WHY are Ku-ring-gai Council Meetings so long?

The last two Council meetings held by Ku-ring-gai Council have had an extraordinarily long duration. July was five hours and twenty minutes and August wasn’t much better with a duration of just short of four hours. 

As The Post has limited resources it’s an arduous task to sit and watch these meetings and attending in person is out of the question with the July meeting concluding just shy of midnight.

So why are the meetings so long, what are they talking about? Social media is abuzz with these questions and more - are Councillors, staff and administration paid overtime for this?

Councillors are not paid overtime for this as they receive a set stipend for their services on Council, however it is unclear if other staff in attendance are paid. The Post will follow up on this question.

As for what the meetings are about… It does appear that some Councillors use this time to grandstand and question the integrity of fellow Councillors and frankly, it’s a huge turn off for anyone considering a role on Ku-ring-gai Council.

There was a lengthy discussion led by Cr Christine Kay about the Women’s Advisory Committee. Unhappy that the number of committee members had been reduced to 10 from 15, Cr Kay questioned fellow Councillors about why they changed their minds over the Terms of Reference for this committee from one meeting to the next.

Given that the role of the committee is to “provide advice, advocate and raise awareness of issues that affect women in Ku-ring-gai, promoting local networks, activities and events that celebrate women in the community”, Cr Barbara Ward asked Cr Christine Kay how much assistance has actually been given to two new Councillors (being herself and Cr Wheatley) when coming into Councillor roles for the first time. 

Cr Kay responded stating it’s not her responsibility to assist new female Councillors, this just relates to the ‘greater community… it’s up to the individual Councillors to ask for help”. This makes one wonder why they would even want a ‘Women’s Advisory Committee’ if some Councillors aren’t themselves living and breathing the same values.

Two topics that took great focus during the August Council meeting included the discussion around the park bench which has seen much attention in the media. The ‘rainbow bench’ on the corner of Mariana Close, St Ives, has polarised St Ives and there has been a public outcry for common sense to prevail. Many loved the sense of community the bench created with people stopping to chat and spend time together in lockdown, whilst others saw the bench as a nuisance creating a ‘meeting point’ where rubbish would be left and noise upset the neighbouring residents. The council resolved to a trial period of six months.

Finally, there was a big discussion about finances. How can the Council save money or generate an additional income, it’s hard without selling assets. Cr Ngai wanted to explore the option of ‘the big 4’ or a former GM coming into Council to explore and advise on this topic.

4 Pennant Parade, Gordon, has been the topic of much discussion. The site of the former Gordon Bowling Club is a valuable Council asset which potentially could be repurposed into a multifunctional public open space and community facility as it is already in Council’s ownership; it is a large site of about 1.12 hectares. However, locals are opposed to Council’s earlier suggestions to change the land from ‘Community’ to ‘Operational’ and for now, this is still an open space for the community to enjoy.

It does appear that much of the consternation could surely be addressed before convening at these meetings. Don't Councillors talking about issues outside of these meetings?

Willoughby Council meetings tend to run between 1.5 hours to 2.5 hours which seems standard. Hornsby Shire Council has had unusually long meetings of late with so much on the agenda including the Hornsby Town Centre Masterplan, the car parking issues at Brooklyn - where the room was filled to the maximum with local residents.

On the flipside it is great to see the community so engaged with Council and wanting to know more about what’s happening and planned for their communities.

However, Ku-ring-gai seems to have the highest average duration for Council meetings across the North Shore with at least 3 hours being the norm. 

The public can view the Council’s meetings on the livestream or at a later date, which is a huge help as there is … a fast-forward button! We welcome your views on this topic. Editor@hkpost.com.au