MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL

HELD ON WEDNESDAY, 17 DECEMBER, 1997 AT 8.00 PM

PRESENT:

Council Members:

His Worship the Mayor, Councillor P Olah (Chairperson)

Councillor J Griffin

Councillor F Dominelli

Councillor M V Lynch

Councillor B McDonald

Councillor C G Neil

Councillor M O Frawley

Councillor B Giegerl

Councillor W F Pickering

Councillor P R Sansom

Councillor M M Smith

Councillor R A A Stewart

Council Staff:

General Manager

Divisional Manager - Business & Financial Services

Acting Divisional Manager - Community & Corporate Services

Divisional Manager - Engineering

Divisional Manager - Development & Health

Acting Divisional Manager - Policy Planning & Environment

Manager - Financial Services

Manager - Financial Projects

Manager - Engineering Administration

Manager - Building Services

Manager - Divisional Administration

Manager - Library & Information Services

Manager - Community & Public Relations

City Recorder

Also Present by Invitation:

Clergy Representative:

Rev Dr Winston Gauder, International Community Fellowship

National Anthem and Opening Prayer:

Following the National Anthem, the meeting was led in the Opening Prayer by Reverend Dr Gauder.

CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES

Council Meeting -
26/11/1997

429 RESOLVED THAT

the Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on Wednesday, 26 November, 1997, as previously circulated to each Councillor, be confirmed as a correct record.

Council Meeting -
3/12/1997

430 RESOLVED THAT

the Minutes of the meeting of the Council held on Wednesday, 3 December, 1997, as previously circulated to each Councillor, be confirmed as a correct record.

MATTERS OF PRIVILEGE

Condolence:

The Mayor requested that Council's deepest sympathies be conveyed to Council's Senior Technical Services Librarian, Ms Petronella Dyamini-Mavunga, and to her family following the tragic death of her sister in a car accident in Zambia.

431 RESOLVED THAT

condolences be conveyed on Council's behalf as requested.

The late Mr
A E (Ted) Matthews:

Councillor P R Sansom requested that Council record the passing of Mr Albert Edward (Ted) Matthews whose death on 9 December 1997 at 101 years of age removed the last NSW link with the first Gallipoli landing on April 25, 1918, and marked the passing of an era of great significance in the formation of Australia's cultural ethos.

NSW Bush Fires:

The Mayor paid tribute to the courage and dedication of the volunteer bushfire brigades and extended Council's deepest sympathy to the families of Mr Ted Hughes, Mr Col Eather and young local hero, Mr Peter Estcourt, whose lives had been lost fighting the bushfires threatening lives and homes at Lithgow and Menai.

Council then observed a period of silence as a mark of respect.

OTHER MATTERS OF PRIVILEGE:

NSW Waste Board
Awards:

The Mayor reported that together with Councillor P R Sansom he had represented Council at the NSW Waste Board Awards. The awards were based on performance in achieving waste reduction targets set by the Government in the 1996/97 financial year and he was pleased to advise that Council ranked third in the Southern Sydney Waste Board Region.

Penshurst West Youth Club:

Councillor B Giegerl reported on the Annual General Meeting of the Penshurst West Youth Club she had attended with Councillor B McDonald and advised that the President, Mr Ron Hargreaves, and Secretary, Mrs Helen Moar, had relinquished their positions after many years service. Councillor Giegerl requested that Council recognise their many years of service to the club with a letter of appreciation and extend Council's best wishes for the future to Mr Hargreaves and Mrs Moar.

432 RESOLVED THAT

letters of appreciation be forwarded to Mr Ron Hargreaves and Mrs Helen Moar as requested.

Greenleaves Exchange
Program Students:

Councillor M M Smith drew attention to the achievements of students Nicole Fong who gained first place in Year 10 for Japanese and Elizabeth McManus who was Dux of Year 11. Both students had participated in the Greenleaves Exchange Program with Shiroishi, Council's sister city in Japan - Nicole in 1995 and Elizabeth in 1994 - an experience that had undoubtedly contributed to their subsequent success.

