Code of Meeting Practice Review
Published on 13 April 2022
Council proposes to amend its Code of Meeting Practice to incorporate the new mandatory provisions from the Office of Local Government’s Model Code of Meeting Practice, as well as some of the non-mandatory provisions, the most significant being the introduction of a Public Forum.
This is based on a firm point outlined in the Model Code that states: Public forums should not be held as part of a Council or Committee meeting. Council or Committee Meetings should be reserved for decision-making by the Council or Committee of Council.
It's recommended to implement a Public Forum separate to Council’s Ordinary Meeting to be held at 4.00pm on the day of the Ordinary Meeting, in line with the firm point outlined in the Model Code as stated above, this would allow for staff and Councillors to reflect on the information provided, and to seek clarification / answers to questions raised prior to the Ordinary Meeting.
The draft document will be on public exhibition from Friday 1 April 2022 to Thursday 12 May 2022 and is available to view on Council’s Documents on Exhibition website.
Submissions should be submitted via email to council@shoalhaven.nsw.gov.au or in writing to The CEO, Shoalhaven City Council, PO Box 42 Nowra, 2541. All submissions should quote Council reference 3798E and must be received in writing before 5pm Thursday 12 May 2022.
Please note that correspondence submitted to Council on this matter may be made available for public inspection without notifying the correspondent and submissions will be reported to Council for consideration prior to the adoption the final Code of Meeting Practice.
Enquiries should be directed the Senior Governance Officer on 1300 293 111