DURING the Notice of Motion section of the City of Ballarat council meeting on 21 November, Councillor Belinda Coates put climate change firmly on the agenda once again.<\/p>\n
Her five-point motion called on council to note the October 2018 Intergovernmental Panel\u2019s report on Climate Change and a successful motion from the Municipal Association Victoria\u2019s May 2017 meeting saying there\u2019s currently a climate emergency.<\/p>\n
It also called for priority resourcing of carbon neutral and 100 per cent renewable action plans and that councillors receive a briefing from staff on what the best courses of action on climate change could be.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe motion is really about good governance,\u201d Cr Coates said. \u201cIt\u2019s about us demonstrating to the community that we are really taking matters of the urgency of the climate change issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhilst this motion doesn\u2019t commit us to a dollar value, it really has the potential for us to send a positive and pro-active message to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also speaking in support of the need for action on climate change were a number of community members who addressed council with their take on different aspects of the issue.<\/p>\n
Some urged the council to read the IPCC report and act accordingly, while others spoke of their dismay at a lack of solar panels in Ballarat\u2019s growth areas.<\/p>\n
High-School student Anne Burnett addressed council on the effects climate change and global warming would have for future generations and joined with other speakers in urging the group to take more action on the issue.<\/p>\n
Not all councillors were totally convinced.<\/p>\n
Cr Tillett said the motion, \u201cAs it stands really achieves nothing,\u201d and responded to the group by telling them that lighting in the council chamber was generated from burning methane gas from the council\u2019s landfill site, using it as an example of council\u2019s environmental credentials.<\/p>\n
He also vehemently objected to the third-point in Cr Coates\u2019 motion, that council, \u201cAcknowledges the \u2018climate emergency\u2019 and the need for urgent action by all levels of government, including local councils.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t, as councillors declare a climate emergency in the City of Ballarat just because Cr Coates wants a motion,\u201d he said. \u201cIn my view clause three is a dangerous clause.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately the recorded vote passed 5-2, with Cr Tillett and Cr Ben Taylor opposing, while Cr Amy Johnson was on leave and Cr Jim Rinaldi an apology.<\/p>\n
Half the trot money<\/strong><\/p>\n Ballarat and District Trotting Club applied for $20,000 from the Tourism Event Grant Fund to help publicise the upcoming Inter Dominion Heat Two event.<\/p>\n Yet before the meeting the municipality\u2019s Property Portfolio members resolved to offer $5000 for council approval instead.<\/p>\n When it came time to vote Cr Tillett intervened and moved an amendment to the motion that provided for $10,000.<\/p>\n In doing so he also raised concerns that the money was being allocated from the wrong place and should have come from an economic development source, rather than the tourism fund.<\/p>\n The idea of alternate funding means was also somewhat supported by Cr Moloney who suggested that council work on a strategic partnership with the club.<\/p>\n Councillors Mark Harris and Cr Coates opposed the motion with Cr Coates saying she wouldn\u2019t support either funding option without the application of a social harm policy first.<\/p>\n Meeting documents say that the Trotting Club expected to attract 1500 people to Ballarat for the Inter Dominion event with another 1500 locals attending and approximate economic boost of over $200,000.<\/p>\n Of the original $20,000 applied for 64 per cent would have been spent on promotion with the rest going towards event activities and to hire a large tv screen.<\/p>\n Approval for the $10,000 ultimately passed 4-2.<\/p>\n CAFs to get facelift<\/strong><\/p>\n The Child and Family Services building will be getting a new entrance after council approved works on a non-heritage fa\u00e7ade section of the organisation\u2019s Lydiard Street North offices.<\/p>\n Located next to Ludbrook House, the section will be replaced with a contemporary entrance as part of ground floor renovations.<\/p>\n The works follow a number of other improvements over the years at the site which were detailed for council by a Peter Dunn, an architect working for CAFs.<\/p>\n They also come after toing and froing between council and the architect on the form the fa\u00e7ade would take, with this being the fourth time approval was sought.<\/p>\n Many councillors acknowledged the lengthy time the approval process has taken, with Cr Mark Harris apologising and Cr Tillett saying, \u201cThe time for debate is over.\u201d<\/p>\n Even after that some councillors still weren\u2019t satisfied with the outcome.<\/p>\n Cr Taylor, who supported the development, spoke about his issues with mock heritage verses modern styles of building exterior, while also pointing out the current fa\u00e7ade, while true to the adjacent building is fake.<\/p>\n In a question about the process for deciding the fa\u00e7ade put to the municipality\u2019s planning head Terry Demeo, Cr Daniel Moloney said the new designs didn\u2019t fit with existing buildings the area.<\/p>\n \u201cTo me it doesn\u2019t appear to be sympathetic to the heritage buildings around it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty contemporary and not at all in keeping with the rest of the street.\u201d<\/p>\n Beer and music money<\/strong><\/p>\n Ballarat Beer Festival requested and received $15,000 from the Tourism Event Fund, while an application from Organs of the Ballarat Goldfields for the same amount also got the tick of approval.<\/p>\n However, both applications didn\u2019t get off without scrutiny as the reoccurring nature of the requests caused Cr Molony to opine that the events seem to be financially non-viable without council funding.<\/p>\n He also offered a solution.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s perhaps a need to go into some kind of strategic partnership where we do look at how best to manage festivals like this, where ultimately we see them as being important to our city\u2026 but don\u2019t just necessarily appear to be viable without a grant,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n New eatery gets OK<\/strong><\/p>\n Buninyong looks like it\u2019s getting a new restaurant after council approved a planning permit for the old M.G. Brown shopfront at 317 Learmonth Street.<\/p>\n The site has had many uses since the gold rush and the developers are looking to make use of a 19th century Scotch oven that still sits in the building.<\/p>\n Conditions of the permit include a reduced number of required parking spaces and permission to sell alcohol for consumption on site.<\/p>\n Originally the development had sought significantly more outside dining space, but exterior seating was reduced to 16 following mediation with objectors.<\/p>\n Cr Taylor praised the engagement between various stakeholders that got the proposed restaurant to its current form.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was a very well-done mediation process,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n