Proposed Changes to Governance Rules

Consultation closed on 21 November.

Thank you for your feedback. Council is considering your submissions. A final decision will be made at a meeting of Council.

Background

We invited the community to provide feedback on the proposed changes to Governance Rules.

Governance Rules tell us how decisions are to be made, how to conduct Council meetings, and ensure Councils deal with matters transparently and effectively.

They guide Council meeting procedures, voting processes, debate, the election of the mayor and deputy mayor, and community participation in Council meetings, and are required under Section 60 of the Local Government Act 2020.

From September 2022, a change to the Local Government Act 2020 permanently allows councils to conduct meetings online. This has prompted us to look at how virtual meetings take place and other minor changes to our Governance Rules.

Proposed changes 

Here were some of the key changes proposed for the Governance Rules:

>Chapter 2, Division 3, Agenda and Order of Business

 The proposed change is to move ‘Urgent Business’ to be considered as the first agenda item, move the public participation processes to be heard consecutively and prior to any consideration of petitions.

>Chapter 2, Division 4, Motions and Debate 

Amendment to calling for speakers to speak for or against an item, the wording will be ‘are there any speakers to the item’.

>Chapter 2, Division 4, Motions and Debate (Notice of Motion)  

The proposed changes in the Notice of Motion section are:

  • Notice of Motion to be lodged 14 days prior to a Council Meeting

  • Removal of numbering and maintaining a register

  • Adding a timeframe for when a Notice of Motion lapses.

>Chapter 2, Division 4, Motions and Debate (Introducing a Motion or an Amendment)

This section has been separated into two clauses: 

  • Moving a Motion

  • Moving an Amendment

This provides clarity between the two processes.

>Chapter 2, Division 9, Public Question Time

There are two proposed changes in this section:

  1. Additional wording has been added to mitigate repeat questions at the current or previous Council Meeting

  1. Where a public question includes a preamble to the question, the preamble will not be read out at the time of the Council Meeting. All councillors will receive full copies of public questions including the preamble.

>Chapter 2, Division 11, Voting, How Motion Determined

The proposed change is for Divisions to be automatically undertaken and recorded where the vote is not unanimous.

>Chapter 2, Division 11, Procedure for a Division

If the proposed change to ‘How Motion Determined’ is implemented this clause will be deleted.

>Chapter 2, Division 16, Physical and Remote Attendance

This is a new legislative requirement imposed on councils for the provision of remote/electronic attendance at Council meetings.

>Guidance Notes

Guidance notes have been added throughout the document to assist with the interpretation of rules.


There have also been various small amendments throughout the document such as grammar, formatting, consistency with numbering and other edits to text. The document has also deleted the use of gender specific terminology and included gender neutral language.

Consultation closed on 21 November.

Thank you for your feedback. Council is considering your submissions. A final decision will be made at a meeting of Council.

Background

We invited the community to provide feedback on the proposed changes to Governance Rules.

Governance Rules tell us how decisions are to be made, how to conduct Council meetings, and ensure Councils deal with matters transparently and effectively.

They guide Council meeting procedures, voting processes, debate, the election of the mayor and deputy mayor, and community participation in Council meetings, and are required under Section 60 of the Local Government Act 2020.

From September 2022, a change to the Local Government Act 2020 permanently allows councils to conduct meetings online. This has prompted us to look at how virtual meetings take place and other minor changes to our Governance Rules.

Proposed changes 

Here were some of the key changes proposed for the Governance Rules:

>Chapter 2, Division 3, Agenda and Order of Business

 The proposed change is to move ‘Urgent Business’ to be considered as the first agenda item, move the public participation processes to be heard consecutively and prior to any consideration of petitions.

>Chapter 2, Division 4, Motions and Debate 

Amendment to calling for speakers to speak for or against an item, the wording will be ‘are there any speakers to the item’.

>Chapter 2, Division 4, Motions and Debate (Notice of Motion)  

The proposed changes in the Notice of Motion section are:

  • Notice of Motion to be lodged 14 days prior to a Council Meeting

  • Removal of numbering and maintaining a register

  • Adding a timeframe for when a Notice of Motion lapses.

>Chapter 2, Division 4, Motions and Debate (Introducing a Motion or an Amendment)

This section has been separated into two clauses: 

  • Moving a Motion

  • Moving an Amendment

This provides clarity between the two processes.

>Chapter 2, Division 9, Public Question Time

There are two proposed changes in this section:

  1. Additional wording has been added to mitigate repeat questions at the current or previous Council Meeting

  1. Where a public question includes a preamble to the question, the preamble will not be read out at the time of the Council Meeting. All councillors will receive full copies of public questions including the preamble.

>Chapter 2, Division 11, Voting, How Motion Determined

The proposed change is for Divisions to be automatically undertaken and recorded where the vote is not unanimous.

>Chapter 2, Division 11, Procedure for a Division

If the proposed change to ‘How Motion Determined’ is implemented this clause will be deleted.

>Chapter 2, Division 16, Physical and Remote Attendance

This is a new legislative requirement imposed on councils for the provision of remote/electronic attendance at Council meetings.

>Guidance Notes

Guidance notes have been added throughout the document to assist with the interpretation of rules.


There have also been various small amendments throughout the document such as grammar, formatting, consistency with numbering and other edits to text. The document has also deleted the use of gender specific terminology and included gender neutral language.