Station Street, food deliveries, backyard burn offs and the future of council meetings were hot topics at a recent extraordinary meeting of council on March 27.
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Alternatives options were up for discussion as rescission motions were presented and lost on all four topics.
Councillors Peter Nelson and Garry Turland were not present in the meeting.
Rescission notices focussed on the Station Street upgrade, permission for backyard burning in bushfire affected villages, deliveries to supermarkets and food retailers and novel coronavirus (COVID-19) arrangements for council, all issues carried over from the March 25 council meeting.
Coronavirus updates:
The first item to be discussed in the extraordinary meeting was backyard burning in bushfire affected villages.
In the March 25 meeting, councillors Grahame Andrews, Larry Whipper, Gordon Markwart, Graham McLaughlin and Mayor Duncan Gair voted to waive the restrictions which prevented residents on properties under 4000m2 from burning vegetation on their properties, as per council's policy.
The notice of rescission was to allow the RFS to approve any backyard burning. The rescission notice was supported by councillor Ian Scandrett, but lapsed and was subsequently lost due to not having a seconder.
A rescission notice to note that the "State Government had apparently taken control of this process and action" in reference to supermarket and food retailer deliveries was also lost due to lack of support.
A push to lift restrictions on deliveries was deemed unnecessary as the State Government had already intervened on the matter by lifting restrictions.
It was mentioned in the March 25 meeting by general manager Ann Prendergast that items on the council meeting could not be removed once submitted and that the state's decision came after the inclusion of the Mayoral Minute in business papers.
Wingecarribbee Shire Council's arrangements in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic was another hot topic.
The March 25 meeting concluded that the general manager would have the power to accept or reject tenders until June 30, 2020 or until council meetings recommence by way of video conference.
Councillors also voted to cancel the April 8 and April 22 meetings due to health and safety concerns.
It was decided to review the situation regarding future council meetings once further advice is received from the Office of Local Government.
The rescission notice put forward at the March 27 extraordinary meeting, was to allow the mayor and deputy mayor to determine tenders submitted to council and represent the whole of nine councillors.
The rescission notice was supported by Councillor Scandrett and Ken Halstead. However, the motion was lost.
The last rescission notice to be discussed was in relation to the Station Street upgrade project.
Councillors Halstead and Scandrett asked for the project to be pushed back until the pandemic passed and that the project be 'shovel ready' when the time came to recommence.
They also asked for the project to be publicly re-advertised and that the funds set aside be redistributed to help the community through this very difficult time.
The rescission notice was also lost, with councillors Grahame Andrews, Larry Whipper, Gordon Markwart, Graham McLaughlin and Mayor Duncan Gair voting against it.