Council corporate general manager Simon Rennie answered the community's questions.
When will negotiations with the Department of Education be divulged by the shire and will the community be consulted, including a proper community survey, about their views concerning the future of the site known as the former Yarrawonga Primary School?
Negotiations with Department of Treasury and Finance have stalled during COVID and been complicated by the State Heritage Association and DET's consideration of site remediation costs.
It is unlikely that a survey would be the preferred method of establishing the community’s views on the site's future.
A more engaging approach to the role the site could play in Yarrawonga’s future growth would be preferred.
Following the provision in the new Local Government Act that councils need to update their community engagement policy, was Moira Shire Council able to further improve their methods of advising the community of their actions and plans due to the survey conducted and did council give feedback to both internal and external respondents?
Council has updated its community engagement framework to improve methods and diversify channels in which to engage with the public.
Council will give further feedback to individual stakeholders after tonight’s (February) council meeting.
Council is very much looking forward to the first deliberative engagement process which will be commencing very soon with input sought for the council plan and the financial plan.
This deliberate engagement will involve town-centric public meetings, sessions with councillors, questionnaires and surveys online and in hard copy and pop ups, to name a few.
So please keep an eye on our website.
Why do I need to find an independent building inspector at the cost of $450 when the council has paid employees for building inspections (in relation to the new swimming pool and spas inspection)
Why has council moved away to questions from the gallery?
Council building inspectors would need to abandon the important work they do for the building industry and bring construction programs to a standstill to divert their time to inspecting what we believe is around 2000 pools plus an unknown number of spas.
Now these requirements are a state-imposed requirement and there are not enough qualified inspectors unfortunately to meet that demand.
And public question time, as you'd have seen, John, we are still providing questions from the gallery and public question time needs to be managed differently during COVID.
Many councils still don’t allow galleries in the chamber and passing around microphones in question time is currently not possible.
Have any architects’ plans been drawn up for the Yarrawonga multisport stadium and been approved by Moira Shire Council, and if they have, why have they not been on public display?
The plans are still being finalised with the architect and, once completed, will moved to the stadium committee for approval and then be put on public display.
The project is reliant on substantial government funding.
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