Council divided on meetings at Linton

WHERE and when the Golden Plains Shire’s regular 2023 council meetings should be held divided councillors at the regular December meeting.

The February to December meetings are set to begin at a new time of 7pm, with two to be held at Linton, three at Smythesdale’s The Well, and six at the Golden Plains Civic Centre in Bannockburn.

Before this resolution was made, CEO Eric Braslis said the Shire has historically rotated their council meetings with a six-five, south-north split, and recommended that this continue.

He said strong internet connectivity is key for meeting broadcasting and bringing members of the public into the conversation virtually, but this is not possible at the Linton Shire Offices.

“That’s only able to be done currently in [the Golden Plains Civic Centre], it’s not able to be done at other facilities that council operates, and unfortunately at our Linton Shire Offices, is unable to be done because of the lack of internet connectivity in the township,” he said.

“Due to the lack of connectivity… that would disadvantage community members and residents because they wouldn’t be able to zoom into a meeting.”

Following legislative reform by the State Government, councillors can also attend council meetings virtually, so Linton’s lack of connectivity could also put them at a disadvantage.

“Virtual attendance… could be done from our service centre at The Well because of the Digital Hub, and the improved connectivity we have at The Well,” Mr Braslis said.

In the past, live broadcasts of council meetings at Linton Shire Offices have been momentarily interrupted, or have stopped completely, due to poor internet.

Mr Braslis said there is a lack of bandwidth to the town of Linton, so installing the technology is not possible at this time.

The gallery at The Well can also accommodate twice as many members of the public than the Linton meeting room.

Despite the CEO’s recommendation, Cr Helena Kirby suggested the Tuesday, 28 March and Tuesday, 28 November meetings be held in Linton, which carried, and that all regular meetings through the year should start at 7pm.

“We could purchase a big screen, get one of the satellites to connect, and we could probably even share it with all those local committees that using the hall in Linton,” she said.

“I’m sure they would really appreciate it if we were able to have it reconnected. It would be fantastic to offer that to the community groups as well.”

Cr Kirby said having meetings at 7pm would mean more time to prepare and have dinner, while Cr Clayton Whitfield said that starting time was too late.

“No matter which end of the Shire we’re at, people returning are looking at midnight on occasions and I think that’s too late,” he said.

Cr Owen Sharkey said the Linton site has one toilet, that it’s cold, and doesn’t have sufficient gallery space for the public to attend.

“It’s outdated and it’s time to move on,” he said. “This is not just a conversation around internet… This year, as an applicant putting in a planning application… the person representing me was unable to turn up to Linton.

“The facilities weren’t there, and it’s not good enough that residents don’t have that opportunity.

“If we are going to support Linton and Smythesdale, we need to invest money in that. Right now, I don’t think the residents across the whole Shire would like to see money invested in further IT in Linton over drainage issues and the like.

“If we are serious about staying at Linton… let’s back it and get budget money to make it up to standard which comes at a cost to ratepayers.”

Cr Whitfield suggested having meetings in three locations is a way for councillors and the municipality to demonstrate their commitment to ratepayers across the Shire.

Golden Plains Shire mayor Cr Brett Cunningham voted in support of the resolution which was posed by Cr Kirby.

“A recommendation was tabled for consideration to only hold Council meetings at The Well in Smythesdale and the Golden Plains Civic Centre in Bannockburn due technology available to support virtual meetings at those locations,” Cr Cunningham said.

“Following extensive discussions around the table, in particular the historical significance of the township of Linton and the ongoing importance of representing the differing townships within Golden Plains Shire, council voted to continue to hold meetings at Linton Hall which was formerly known as the Grenville Municipal Offices.

“The cost to set up a camera and speakers for Linton meetings is insignificant, however council has experienced video and sound issues when live streaming meetings from this location due to limited bandwidth, and acknowledges virtual participation is not available.”

The regular meetings on Tuesday 28 February, 18 April, 27 June, 22 August, 24 October, and 19 December will be held at the Golden Plains Civic Centre, while the Tuesday, 28 November and 28 March meetings will be at Linton Shire Hall.

The regular meetings on Tuesday 23 May, 25 July and 26 September will be held at Smythesdale’s The Well.