Bad smell that wont go away – City of Ballarat council meeting briefs

ODOUR from the Central Victorian Livestock Exchange at Miners Rest once again wafted into the City of Ballarat council chamber following a question from the public during the Wednesday, 22 April meeting.

Councillors Grant Tillett, Mark Harris and Jim Rinaldi took up the role of advocating for area residents, with the former reading the submitted questions as members of the public were again not allowed to attend the meeting in person due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

The questions on the saleyards related to how council could get the operators of the saleyards to comply with site’s original development plan and if the plan had been looked at since exchange opened in September 2019.

Terry Demeo, the city’s director of infrastructure and environment, said the municipality would continue to work with the Environmental Protection Authority, and that operations at the site had been reviewed but Mr Demeo did not disclose if the development plan itself was looked at again.

Cr Mark Harris raised concerns about the public’s perception on links between council and the operators of the saleyards and questioned the city’s interactions with the EPA.

“I do think our community has some concerns about where we stand with representing them and our relationship with the company itself,” he said. “I would counsel council to let the EPA do it’s job and let us represent for the community.

“I was a bit confused with the response, ‘we’re working with the EPA’… they’re a regulatory authority, surely it’s their job.”

Mr Demeo explained that the municipality did “work collaboratively” with the EPA. “We’re not usurping their role in terms of regulating the odour issues,” he said.

Cr Tillett then questioned who actually had jurisdiction over resolving the problem.

Mr Demeo replied that the EPA was on the hook for enforcing its pollution abatement notices, while the city was responsible for approving the development plan in the first place.

Cr Rinaldi wanted to know when the issue would conclude.

“Where is it going to end up?” he said. “When we can say ‘OK this is the deadline’? We’ve got to get this right.

“Otherwise it’s just going on and on and on, and we as a council have a responsibility to correct the mistakes that are happening and have done since day one.”

Mr Demeo was unable to provide a deadline.

Hub turned lab leased

The temporary leasing of the Lucas Community Hub for use as a COVID-19 testing site was formally approved.

Located on located on the corner of Coltman Plaza and Eleanor Drive at Lucas, the former home of a range of City of Ballarat services as has been acting as an appointment only COVID-19 testing site for about three weeks.

“We were called upon to help provide a facility and this the culmination of that,” Cr Tillett said. “It’s part of the virus episode and something we have to do.”

More money for Her Maj?

Completing works on Her Majesties Theatre while the site is not being used due to the COVID-19 shutdown was on Cr Daniel Moloney’s radar.

He raised the issue during the councillor reports section of the meeting and sought clarification on the State government’s $10 million dollars worth of funding pledged during the state election campaign in 2018 and subsequently included in the state 2019/20 budget.

“Now would be a great opportunity to do heavy work,” Cr Moloney said.

CEO Justine Linley said an application for funding had been made to the State government and also agreed the shutdown created by the COVID-19 pandemic was a good time to undertake further capital works not included in the previous two stages of upgrades at Her Maj.

“It would be an absolutely opportune time to commence those works,” she said. “However, it is reliant on having that funding agreement signed.”

Plan reports parked

Counsellors will no longer receive updates on the city’s Smarter Parking Plan each meeting.

The move came following the suspension of paid parking across the city during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cr Moloney questioned why about 200 people had paid for parking while the meters were apparently turned off but it was explained that the money had been received during the tail end of the previous reporting period.