Agenda of Council Meeting

Georges River Council – Ordinary Meeting - Monday, 23 March 2020 Page 2

Ordinary Meeting

1. Opening

Council acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which this meeting is being held as the Biddegal people of the Eora Nation.

3. Apologies / Leave of Absence

4. Notice of Webcasting

5. Disclosures of Interest

6. Public Forum

7. Confirmation of Minutes of Previous Meeting

MINUTES: Council Meeting - 16 December 2019

MINUTES: Council Meeting - 24 February 2020

8. Mayoral Minute

MM008-20 COVID-19: Georges River Council Response to Impacts on Our Organisation and Community

(Report by The Mayor, Councillor Greene)................................................................ 4

MM009-20 COVID-19: Instrument of Delegation to the Mayor (Emergency Administrative Provisions)

(Report by The Mayor, Councillor Greene)................................................................ 6

9. Committee Reports

CCL018-20 Report FIN007-20 and FIN011-20 from the Finance and Governance Committee Meeting held on 9 March 2020

(Report by Executive Services Officer).................................................................... 10

CCL019-20 Report ASS003-20, ASS004-20 and ASS005-20 from the Assets and Infrastructure Committee Meeting held 9 March 2020

(Report by Executive Services Officer).................................................................... 16

10. Environment and Planning

Nil

11. Finance and Governance

Nil

12. Assets and Infrastructure

Nil

13. Community and Culture

Nil

14. Notices of Rescission

Nil

15. Notices of Motion

Nil

16. Questions with Notice

Nil

Georges River Council – Ordinary Meeting - Monday, 23 March 2020 Page 5

Mayoral Minute

Item: MM008-20 COVID-19: Georges River Council Response to Impacts on Our Organisation and Community

Mayor: The Mayor, Councillor Greene

Background

Our community, along with the rest of Australia, is facing extraordinary challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Council needs to respond to these challenges to our community in a positive way.

To date action has been taken by the General Manager to protect the health and safety of staff and community. These actions (amongst others) have included activating Council’s Business Continuity Plan and:

· Events, gatherings, community engagement and ANZAC Day services have been cancelled to reduce WHS and public health risks to staff and the community.

· The Senior Citizens Centre has been closed due to the large number of visitors and the vulnerable community using the facility.

· The operation of Council and other meetings have been modified to ensure that social distancing and gathering rules are met.

· Non-essential meetings with external customers/clients have been cancelled.

· Social distancing has been implemented for all public and staff interactions in both public areas and staff-only areas (1.5m separation between staff) including use of the Marana Auditorium.

· Continuity planning for essential and non-essential services is revised daily.

· Potential impacts on income in the 2019/20 budget and impacts on the projected deficit for the draft 2020/21 budget are being updated daily.

· A review of contractual obligations for contracts and other agreements has been undertaken.

· Technology capacity has been reviewed to support more staff working from home if this is required or ordered.

· Changes have been made to the way our libraries operate to restrict the number of visitors to our libraries to less than 100 and ensuring compliance with the social distancing rule. Feedback from residents has been very positive and most library services (home library service, borrowing, unlimited online renewals, e-resources online and Wi-Fi) remain available.

· Our childcare centres continue to operate with the usual high quality educational programming and play activities. The enhanced cleansing regimes continue to ensure the safety of staff and children and their families at all times.

· Social distancing has been introduced to the Customer Service Centres and notices are provided to customers before they enter not to do so if they are unwell or show symptoms of the COVID-19 virus.

· Assessment of requests for rental reduction and fee waivers has commenced.

· Supermarket delivery times have been relaxed.

· Intensive cleansing programs have been implemented in all public and staff areas and across Council facilities and venues.

· The NSW Government has advised on restricting attendance by the public at all Council and Planning Panel meetings.

Further actions will be required in the future and within our community. We know that many businesses and members of our community have been severely impacted by the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are some actions that could be taken now and in the future to cushion some of that impact, noting that the Australian and the NSW Government have also announced a number of measures to protect businesses and households from the economic downturn and loss of household income.

