Public to have their say on proposal for new council offices
THE community will be given the chance to have their say about City Hall’s plans to build itself new headquarters.
An amended motion put forward at Tuesday night’s council meeting narrowly passed, meaning public consultation has now opened until August 28.
The City of Greater Geelong has been planning to consolidate its 10 offices under the one roof for almost two decades.
If it goes ahead, the move is expected to save the council up to $55 million in rent and other costs across 25 years.
Councillor Anthony Aitken tabled the amended motion, saying the council should be transparent and engage with the community on the process.
“This is about making a better and well-informed decision,” Cr Aitken said.
“At this point, there has been no engagement with the community on issues including how to fund the project.
“We are talking about a $100 million project. The public should be given an opportunity to scrutinise the proposal.”
However, the motion was opposed by four councillors, including Deputy Mayor Peter Murrihy, who said it was too early for consultation.
“There are no bones on the project. We should wait until we have something more concrete; or a site or a plan with what we want,” Cr Murrihy said.
“I believe we, as councillors, have to make these calls. Down the track is when we can go to public consultation.”
Council-owned land at 137 Mercer St remains the likely base for future headquarters, however, a decision is set to be made after consultation.
Tuesday’s meeting signalled the return of Mayor Bruce Harwood from his 18-day trip to Europe and Malaysia.
Ratepayers stumped up almost $19,700 to send Cr Harwood and a council officer to Europe for the UNESCO Creative Cities Network annual general meeting.
They also went on a study tour to Scotland and Italy, visiting waste-to-energy plants, before Cr Harwood stopped in Malaysia for meetings with AirAsia.
The Mayor defended council’s decision to send a delegation, citing Geelong’s position within the UCCN.
Discussions also centred on plans to build waste-to-energy facilities in Geelong.
Councillor Sarah Mansfield moved an amended motion that the city advocate for a circular economy — involving renewable energy — as its waste management objective.