolis, Steer and York

Against Motion:          Nil

PUBLIC FORUM

The registered speakers were asked to address the meeting. The list of speakers is available on the last page of these minutes.

Councillor Passas left the Meeting at 6:27 pm.

Councillor Raciti entered the Meeting at 6:28 pm.

Councillor Passas returned to the Meeting at 6:28 pm.

ADJOURNMENT

6.30pm - The Mayor, Clr Byrne adjourned the meeting to open the 6.30pm Extraordinary
                Council meeting.

6.31pm– The Mayor, Clr Byrne resumed the meeting.

Councillor Kiat left the Meeting at 7:04 pm.

Councillor Kiat returned to the Meeting at 7:11 pm.

Councillor Passas left the Meeting at 7:12 pm.

The Mayor, Councillor Byrne left the Meeting and vacated the chair at 7:56 pm and the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Macri assumed the Chair.

Procedural Motion: Motion of Dissent (Drury/Lockie)

THAT dissent be moved in the Chairperson’s ruling to allow Clr Passas to speak twice on the Primary Motion.

Motion Carried

For Motion:                 Crs Da Cruz, Drury, Hesse, Iskandar, Kiat, Lockie, McKenna OAM, Porteous, Stamolis, Steer and York

Against Motion:          Crs Macri, Passas and Raciti

Absent:                        Cr Byrne

The chair’s ruling was overruled.

The Mayor, Councillor Byrne returned to the Meeting at 8:12 pm.

C0521(3) Item 1           Notice of Motion: Local Government Act Amendment Bill     (Demerger)

Motion: (Macri/Stamolis)

THAT Council:

1. Use the opportunity presented by the recent amendments to the Local Government Act to investigate de-amalgamation of Inner West Council and to prepare a report for an Extraordinary Council meeting in the first week in August 2021. Councils’ case should include: 

a) Councils’ financial position;

b) Councils’ future financial position;

c) harmonisation changes in rates and costs;

d) service performance of Council has not improved and has been subject to significant community concern;

e) strong community dissatisfaction with the merger remains after 5 years;

f) communities of interest and community cohesion;

g) the dramatic fall in community representation (Councillors/population ratio) has not been good for our people;

h) the merged Council has created a huge bias which favours political party control of Council; along with reduced opportunity and greater hurdles for non-political party representation on Council;

i) Council engages in community consultation;

j) Thorough cost benefit analysis on demerger by a reputable independent source that has the capacity to assess complex economic  social and environmental issues;

k) The ongoing costs and benefits on each of the councils if they were to demerge.  The estimated cost of demerger in the ranges in vicinity of $20M to $34M  and an annual cost ranging from $11M to $15M year;

l) The impact on staff, to be assessed independently;

m) The effect on the consolidated information communication and  technology costs;

n) The effect on current governance arrangements; and

o) The effect on the ability to introduce new or improved service delivery.

2. Pursuant to section 14 of the Local Government Act 1993 (NSW):

a) Take a poll of electors on the question of whether the Inner West local government area should be de-amalgamated, so as to restore the former local government areas of Ashfield, Leichhardt and Marrickville; and

b) Hold the poll on the day of the 2021 NSW local government elections, being Saturday, 4 September 2021 or such later or other day as may subsequently be proclaimed. 

3. Examine any additional cost of a poll on the amalgamation as part of the quarterly budget review;

4. Write to Local Government NSW and seek to place on the business paper for the forthcoming Local Government NSW Conference the following motion, that: The NSW Government pay 100% of costs of de-amalgamation of local government areas forced to amalgamate where a referendum of residents has chosen to reverse the forced amalgamation; and

5. Write to the Premier, Minister for Local Government, Leader of the Opposition, and cross benchers in the NSW Parliament asking their support for the NSW Government to pay 100% of costs of de-amalgamation of local government areas forced to amalgamate where a referendum of residents has chosen to reverse the forced amalgamation. 