I am recommending that the General Manager be authorised to introduce measures to assist businesses and the community to operate in a significantly modified environment. This may require a more flexible approach to ensure that businesses can adapt quickly to changing rules around social distancing and size of gatherings. Further, a more detailed report be prepared that outlines how Council could respond to the situation in a way that complements the actions of other Governments.

MOTION:

(a) That Council notes the actions taken to date to ensure the ongoing provision of services to the community while protecting the health and well-being of our staff and our community.

(b) That the General Manager be authorised to take immediate action to help our local community to cope with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including:

(i) appropriate enforcement of compliance measures to respond to changes in customer behaviour, as required by health restrictions and social distancing requirements. This may include:

- allowing businesses to provide take-away service even where their development consent may not allow this,

- relaxing enforcement of parking (except where there is a risk to public safety) to allow increase take-away trading in shopping areas,

- non-enforcement of trading and delivery hours for food, beverage and grocery stores necessary to maintain these essential services to our community.

(ii) providing ongoing advice to the community about Council’s Debt Management and Hardship Policy and how to apply for deferred or staged payments.

(c) That the General Manager prepare a report to Council on programs to respond to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our local businesses and community including, but not limited to:

(i) fees and charges, leases, licences, sports fields hire and other fees; and

(ii) an approach to assist economic and social recovery after the pandemic has ended: setting out a plan to help a return to normal once medical advice is received indicating that the current social-distancing rules and restrictions on gatherings are repealed.

Georges River Council – Ordinary Meeting - Monday, 23 March 2020 Page 7

Item: MM009-20 COVID-19: Instrument of Delegation to the Mayor (Emergency Administrative Provisions)

Mayor: The Mayor, Councillor Greene

BACKGROUND

The current Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is continuing to rapidly escalate in the face of best endeavours to mitigate its spread and impacts. Contingent administrative arrangements need to be strengthened in order to protect the interests of Georges River Council and the community as best as reasonably possible under the circumstances.

COVID-19 has given rise to a humanitarian and economic crisis on a massive scale the like of which has not been seen for the best part of a century or more. Its far reaching impacts are being felt by billions of people and organisations around the globe. These are being well documented daily by other spheres of government and the media.

Georges River Council has already demonstrated excellent leadership within its community and the local government industry with its responses to date to the challenges of COVID-19. The very high levels of seriousness, urgency and growth in risks and related disruptions require constant reassessment. Agility in dealing with critical decisions around securing and deploying resources is paramount in the current environment.

Council is now facing increased risks around civic governance and resource decision making that are central to ensuring delivery of core services without seriously compromising the health and wellbeing of the community and staff. The business as usual approach to civic governance may quickly fail if it is not safe enough or otherwise impractical for Council to convene ordinary or extraordinary meetings in the coming months as a result of COVID-19.

Immediate contingency arrangements should be in put in place or strengthened to protect the interests of the Council and the community as best as reasonably possible under the circumstances. While Council awaits a response from the State Government on a range of administrative and legislative barriers to this that are under its control, it is prudent to grant emergency powers to the Mayor for a limited duration to cover critical contingencies that may arise.

PROPOSAL

It is recommended that a contingency arrangement for decision making outside of meetings of Council be put in place until such time as the pandemic has ended, unless terminated by Council before that date.

Attached is a proposed Instrument of Delegation to the Mayor which would enable the Mayor to make decisions of Council in emergency situations after consultation with the General Manager.

Should the Mayor need to exercise this delegation, the General Manager will provide a consolidated report once a month to all Councillors specifying any actions taken under the delegation adopted by Council. Additionally, once activation of the current Business Continuity Plan ceases, a consolidated report to the first available meeting of Council will be submitted which lists all decisions made under this delegation.

Maintaining a proactive approach to contingency planning and risk mitigation for COVID-19 is vital as part of the ongoing program to serve and protect the interests of Council and the community.

MOTION:

(a) That Council adopt the Instrument of Delegation to the Mayor dated 23 March 2020 as detailed in Attachment 1 to this Mayoral Minute.

