Standards panel determination

THE Standards Panel of the Local Government Association of Tasmania has upheld Mr Ian Brown's appeal in relation to his Code of Conduct complaint against me. In a letter received by Registered Post today, the panel imposed the following sanctions upon me:

a) a caution
b) an apology to Mr Brown
c) a requirement to attend training

At this stage of the process, any appeals must be made by application to a court within 28 days of receiving notification of the panel's determination. If no application is received from myself or the complainant, the panel's recommendation will be reported to the mayor for consideration firstly by a closed council meeting and finally by an open council meeting. 

Comments will not be published until this matter is concluded.

November advertisement

BELOW is my latest councillor update, published in last week's issue of the Derwent Valley Gazette. A constituent suggested I publish these more often, but to keep them shorter. I tried!

Positive night at the council

THERE was a strong community focus at tonight's council meeting, with some good decisions made for our the people of our municipality. We took the first steps towards formalising the Friends of Frescati and helping them reach their goal of establishing a community garden; we approved the establishment of a committee to review the "spatial plan" for the New Norfolk central business district; and we endorsed a process for the removal of the pink planter boxes in Burnett St. The meeting finished a little earlier than usual, leaving time to chat with the members of the public who attended tonight's meeting.

Tidy Towns Committee brings home the prize

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone associated with the Derwent Valley Council's Tidy Towns Committee following their successful campaign which has resulted in New Norfolk being named the winner of the 2010 Tasmanian Tidy Towns Award. The committee wins $2000 and a trophy.

New Norfolk will now represent Tasmania in the judging for the national award. The competition includes Rutherglen (Victoria) and Stanthorpe (Queensland).

Previous winners of the state Tidy Town award are:

Year	Winner
2009/10	Richmond
2008/09	Oatlands
2008	Ross
2006	Swansea - 2007 National Winner
2005	Burnie
2004	Latrobe
2003	Bicheno
2002	Stanley
2001	Richmond
2000	Burnie
1999	Wynyard
1998	Smithton
1997	Latrobe
1996	Stanley - 1997 National Winner
1995	Deloraine
1994	Stanley
1993	Deloraine
1992	Deloraine
1991	Evandale
1990	Mathinna
1989	George Town
1988	George Town
1987	Ulverstone
1986	Ross
1985	Ross
1984	Mole Creek
1983	Mole Creek
1982	Wynyard
1981	Wynyard
1980	Wynyard

Subdivision comments

LAST week's council meeting declined to approve a subdivision at Molesworth, based on concerns about the impact of additional traffic on Molesworth Rd. Here's what I had to say on the matter: "Residents of the Molesworth district have had much to say about this subdivision, and they are in one voice on the subject of the proposed access road. I am not opposed to this subdivision but I agree with the concerns of the locally affected people. In particular I am concerned about the road safety implications of the proposed access off Molesworth Rd. I have visited the site and cannot agree with the finding that this is a suitable access point. I note the photographs showing sightlines from the road's edge and make the observation that few drivers leave their cars to check for oncoming traffic.Sightlines from the driver's seat of my car were not as generous as those in the planner's report. I cannot support the recommendation as it stands, and urge that more consideration be given to the option of accessing the proposed subdivision from the Lyell Highway. If the Lyell Highway cannot cope with an access of this type, we must ask what has been achieved by the State Government's $14 million worth of alleged improvements." 

Advice to Derwent Valley Council

AT Thursday night's council meeting I made the following statement: "I wish to advise the council that I appeared before the Standards Panel of the Local Government Association yesterday, in relation to Mr Ian Brown's appeal against the recent determination of his Code of Conduct complaint made against me. I am advised that a finding may be reached next week."

During the hearing, Mr Brown expressed his concern that it had been incorrectly stated on this blog that he was a resident of Ridson Vale or Clarendon Vale, when in fact he had never lived at either of those places. I apologised for the error and advised that the information had been sourced from Mr Brown's correspondence which listed a Clarendon Vale postal address.

Comments will not be published until this matter is concluded.

Agenda for October meeting

YESTERDAY'S mail brought a very interesting council agenda for the October meeting this Thursday and I imagine there will be more than a few onlookers in the public gallery. You are welcome to join them - the meeting starts at 6.30pm. There is an opportunity for public questions and statements at the start of the meeting. It's advisable to get there early to fill in the simple form and hand it to the deputy general manager.

There are two items of some disappointment. In Motions on Notice, Cr Jim Elliott proposes that the council should cease the advertising of its monthly "workshops". Cr Elliott does not state whether it is his intention to move these workshops back behind closed doors, or simply to stop advertising them. If the idea is simply to save money, that could be achieved by listing the monthly meeting and monthly workshop in the one advertisement. I regret that because I am employed by the newspaper where the council does its advertising, I will not be able to take part in the debate on this topic.

Equally disappointing, and contrary to assurances received in the last fortnight, is that community concerns about the access road for a new subdivision at Molesworth seem not to have been heard. Building an expensive road and bridge to connect with Molesworth Rd makes no sense when the safest and most obvious option is to connect directly with the Lyell Highway. If the highway cannot cope with one additional entry on a reasonably straight stretch at Sorell Creek, what has the State Government achieved with its $14 million worth of "improvements"?

Also on the agenda is a briefing by Home and Community Care co-ordinator Julie Triffett; a proposal to investigate the employment of a regional development officer; community grants for 2010/11; and a closed meeting to discuss a solid waste collection service contract.