The Council meeting on Tuesday evening, held via Zoom, was a marathon affair. The public portion of the meeting ran for almost 6 hours before the meeting was closed to the public while a confidential contract matter was considered. In addition to their work at the meeting, Councillors would have been busy over the preceding weekend considering the meeting agenda and papers which ran to over 900 pages.
Council adopted the Annual Plan for 2021/2022. The Plan details projects that are large, new, significant or strategically important and includes some of the key projects that have already been covered in the Council Budget 2021/2022. Priority projects and services were identified through community consultation as part of the annual budget and Hepburn Together project. The Plan includes progression of the Trentham Community Hub, Hammon Park Trail Head and Bike Path, a Positive Ageing Strategy, Reconciliation Action Plan, new Council website and road rehabilitation among others. The Annual Plan can be viewed on the Council website.
This document will be complimented by the Community Vision and Council Plan that have been prepared as part of the Hepburn Together Project. A Special Council Meeting on Tuesday, July 27, will consider these draft documents. The meeting will be held virtually and will be live streamed to the Council Facebook page.
Several planning matters were considered because the applications had attracted several objectors. All of the applications were approved. Mayor, Cr Lesley Hewitt, said, “Council is required to follow the old Hepburn Planning Scheme and those who follow Council will know that we have recently updated this and are currently waiting on approval of our new Scheme from the Minister. Council knows the current limitations of the Scheme and has allocated money for the structural planning required to underpin the new Scheme.”
Licenses were granted to several organisations to use the Glenlyon Recreation Reserve. These included the Pony Club, the Riding Club, Riding for the Disabled and the Collectors and Restorers Society.
Consideration of a license to the Daylesford Field and Game Association was deferred for a month to allow for further community consultation. Councillors noted that they had all received a significant number of emails for and against the proposal from within Glenlyon itself and from across the Shire. Acknowledging that this is a divisive issue in the community, this will be considered again in August.
Contracts were awarded for the reconstruction of the Daylesford Clunes Road at Smeaton and Bridge Strengthening at Telegraph Rd Mt Prospect and Blampied Mollongghip Rd, Rocklyn.
In the confidential section of the meeting, Council approved the granting of leases to ECKA Eureka to operate pre-school and kindergartens at Clunes, Creswick, Daylesford, Hepburn and Trentham.