Visit to Changzhou, China:

Councillor P R Sansom referred to the self-funded visit to Changzhou made with Councillor C G Neil to represent Council at an official function hosted by Changzhou, and suggested that the following matters would be worthwhile pursuing further. Firstly, the Changzhou Painting and Calligraphy Academy whose members were very highly regarded in China had expressed an interest in exhibiting examples of their work and possibly holding workshops in Australia if Council were willing to facilitate the visit. Secondly, a matter that could be taken up with local travel agents was the offer of beneficial treatment while in Changzhou for Hurstville residents travelling to China and including Changzhou in their itinerary. Thirdly, they had brought back a video demonstrating potential areas of trade which would be made available to interested business people. Councillor Neil added that another tangible benefit arising from the visit was the preferential trading status offered by Changzhou to its sister city connections. In conclusion, the Mayor advised that there continued to be an exchange of correspondence on the progress of the sister city relationship between Hurstville and Changzhou which it was hoped would be formalised in the first half of 1998.

433 RESOLVED THAT

the issues raised by Councillor P R Sansom and Councillor C G Neil be followed up for further report

AND THAT

Council be kept advised of progress towards sister city status with Changzhou.

Congratulations:

Councillor J Griffin drew attention to the appointment of Councillor M O Frawley as Chair of the RTA Consultative Committee, which Council acknowledged by acclamation.

Councillor P R Sansom referred to the appointment of Councillor B Giegerl to the Chair of the Local Government Association's Community Services Committee, which Council acknowledged by acclamation.

Councillor B McDonald asked that Council extend congratulations to the Illawarra Catholic Club at Club Menai for the assistance rendered to members of the local community forced to evacuate their homes during the recent bushfire emergency.

434 RESOLVED THAT

a letter of appreciation be forwarded to the Illawarra Catholic Club at Menai as requested.

Hurstville RSL:

Councillor M V Lynch advised that the President of Hurstville RSL, Mr Peter Walton, had been in hospital for some time and requested that Council's best wishes for his recovery be forwarded to Mr Walton.

435 RESOLVED THAT

a basket of fruit together with Council's best wishes for his recovery be sent to Mr Peter Walton.

Dora Street/Queens Road Traffic Lights:

Councillor B McDonald expressed concern for the safety of vehicles turning right into the Queens Road entrance of Council's premises when the traffic lights became operational at the intersection of Queens Road and Dora Street, and requested that any potential problems be investigated.

436 RESOLVED THAT

an investigation be undertaken as requested and a further report prepared for Council's consideration.

DISCLOSURE AND NATURE OF INTEREST IN MATTERS BEFORE COUNCIL

The following Councillors declared an interest in matters before the Council -

Clr F Dominelli - Item 4.30A (Quotations for Vehicles) in view of his vehicle dealership; and
Clr P R Sansom - Item 5.05.07 (22 Austral Street, Penshurst) for the record advised that there was no longer any family connection with this property
Clr M O Frawley - Item 7.07 (Presentation to Council) by virtue of being a Director of the St George Budapest Soccer Club and the Illawarra Catholic Club
Clr M V Lynch - Item 7.07 (Presentation to Council) by virtue of being a Director of the Illawarra Catholic Club
Clr M M Smith - Item 4.05.17 (Danebank School) as a Member of the School Council
Clr W F Pickering - Item 4.20 (Quotations for Vehicles) as he was an employee of a company associated with one of the companies submitting a quotation
Clr J Griffin - Item 5.04.02 (68 Roberts Avenue) as owner of the property

REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES

FINANCE COMMITTEE

437 RESOLVED THAT

the report of the Finance Committee (Divisional Manager - Business & Financial Services and Divisional Manager - Community & Corporate Services' reports) as read by the Divisional Manager - Business & Financial Services be received and the recommendations adopted with the exception of the following items referred to Council for consideration in Committee of the Whole-

