CITY of Ballarat councillors unanimously voted to abolish library fines from 1 July at their regular council meeting on Wednesday, 22 February.<\/p>\n
Current fines will also be waved and they are estimated to effect 32 per cent of members of Ballarat Libraries.<\/p>\n
Currently fines are 36 cents per day with a maximum of $2 per item. People can no longer use the service if their fines reach $15.<\/p>\n
The proposed change come after many Victorian libraries have also done away with late fees and some other charges to protect the financially vulnerable and encourage use of the services.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully this will go a long way to alleviating some of those barriers to people who might have experienced fines or who have received a bill for books they have never returned,\u201d said Cr Amy Johnson.<\/p>\n
In the 2017-2018, the cost of chasing late items totalled more than the money collected in fines.<\/p>\n
The revenue raised from liberty fines was between $25,000 and $28,000 whereas the staff resources needed to collect the fines was estimated at over $29,000.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this is a great initiative coming forward firstly from a commercial point of view but far more importantly it encourages everyone to use our libraries,\u201d said Cr Peter Eddy.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Ageism on the agenda <\/strong><\/p>\n Councillors voted to support the EveryAGE counts campaign which is a national group of organisations that aims to end ageism in Australia.<\/p>\n Ballarat is an increasingly aging city with more than 24 per cent of the city\u2019s population over 60 and there\u2019s also growing body of research that suggests ageism is harmful to individuals.<\/p>\n The council supported the move to build awareness for ageism and its impacts in Ballarat and take steps to end ageism.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery form of discrimination can have a negative impact whether its on the basis of age, gender, sexuality, culture,\u201d said Cr Coates.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of those things can have an impact on people\u2019s wellbeing and sense of connection.<\/p>\n \u201cAnything that helps us become a healthy and more connected, inclusive community I support.\u201d<\/p>\n Support for the campaign aligns with the municipal Ageing Well in Ballarat Strategy 2022-2026, Action Plan 2022-2024, the Community Vision 2021-2031, and the Inclusion Framework 2022-2026.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Creating green<\/strong><\/p>\n A new way of assessing sustainable planning will be introduced in the City.<\/p>\n The move comes after councillors decided that both residential and non-residential development plans will need to have a sustainable design assessments.<\/p>\n The change includes measures to evaluate energy, water efficiency, and overall environmental impact and could mean reports that assess water use, provide environmental ratings, and green travel options would be required.<\/p>\n How many of these mechanisms will be needed will depend on the type of building being proposed.<\/p>\n \u201cIts really important to have those provisions in the planning scheme because sustainable housing is of benefit to everyone,\u201d said Cr Belinda Coats.<\/p>\n \u201cIt reduces emissions but also makes houses more liveable for people so it\u2019s a bit of a no brainer.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Landfill mistake fixed<\/strong><\/p>\n A resolution made at September 2021 meeting, where the timeframe for the contract to manage the municipal tip at Smythesdale was voted on incorrectly, has been amended.<\/p>\n At that September meeting council voted to award the contract to Cleanaway for an initial eight months with one-or-two-year extension options.<\/p>\n The tender documents, however, stated an initial contract of six years with an option for a further four years and then another 12 months after that.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are an organisation that is made up of humans,\u201d said mayor Cr Des Hudson.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom time to time there will be errors that are made and whilst we don\u2019t see an open a floodgate of them, we also want to be able to own them openly, transparently and in good faith.\u201d<\/p>\n The error was detected in a government check.<\/p>\n