Hume residents were left wondering if they would get answers to their 30 public questions that were skipped over at the latest council meeting.
During the 13 October council meeting, mayor Jarrod Bell deviated from the usual order of the agenda, moving public question time from the start of the meeting to the very last item.
Cr Bell noted the large agenda scheduled for the meeting, with none of the 30 questions received relating to the agenda. No residents who submitted a question were in the gallery as well.
“I’ll also reflect on the recent monitors report from Brimbank City Council which spoke to some of the challenges they were facing in terms of the distractions away from the proper business of council,” he said.
“I’m not saying these are unimportant. Public question time is an absolutely important part of our agenda.”
However, when councillor finished delaying with items on the open agenda paper, Cr Bell asked for a motion to close the meeting to handle confidential matters.
“If we do have time left on the agenda, we may reopen the meeting to the public to finalise a remaining item on the agenda,” he said in the meeting.
Two minutes later, the livestream of the council meeting ended.
Council confirmed the following day that all questions will be responded to and documented in full in the council meeting minutes.
“The large agenda of 18 reports and three notices of motion meant it was appropriate to ensure the work of council aligned to its role was prioritised,” a spokesperson said.
The spokesperson confirmed that this was to prioritise the business of council.
“All those who submitted questions will receive notice of their response – where they have provided a valid email address,”
Sonja and John Rutherford from the Broadmeadows Progress Association said they had never seen public question time skipped over.
“The questions and answers are not just for the people that asked, it’s also for the whole community,” Mrs Rutherford said.
“You get an idea of what are the issues that are going on around Hume.”
The minutes were published Thursday afternoon, 16 October on council’s website, with all 30 questions and their responses published.