Item 3.07 Staff Matter

Item 3.09 Property Matter - Beverly Hills

Item 3.16 Property Matter - Suite 4B Hurstville House

Item 3.22 Legal Matters involving Court Action

Item 3.27A Property Matter - Suite 1B Hurstville House

Item 3.28A Property Matter - Suite 3A & 5th Floor Hurstville House

WORKS COMMITTEE

Interest:
In accordance with the interest previously declared, Councillors M M Smith, W F Pickering and F Dominelli withdrew from the Council Chamber for the period of debate and voting on Item 4.05.17, Item 4.20 and Item 4.30A respectively

438 RESOLVED THAT

the report of the Works Committee (Divisional Manager - Engineering's report), as read by the Manager - Engineering Administration be received and the recommendations adopted with the exception of the following items referred to Council for consideration -

Item 4.28 Road Traffic Noise Committee

and

Item 4.20 Quotations for Vehicles - Law Enforcement Officer's Vehicle

Item 4.30A Quotations for Vehicles

referred to Council for consideration in Committee of the Whole.

DEVELOPMENT HEALTH & PLANNING COMMITTEE

Divisional Manager - Development & Health's Report

Interest:
In accordance with the interest previously declared, Councillor J Griffin withdrew from the Council Chamber for the period of debate and voting on Item 5.04.02.

439 RESOLVED THAT

the report of the Development Health & Planning Committee (Divisional Manager - Development & Health's report) as read by the Divisional Manager - Development & Health, be received and the recommendations adopted with the exception of the following items referred to Council for consideration -

Item 5.02.01 124 Millett Street, Hurstville

and

Item 5.05.01 Legal Matter

Item 5.05.05 Legal Matter

referred to Council for consideration in Committee of the Whole

Divisional Manager - Policy Planning & Environment's Report

Interest:
In accordance with the interest previously declared, Councillors M O Frawley and M V Lynch withdrew from the Council Chamber for the period of debate and voting on Item 7.07.

440 RESOLVED THAT

the report of the Development Health & Planning Committee (Divisional Manager - Policy Planning & Environment's report) as read by the Acting Divisional Manager - Policy Planning & Environment, be received and the recommendations adopted with the exception the following item referred to Council for consideration in Committee of the Whole -

Item 7.02 Containers Packaging P/L

Note: Re: Amendments to LEP Nos. 4 and 13: In response to a question from Councillor P R Sansom, the Acting Divisional Manager - Policy Planning and Environment, Mr Tim Stewart, replied that letters had been sent to the Minister, Local Members and the Department urging support for amendments to LEP No. 4 (a restriction on residential floor space in 3a zones) and LEP No. 13 (2-storey height limits in 3a zones in Peakhurst Ward excluding Riverwood) and had further advised that preparation of a DCP to achieve the objectives of these plans was under way.

LAW & ORDER COMMITTEE - 25/11/1997

441 RESOLVED THAT

the report of the meeting of the Law & Order Committee held on 25 November, 1997, as previously circulated to all Councillors, be received and the recommendations adopted.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE -16/12/1997

442 RESOLVED THAT

the report of the meeting of the Community Relations Committee held on 16 December, 1997, as previously circulated to all Councillors, be received and the decisions made under delegated authority noted.

MATTERS REFERRED TO COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION

WORKS COMMITTEE

ITEM 4.28 ROAD TRAFFIC NOISE COMMITTEE

443

MOTION

THAT

Council seek to have input at an early stage to the proposed Working Group to be established by the Local Government & Shires Association to develop a policy and procedures for implementing measures to reduce traffic noise levels on local roads,

AND THAT

for this purpose, a report be prepared for consideration at the next meeting of the Council on 28 January 1998, outlining -

i. Council's history of concerns, representations and formal submissions relative to traffic noise, particularly truck noise; and

ii. The controls sought by this Council to regulate the use of excessively noisy exhaust brakes;

iii. Council's record in having the local area identified as a critical zone for a pilot project for the control of excessive truck noise.

