Updating our Governance Rules

We're updating our Governance Rules, including our Election Period Policy, in preparation for the 26 October local government elections.

These changes will ensure that both Council officers and Councillors:

• comply with their requirements under the Local Government Act
• undertake decision-making in the best interests of the Manningham community.
  

What are these documents?

Our Governance Rules set out the processes and procedures for:

• Council decision-making
• Council meetings
• Petitions to Council
• How members of the public can ask questions at Council meetings.

Our Election Period Policy provides guidance to Council officers and Councillors in the lead-up to and during the election period.

What are the key changes?

• Replace the ‘Opening prayer, Acknowledgement of Country and Statement of Diverse Backgrounds and Cultures’ with ‘Welcome’ under ‘Order of Business’.
• Change the number of Councillors required to move a Notice of Motion from one (1) Councillor to two (2) Councillors.
  
• Empower the Chair to disallow a question during Public Question Time, if the question differs to the written question submitted before the Council meeting.
  
• Increase the number of signatories of a petition from one signatory to five written, or 10 online signatories.
• Include a formal commitment to providing a written response to the lead petitioner for any petition tabled at a Council meeting. Include a recommendation that this written response be presented at the next Council meeting.

The draft Governance Rules have been prepared in accordance with section 60 of the Local Government Act 2020.

If you have any questions about this project, contact us by calling 9840 9333 or emailing manningham@manningham.vic.gov.au