(b) That the General Manager provide a consolidated report once a month to all Councillors specifying any actions taken under this delegation as adopted by Council.

(c) Once activation of the current Business Continuity Plan ceases, a consolidated report to the first available meeting of Council will be submitted which lists all decisions made under this delegation.

ATTACHMENTS

Attachment ⇩1

Georges River Council - Instrument of Delegation to Mayor

Georges River Council – Ordinary Meeting - Monday, 23 March 2020 Page 10

Committee Reports

Item: CCL018-20 Report FIN007-20 and FIN011-20 from the Finance and Governance Committee Meeting held on 9 March 2020

Author: Executive Services Officer

Directorate: Office of the General Manager

Matter Type: Committee Reports

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Committee recommendations for Items FIN007-20 and FIN011-20 as detailed below, be adopted by Council.

FIN007-20 2019/20 Half Yearly Progress Report and Budget Review Statement for Quarter Ending 31 December 2019.

(a) That Council receive and note the Half Yearly Progress Report July 2019 – December 2019 (Attachment 1) of performance made against Georges River Council’s Delivery Program 2018/19 to 2020/21 and Operational Plan 2019/20 including the Quarterly Budget Review for Quarter Ending 31 December 2019.

(b) That Council approve the variances to the 2019/20 Budget, as detailed in Attachment 1, as a result of the Quarter Ending 31 December 2019 Budget Review.

(c) That Council endorse the Delivery Program and Operational Plan items recommended for cancellation, being placed on hold, altered or proposed to be carried over, as detailed in Attachment 1.

(d) That a copy of the Half Yearly Progress Report July 2019 – December 2019 be published on Council’s website.

(e) That the General Manager be delegated authority to make minor editorial changes to the Half Yearly Progress Report prior to publishing on Council’s website.

FIN011-20 Property Matter - Classification of 17 Carrington Avenue Hurstville

That Council classify Lot 77 in DP1958 located at 17 Carrington Avenue, Hurstville as operational land in accordance with Section 31 of the Local Government Act 1993 (the Act).

FILE REFERENCE

19/2261 and D20/69618

ATTACHMENTS

Attachment ⇩1

Minutes - Finance and Governance Committee 09 March 2020

Georges River Council – Ordinary Meeting - Monday, 23 March 2020 Page 16

Item: CCL019-20 Report ASS003-20, ASS004-20 and ASS005-20 from the Assets and Infrastructure Committee Meeting held 9 March 2020

Author: Executive Services Officer

Directorate: Office of the General Manager

Matter Type: Committee Reports

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Committee recommendations for items ASS003-20, ASS004-20 and ASS005-20 as detailed below, be adopted by Council.

ASS003-20 Georges River Traffic Advisory Committee Meeting - 3 March 2020

That the recommendations contained within the minutes of the Georges River Traffic Advisory Committee Meeting held on 3 March 2020 be adopted by Council, with the exception of item TAC033-20 which is to be reported back to the next Traffic Advisory Committee meeting.

ASS004-20 Tender SSROC 2018-04 Supply and Delivery of Washroom and Hygiene Products and Services

(a) That under Section 178 (1) (a) of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2005, Council endorses the decision by the SSROC tender evaluation panel to appoint a primary contractor for the provision of Supply and Delivery of Washroom and Hygiene Products and Services.

(b) That the General Manager be authorised to sign the contract with the preferred tenderer on behalf of Council.

ASS005-20 T19/024 Tender for the Streetscape Upgrade of Ormonde Parade, Hurstville

(a) That under Section 178 (1) (a) of the Local Government (General) Regulation 2005, Council accepts the tender that is recommended for T19/024 Ormonde Parade Hurstville - Streetscape Upgrade as outlined in the confidential attachment.

(b) That the General Manager be authorised to sign the Contract with the preferred Contractor on behalf of Council.

FILE REFERENCE

19/2261 and D20/69635

ATTACHMENTS

Attachment ⇩1

Minutes - Assets and Infrastructure Committee 09 March 2020