On being put to the meeting, the Mayor declared the motion to be

CARRIED.

DEVELOPMENT HEALTH & PLANNING COMMITTEE

Divisional Manager - Development & Health's Report

ITEM 5.02.01 124 MILLETT STREET, HURSTVILLE - DETACHED DUAL OCCUPANCY

444 RESOLVED THAT

the recommendation of the Development Health & Planning Committee be adopted together with the following additional reason for refusal -

"That the garage driveway does not provide adequate turning area for vehicles."

NOTICES OF MOTION

1. The following Notice of Motion, signed by all Councillors, was distributed at the commencement of the meeting and was subsequently read to Council by the Mayor. All Members being present and with the concurrence of the Mayor, the motion, duly moved and seconded, was considered and on being put to the meeting was declared by the Mayor to be unanimously CARRIED.

445 THAT

1. A corporate planning weekend be held as soon as possible, with the Mayor and General Manager being authorised to arrange the details.

2. Agenda items for the weekend be established at a prior planning session attended by the Councillors.

3. An independent moderator be engaged to conduct both the corporate weekend and the Councillors' planning meeting.

4. The agenda concentrate on areas of everyday operations of the Council in which further improvements are available, with particular regard to matters of customer service.

5. As a result of the corporate weekend, a review of current benchmarking take place to assist in the development of key performance indicators (KPI's) for each division of Council, and their inclusion in the Management Plan.

6. The KPI's also be developed to apply to business units.

7. Future performance reviews of senior staff within Council also measure performance to the divisional KPI's mentioned in (5) and (6), in addition to the existing measures of performance established in the individual performance agreements.

8. An independent measuring system to achieve (7) be discussed at the corporate weekend.

The Mayor extended seasons greetings to members of the Press and Public on behalf of Council Members and Staff.

446 RESOLVED THAT

Council now resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole.

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE

Resolved that in accordance with Section 10(2) of the Local Government Act, 1993, the following item(s) be considered in Committee of the Whole for the reason that publicity may be prejudicial to the interests of the Council or the individuals concerned and that Council staff (other than members of the Executive, and the City Recorder), and members of the Press and the public be excluded from the Council Chamber.

DIVISIONAL MANAGER - COMMUNITY & CORPORATE SERVICES' REPORT NO. 2

Item 3.01 Staff Matter
Item 3.02 Property Matter - Beverly Hills
Item 3.03 Property Matter - Suite 4B Hurstville House
Item 3.04 Legal Matters involving Court Action
Item 3.05A Property Matter - Suite 1B Hurstville House
Item 3.06A Property Matter - Suite 3A and Fifth Floor Hurstville House

DIVISIONAL MANAGER - ENGINEERING SERVICES' REPORT NO. 2

Item 4.01 Quotations for Vehicles - Law Enforcement Officers' Vehicle
Item 4.02A Quotations for Vehicles

DIVISIONAL MANAGER - DEVELOPMENT & HEALTH'S REPORT NO. 2

Item 5.01 Legal Matter
Item 5.02 Legal Matter

ACTING DIVISIONAL MANAGER - POLICY PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT'S REPORT NO. 2

Item 7.01 Containers Packaging Pty Ltd

Further, that in accordance with the provisions of Section 11(1) and (2) of the Act for the reason(s) above-stated, the reports and correspondence relating to these matters be withheld from the Press and the public.

DIVISIONAL MANAGER - COMMUNITY & CORPORATE SERVICES' REPORT NO. 2

ITEM 3.01 STAFF MATTER - (See Item 3.07 - Divisional Manager - Community & Corporate Services' Report No. 1)