Council cancels meeting

THE Surf Coast Shire council’s March 24 meeting was cancelled as a precautionary method against the spread of the coronavirus.

Council’s chief executive officer Keith Baillie said the councillors were continuing to discuss public matters while avoiding meeting in person.

“Councillors have taken the lead in following the advice of Victoria’s Chief Health Officer to limit group contact and minimise risk where possible

“They agreed during a teleconferenced briefing that all council meeting agenda items are able to be deferred to subsequent meetings.”

The City of Greater Geelong council have continued to hold their regular meetings, disallowing public attendance but livestreaming them to their website.

The city is continuing to hold community focus meetings on the second Tuesday of each month at City Hall. These will also be livestreamed.

However, Surf Coast Shire council general manager governance and infrastructure Anne Howard said her council was mindful of staying in the boundaries of the Local Government Act.

“Council meetings need to be conducted in accordance with the Local Government Act 1989.

“Local Government Victoria is exploring what this means in a COVID-19 context and we are waiting to hear if more flexibility will be available.”

Ms Howard said Local Government Victoria’s decision will also influence public question time.

“We are still responding to the community’s questions every day through online requests, email and phone. We will look at how to address other public questions once we understand whether there will be changes to the format of council meetings.”

The shire’s Visitor Information Centres and their public-facing customer service can no longer be visited in person. Instead, they can be contacted by phone, email or through internet-based services.

Mr Baillie said any potential inconveniences from these changes were secondary to the community’s wellbeing.

“The health and safety of our valued customers, members and staff is our number one priority.

“We hope people will understand the situation and our duty of care. Our communities can expect more change as we negotiate this dynamic situation.”

The latest changes to the council’s various services can be viewed at surfcoast.vic.gov.au/Community/Public-health/Coronavirus-disease-COVID19-update.