Bad planning

By Jade Lawton
A CITY of Casey planning meeting scheduled for Tuesday 22 September was scrapped because only four of Casey’s 11 councillors turned up.
It was the first time in the council’s history that a meeting was adjourned because of poor attendance.
Edrington Ward councillors Daniel Mulino and Simon Curtis, Mayfield Ward councillor Kevin Bradford and River Gum Ward councillor Wayne Smith were the only councillors to attend the meeting.
The council’s administration manager, Ian Sparrow, said there was only one other occasion in its history where there was no quorum – at a general purposes committee meeting on 8 August, 2006. On that occasion, an additional councillor arrived 14 minutes late and the meeting proceeded as planned.
When contacted by the Gazette last week many of the absent councillors said they were ill on the night and had sent in their apologies before the meeting.
Two others said they had prior commitments.
Jack Davis, the president of Ratepayers Victoria, said ill health was a legitimate reason for a councillor to miss a meeting – but he could not recall another instance in his 10 years as president when a council meeting was cancelled because of a lack of a quorum.
“Councillors are obligated to turn up at council meetings. They get a council allowance to attend council meetings and the council meeting is their first obligation,” he said.
Harkaway resident Ian McDonald, who was one of four people to prepare a short presentation on an agenda item, said he was disappointed at the lack of attendance.
Mr McDonald was one of 20 or so people sitting in the chamber’s public gallery, with many eager to hear the verdict on a permit application for commercial vehicle storage at Hilden Drive, Harkaway.
“I was rung an hour and five minutes before the meeting and told there wouldn’t be a quorum. It’s quite unprecedented I would have thought,” he said.
“I insisted we attend and present to the councillors that were there. This matter needs to be dealt with by council. I was very disappointed it wasn’t attended to last Tuesday and, more importantly, I would like to know why there was such absenteeism at council.”
Mr McDonald said mayor Geoff Ablett was the only one to personally inform him he was unable to attend. He said he planned to write to City of Casey chief executive Mike Tyler and ask for an explanation.
“It might be legitimate. I’m not saying it’s not possible for six councillors to be sick,” he said.
The five planning items on last week’s agenda – three of which affect Edrington Ward – will be rolled over to the next planning meeting, on Tuesday 27 October.