Change Of Ordinary Meeting Time

Amelia Lorentson22:58

The decision to change the meeting time to 10:00am. Was introduced this term to help balance work-life commitments for staff and Councillors. However, community feedback has highlighted concerns that this change has made it difficult for residents, working residents, to attend and participate in Council meetings, particularly as we've just seen during public question time. So most residents are engaged in work or other commitments during the morning hours, the accessibility of meetings has been significantly reduced. While work-life balance for staff and Councillors is important, Council has a fundamental commitment to community engagement and transparency. Given that ordinary meetings occur only once a month, it's reasonable and appropriate to revert that to the 5pm. Time slot to ensure that residents can be involved in the decision-making process. Adjusting the meeting time will help address the concerns raised by the community and reinforce our commitment to an and participatory local government. Can't just speak a little bit more on it. The question I think I'm simply asking today is what time best allows. Our 27,000 plus working residents to attend our ordinary meetings 10 o'clock or 5pm. I've moved this motion today because I've been approached by residents and business chambers across the and I'm talking from Shire Pomona to Noosa Heads to Noosaville business chambers and I've circulated letters to all the Councillors who believe that the current 10-hour meeting time creates a barrier for working people. It limits their ability to observe. And sit in the public gallery. It limits their ability to ask questions or participate in person during public question time and deputations. As a Council we've committed to public access, engagement and participatory local government. Yet it seems that our schedule excludes many from having that opportunity. Right now we hold three meetings, a planning and environment meeting at 9:30am. We hold our Services & Organisation meeting at 1:30pm. And our ordinary meetings tradition that was held since 2014 it was always at 5:00pm. This term we've changed that to 10:00am. And again I reiterate is only once a month the reality is that these daytime meetings force working residents to submit questions by proxy rather than attending in person again we've what witnessed that today they've argued is that that's not real community engagement it can be seen by some as community exclusion again from 2014 we held ordinary meetings at 5pm. And it worked that changed this turn to accommodate Councillors and staff work-life balance which I fully acknowledge and fully respect but I don't believe it is too much of an ask for just one evening meeting per month to commence at 5pm. To allow again if I quote our stats say that 27,536 residents are employed in the Shire. So I've also done a quick review of our last 12 ordinary meetings to understand how long we're actually we sit at the ordinary meetings. Over the 12 last ordinary meetings we had six that lasted an hour or less which meant that we finished in less than an hour. Three of the 12 that were under two and a half hours and only three out of the 12 that exceeded three hours and I do note one was extraordinarily long and in my five years I've never witnessed a meeting that went on for that long. So my point is that if business changes, resident community groups, surf clubs can adjust their schedules holding breakfast meetings seven o'clock or networking nights at 5:00pm. Or community forums at 5:00pm. To include our working members, why can't we? They're volunteers and they don't get paid. We are paid and we're here paid to serve the community. So I ask again that you support the notified motion in front of us and revert back to your practice that commenced in 2014 to hold ordinary meetings at 5:00pm. That served our 27,536 employed residents and well. Community