2020-01-13 General Committee Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                       13 JANUARY 2020


           Dissolution of a local government –
             o    The term of an administrator may expire at the conclusion of a quadrennial local
                  government election (rather than require an ‘election’).
             o    Provision for short-term absences of an administrator.
             o    State government can recover the costs of an Interim Management Committee
                  from the local government.
3.    Future regulatory amendments
The following future provisional amendments19 are being considered, some of which may be
required to support the above new legislated provisions:
    Registers of Interest –
      o    Any donations made of $500 or greater must be recorded.
      o    Gifts between $500 and $2000 need only to be recorded for two terms.
      o    Electoral gifts do not need to be recorded.
      o    Clarification that being a member of a board of a community organisation needs to be
           declared but not memberships.
      o    Clarification of when interests arising from official duties are not included in register.
      o    Only councillors’ current interests to be published on the local government website.
      o    Councils to keep ROIs for 10 years after councillor’s office or officer employment
           ends.
    Agendas and Minutes –
      o   Agenda and associated reports and other documents to be published on council
          website by 5pm on the day following the day it is made available to councillors.
      o   Reports to be considered at the meeting provided after the agenda is sent are to be
          published on council website as soon as practicable after they are made available to
          councillors.
      o   Confidential reports or papers are exempt from publication on the website.
      o   Committee meetings must have minutes.
      o   Unless previously made available with the agenda, minutes must include reports and
          other associated information used in the meeting.
      o   Unconfirmed minutes to be published five business days after the end of the meeting.
      o   Confirmed minutes to be published immediately after the meeting at which they are
          confirmed.
      o   Clarification that a councillor can confirm the meeting minutes despite having a COI
          in a matter discussed or decided in the meeting and regardless of whether they
          participated in that matter.
      o   Confidential reports or papers to be exempt from publication on the council website.
    Closed Meetings –
      o      Tightening of topics that can be discussed in closed session as follows:
              Remove:
                   -    appointment, dismissal or discipline of employees other than the CEO.
                   -    contracts proposed to be made.
                   -    actions or decisions under the Planning Act 2016.
                   -    other business where public discussion may prejudice the interests of the
                        local government or someone else, or enable a person to gain a financial
                        advantage.
              Add:
                   -    a council’s position in a negotiation.


19 DLGRMA, Electoral and other Legislation (Accountability, Integrity and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2019:
Information Paper, November 2019, 10.

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