Horsham Rural City Council chief executive Sunil Bhalla has encouraged people to have their say on the council's proposed changes to council meeting rules.
It comes as a candidate running at October's council elections has expressed concerns around several measures contained in the draft rules.
The Local Government Act (2020), passed by the Victorian government in March, requires each council to adopt and apply governance rules that describe the way they will conduct council meetings and make decisions by September 1. Local Government Victoria says the aim is to improve democracy, accountability and service delivery.
Horsham councillors are set to consider the governance rules at the municipality's August 24 meeting.
In a statement on Friday, Mr Bhalla said: "As part of the implementation of the new Local Government Act, LGV (Local Government Victoria) has established a sector wide process to develop key governance policies.
"The governance rules are one example of using LGV's guidance material to develop as far as possible a consistent approach across Councils, and reflect contemporary practice.
"The policies are still in draft form. We encourage people interested to read them and have their say.
"Feedback is open until 5pm Wednesday 29 July 2020 and all submissions will be considered by Councillors before they make any formal decision."
Horsham council candidate Brian Basham said he was particularly concerned by the proposal that rescission motions can only be lodged by three councillors within 24 hours of a council meeting. It can currently be moved by a single councillor.
"What we are seeing in this current council is we know it has generally been votes of 5-2. Those motions would never get up, so they are being denied the opportunity to represent the community," Mr Basham said.
"The other thing it says under 22A it says (if the motion is lost) a similar motion must not be put before council for three months. What that means is... council staff could have already implemented whatever it is and it can't be undone.
Mr Basham also questioned why the chief executive would determine the appropriate way of electing the mayor as proposed in the draft rules.
"It says any nominations for mayor must be in writing in the prescribed form by the CEO and seconded by a councillors. That is contrary to what is written in governance by Local Government Victoria," he said.
Local Government Victoria's draft governance rules suggest only one councillor needs to provide a notice of rescission (Item 10.15).
The draft expenses policy
READ MORE:
The draft transparency changes
The draft governance changes
The council's summary of the key governance changes
RELATED:
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox twice weekly from the Wimmera Mail-Times. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from across the Wimmera, sign up below.
Alexander Darling
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
