A SEEMINGLY routine motion to create a new committee of the Derwent Valley Council had a strange result at last month's council meeting. General manager Stephen Mackey had presented a detailed six-page report which recommended granting Special Committee status to the New Norfolk Business Alliance. The Business Alliance is a body of central business district ratepayers elected to manage the proceeds of a promotional levy collected from the CBD. The group had recently sought to become a "Special Committee" under the Local Government Act in order to give the Business Alliance a legal status which it has previously lacked.
Councillor Jim Elliott was first to speak, and as a former member of the Business Alliance he may have been expected to vote in favour of its request. Instead, he asked that debate on the matter be shifted to a workshop, before going on to say management of the levy funds was "comfortably bedded where it is at Valley Vision." A business owner and Valley Vision board member, Cr Elliott continued: "I don't see why it should be moved to a group that doesn't have good representation." The majority of councillors agreed with Cr Elliott's request to discuss the matter in a workshop, which was held last Thursday behind closed doors in the council social room. Councillors Judy Bromfield and Narelle Molan voted against the manoeuvre.
No councillor asked why the general manager's report had not mentioned that management of the Business Alliance funds was now in the hands of Valley Vision. Similarly, no explanation was given as to how Valley Vision had gained control of the Business Alliance funds. Watch this space.
The Business Alliance committee are levy payers democratically elected by the rest of the levy payers of New Norfolk. I cannot understand why the funds should be taken out of the hands of the levy payers and given to Valley Vision - explanations please - this does not make sense!
ReplyDeleteI agree entirely with the comments of R Chapman. The new Business Alliance Committee was elected democratically by levy payers and represents a range of businesses in the New Norfolk CBD. This committee spent considerable time and effort drafting 'Terms of Reference' and 'Recommendations' to Council to ensure that this and future BA Committees would operate in an accountable and responsible manner to levy payers and to Council. Levy payers are entitled to ask those Councillors who believe management of levy monies should be now handed to Valley Vision for an explanation.
ReplyDeleteM Bennett
Just a thought on the Business Alliance shenanigans - does Councillor Elliott have a conflict of interest as the past convenor of the Business Alliance who, without gaining ratepayer's approval, gave the Alliance to that fiscal black hole, Valley Vision?
ReplyDelete