Motion Carried

For Motion:                 Crs Da Cruz, Hesse, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, Porteous, Stamolis and Steer

Against Motion:           Crs Byrne, Drury, Iskandar, McKenna OAM, Passas, Raciti and York

As Clr Passas left the meeting at 7.12pm and the below amendments were voted on prior to the Primary motion, Clr Passas was absent from voting.

Amendment (McKenna OAM/Drury)

THAT the following points be amended to point 1 of the Primary motion:

d) service performance of Council;

Motion Lost

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Drury, Iskandar, McKenna OAM and York

Against Motion:          Crs Da Cruz, Hesse, Lockie, Kiat Macri, Porteous, Raciti, Stamolis and Steer

Absent:                        Cr Passas

e) community satisfaction with the merger after 5 years;

Motion Lost

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Drury, Iskandar, McKenna OAM and York

Against Motion:          Crs Da Cruz, Hesse, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, Porteous, Raciti, Stamolis and Steer

Absent:                        Cr Passas

g) community representation (Councillors/population ratio);

Motion Lost

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Drury, Iskandar, McKenna OAM, Raciti,  and York

Against Motion:          Crs Da Cruz, Hesse, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, Porteous, Stamolis and Steer

Absent:                        Cr Passas

h) political party control  of  Council;  along  with  non - political party representation on Council; and

Motion Lost

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Drury, Iskandar, McKenna OAM, Raciti and York

Against Motion:          Crs Da Cruz, Hesse, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, Porteous, Stamolis and Steer

Absent:                        Cr Passas

i) Community consultation;

Motion Lost

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Drury, Iskandar, McKenna OAM, Raciti and York

Against Motion:          Crs Da Cruz, Hesse, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, Porteous, Stamolis and Steer

Absent:                        Cr Passas

Councillor Passas returned to the Meeting at 7:24 pm.

Amendment (McKenna OAM/Drury)

THAT the additional amendments be included in point 1 of the primary motion:

a) The impact on the ability to deliver a significant capital works program.

Motion Lost

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Drury, Iskandar, McKenna OAM, Raciti and York

Against Motion:          Crs Da Cruz, Hesse, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, Passas, Porteous, Stamolis and Steer

b) The ability to bring in house and provide a fitness and swim program across Marrickville, Leichhardt, Balmain Ashfield and Petersham facilities;

Motion Lost

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Drury, Iskandar, McKenna OAM and York

Against Motion:          Crs Da Cruz, Hesse, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, Passas, Porteous, Raciti, Stamolis and Steer

c) The impact on town planning and the LEP and DCP; and

Motion Lost

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Drury, Iskandar, Lockie, McKenna OAM, Stamolis and York

Against Motion:          Crs Da Cruz, Hesse, Kiat, Macri, Passas, Porteous, Raciti and Steer

d) The impact on innovation and our capacity to roll out large scale environmental programs such as FOGO, Solar, WSUD and the potential effect on dealing with the need for increased car- charging stations, reuse and recycling of more waste inside our area.

Motion Lost

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Drury, Iskandar, McKenna OAM and York

Against Motion:          Crs Da Cruz, Hesse, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, Passas, Porteous, Raciti, Stamolis and Steer

The Deputy Mayor, Clr Macri vacated the chair at 8.12pm and the Mayor, Clr Byrne assumed the chair.

C0521(3) Item 2            Officers Comment relevant to Notice Of Motion: Local Government Act Amendment Bill (Demerger)

Motion: Drury/Byrne)

THAT Council receive and note the officer comment.

Motion Carried

For Motion:                 Crs Byrne, Da Cruz, Drury, Hesse, Iskandar, Kiat, Lockie, Macri, McKenna OAM, Passas, Porteous, Raciti, Stamolis, Steer and York

Against Motion:          Nil

Meeting closed at 8.13pm.

Public Speakers:

Item #	Speaker	Suburb
Item 1:	Michele Hacking Pip Hinman Kosmos Papadopoulos Benedict Brook Mark Taylor Giovannino Navarra Robert Davidson	Balmain Newtown Marrickville Lewisham Marrickville Leichhardt Leichhardt

Unconfirmed minutes of the Extraordinary Council meeting held on 24 May 2021.