A decision on a confidential planning matter was thwarted when three councillors walked out of the regular Council meeting on September 16.

The meeting was closed to the public at 9:10 pm to consider the matter but the minutes of the meeting show that the meeting was abandoned at 9:21 pm for want of a quorum. With the current six councillors (after the resignation of Juliet Simpson), a quorum is four councillors meaning that at least three councillors left the meeting.

Those who left would have done so to prevent a vote on the planning matter.

The Wombat Post contacted all six councillors asking if they walked out of the meeting and, if so, to explain and justify their action. We can confirm that Cr Tim Drylie, Cr Jen Bray and Cr Tessa Halliday left the meeting. Cr Hood, Cr Henderson and Cr Hewitt remained.

Recent 3-3 votes have been resolved by the mayor using his casting vote. Rather than lose this vote, councillors left the meeting to prevent a vote.

Council observers have noted that the Council has split along the same lines on many votes over the council term.

When contacted by TWP, Cr Bray and Cr Halliday refused to provide an explanation stating the confidentiality of the matter prevented them doing so. Cr Drylie did not respond to our enquiries by the deadline.

CEO Bradley Thomas confirmed that the abandonment will not cause any planning delays or trigger an application to VCAT.

“On this occasion, there is an on-going legal issue, and accordingly it would have been inappropriate to be in the open section of the meeting”, he said. “The matter… has been finalised based on a previous Council decision.”

No further information can be provided about the specific matter but councillors who discussed the incident with The Wombat Post indicated that they thought there would eventually be a full public disclosure.

The action sets a dangerous precedent. Council is sometimes reduced to six councillors, in this case by a resignation, in other cases by an absence due to illness or conflict of interest. If the issue is contentious and the vote evenly split, the mayor is required under the Governance Rules to cast a deciding vote. In similar situations in the future, councillors opposed to the mayor’s position on a matter could use similar tactics to block votes.

One of the councillors who remained in the meeting called the action “outrageous.” Another called it an “abrogation of their responsibility” as councillors.

This was their last act as councillors for Cr Bray and Cr Halliday because Council went into caretaker mode the following day and neither are contesting the forthcoming election.

However, Cr Tim Drylie is standing for re-election. Informed voters will no doubt consider this “abrogation of responsibility” when they cast their ballots.

Councillors are elected to make decisions. This incident makes a mockery of their basic obligation to the electorate. The new council, when elected, should commit to appropriate standards of integrity so that this shameful act can not be repeated.