A brief report on the main items of tonight’s council meeting. Details will be up tomorrow.
- Gallery was overflowing with kids and parents (waving placards) from the McKinnon Basketball Association. A guestimate would be well over 150 people crammed into chamber and on stairs. A petition of 713 signatures tabled. This matter was dealt with first and that was the end of the story – to the complete surprise of most newcomers, who obviously expected the issue to be dealt with in greater detail and possibly resolved there and then. Little do they know how this council works!!!
- The C84 Amendment was passed without a whimper. Hyams spoke very, very briefly. Lipshutz was silent. Passed unanimously
- The ‘Flood Report’ also passed unanimously again without a whimper.
- All public questions were taken on notice. This occurred at 9.45 pm with the excuse that there were many items for the in-camera session. Readers should note that incamera sessions have previously gone well past 11pm. Taking questions on notice seems like it’s becoming a trend.
- The budget passed of course, together with the Strategic Resource Plan.
- No councillor questions
- Lipshutz asked for a request for a report on extending car parking at GESAC. In other words, let’s turn valuable open space into another concrete car park! Opposed by Pilling and Tang but was carried.
Glen Eira Debates 
June 29, 2011 at 12:20 AM
Not one councillor is representing his constituents. It is appalling that the amendment and the flood issues got through without any debate or questions. I went along hoping for someone to provide more information than the report contained. Instead there was deathly silence apart from the nervous presentation by Hyams. Both issues were dealt with under five minutes. This isn’t what should happen. I want an explanation not excuses and nor do I want to hear how things will improve because council is now working with Melbourne Water. The posts on this blog are pretty convincing that the problems aren’t new. But nothing has been done and I expect that nothing will be done. The report has been accepted so it will now disappear and be forgotten – until the next flood. I wonder if these councillors can sleep well at night knowing that they continually betray all those folks who depend on them to get things done. I loathe the games that all these people play at our expense.
If anyone is interested in pursuing the options for a class action then please let the moderators of this blog know. I’ve emailed them and left my details.
June 29, 2011 at 2:56 AM
Yes that seems like an excellent idea. This expensive circus must end I will take measures to talk with you asap.
June 29, 2011 at 7:51 AM
Couple of comments:
. It is unfortunate that the McKinnon Basketball Association received such short shrift. That they came in such numbers should send a loud and clear message to Council that people are not happy with the handling of GESAC.
. Re the parking issues at GESAC – Tang admitted that they have been well known from the early planning stage and have been not been openly acknowledged until now (no doubt this acknowledgement will not appear in the minutes). Another confirmation of how this Council works – not disclose everything up front to get projects pushed through, spend and borrow, then confront the ratepayers with the need to spend and borrow even more under the guise of we need to make it work.
. The highlight of the evening has to be Lispshutz’s proclamation that he is also an arborist. Is there anything this man doesn’t do …. aside from representing ratepayers that is.
June 29, 2011 at 11:27 AM
at the GESAC planning meetings counjcil was told by a mathematical calculation exactly how much parking if basketball teams were going to participate at GESAC and like always even wqith G60 too , a few years lkater the council only hears what it wants to and it goes on ahead and says yes to everything. Amazingly it has now awarded the adminiswtration of the game to teams further away who may be less likely to walk or ride than those living in the local area of McKinnon.
Throw thm out and David Southwick and Elizabeth Miller to w2e are spending useless dollars submitting our experiences and knowlede. Why bother going to consultative meetings? Councillors pray tell????
June 29, 2011 at 12:23 PM
I agree ‘Sport Lover for Health’s Sake’, I was looking forward to walking to GESAC to play my regular game and I know my brothers were excited to be in riding distance from such a great venue, as they often travel into MSAC early in the mornings before school via train and tram, as the facilities were not available nearby.
Unfortunately I didn’t get to attend the meeting last night, however McKinnon Basketball should be happy with the effort they went to and the awareness they created, they may not have received as much attention as expected but I’m sure they were heard. I also didn’t get to sign the petition along with the other 500+ other members, this just shows the huge support McKinnon has and imagine, with a venue like GESAC how it will continue to grow and prosper.
With the on-going banter and absurd decisions from GESAC management and councillors, I have been ‘put off’ using or supporting this state of the art venue!