In a council meeting that looked from the outside of being fairly tame the gallery and viewers of Live Streaming did manage to get value for money from some robust debate around the Minutes of the previous meeting that saw some good back and forth with the councillors trying to best capture in writing what was censored from the video archives of the meeting before. The General Manager was pressed to define what the rules were and at the end of it all the pedantics of the English language, the Act that requires the minimum and the solidarity of the Gang Of Six saw the minutes passed. The debate was long, not overly exciting for anyone who wants more than listening to the argy-bargy of nuance and for that reason it is recommended that if you do want the nitty gritty then you will find it in Council's meeting Video archives in the day or two. The Public Access session that is not live streamed had two presenters. The first was Peter Hickman presenting the Maloneys Beach Residents Association, Maloneys Beach residents and ratepayers raising issue council over their poor decision to reseal with an aggregate stone of 14mm that is sharp underfoot for anyone walking on the road. Mr Hickman said "On the first few days in April, a contractor resheeted most of the roads in the suburb except for the main ones. There was no consultation regarding the size of the aggregate to be used. The result is that people, dogs and our favourite kangaroos will not go on the roads because of the likelihood of tripping or cutting feet or paws, there are no footpaths. Some bicycles cannot use the roads now. Infants cannot learn to ride bicycles; in case they fall off and get serious cuts. "The size of the new aggregate was more than 8 times the size of the previous. A very chunky, lumpy and sharp outcome. A 14mm stone will not sink into 3mm of bitumen by more than 3mm, leaving a sharp 11mm point." Following his presentation there were discussions amongst staff with Mr Hickman advising the Beagle that he will keep the community informed of any information conveyed to him by Council.
VIDEO: Peter Hickman with Maloneys Beach residents at Eurobodalla Council meeting 9th April 2019 raising issue council over their poor decision to reseal with an aggregate stone of 14mm that is sharp underfoot for anyone walking on the road NOTE: You can read Mr Hickman's presentation HERE Also in Public Access was a presentation by Trish Hellier in regards to Albert Ryan Park, the requirement for facilities and also the concerns held over the possible disturbance by Council of a historic cemetery. NOTE: Ms Hellier presented in Public Access and in Public Forum and you can find here presentations HERE The Public Forum session was of interest to many the gallery as most of the speakers presented on the Model Code that was before councillors for endorsement. The look of disdain and disinterest by most of the councillors indicated that they had already made up their mind over the report given to them by staff that dismissed all of submissions made of the Model Code by the community. Presenters on the Model Code were Lei Parker {HERE} , Jim Bright {HERE} and Donald Macdonald {HERE} and you can read those submissions at the links provided When the item on the Model Code came up it was challenged by Councillor Pat McGinlay and Councillor Anthony Mayne who reiterated some of the concerns they heard in the earlier presentations. But as had been the case all day when amendments to a motion were put forward by these Councillors they were knocked down by the Block of Six with Councillor Phil Constable also joining in on one occasion leaving McGinlay and Mayne feeling even more isolated in their fight for the community. Their valiant attempts however were appreciated from the gallery where there was the oft repeated "Here Here" or a round of applause. The Rose for the day of the meeting were the unanimous voting that Council allocate $20,000 to support the River of Art Festival for 2019 from the events assistance budget. The River of Art organising committee wrote to Council seeking $20,000 to support the event management and administration of the 2019 River of Art. The funding was requested to specifically engage a professional event manager/management company to help grow and strategically place the event as a hallmark event for Eurobodalla and to attract greater Destination NSW (DNSW) funding. The aim is to not only reduce the burden on the volunteer organizing committee but also to provide the professional expertise required to take the event to the next level to support jobs growth and economic return to the local economy.
Above: The River of Art Committee Co-Chairs, (L to R) Di Jay and Robin Scott-Charlton An additional blossom in the agenda and the meeting was to learn of the accomplishments of Council in the area of Community Care via the 2017-18 Community Care Status Report that was received with a thank you to the Community Care Staff and volunteers for their contribution to service provided to the community.
