By Ruza Zivkusic
BRIMBANK Council has performed a backflip on a motion put by councillor Miles Dymott and approved at last week’s meeting.
Cr Dymott asked members to waive fees for charity organisations putting up food stalls and, despite hesitant councillors approving the idea, he will have to put forward the motion again at the next council meeting.
Cr Dymott said he received an email last Thursday from the council’s CEO Marilyn Duncan, advising him that a councillor, who she would not name, put in a rescission motion on Wednesday afternoon.
Brimbank mayor Natalie Suleyman interrupted Cr Dymott – who read his motion twice during the meeting – and suggested a detailed report of costs would be needed before councillors could approve the motion.
Members in the public gallery described the mayor’s interjection, made only moments before councillors were asked to vote, as “sending signals to councillors”.
Cr Dymott was disappointed that one councillor believed that the charity community should continue paying a fee.
“I just feel that it’s a ridiculous fee, it shouldn’t have been implemented,” Cr Dymott said.
“Community groups decide to go out on their own time and volunteer, they try to raise a little bit of money and the first 50 dollars goes to the council.
“The council shouldn’t be relying on fees from volunteer groups in order to operate,” he said.
Fellow councillor Sam David said he believed the mayor was “too quick in putting the motion through”.
He said some councillors voted without knowing what they actually wanted.
“I agree with Cr Suleyman that it would have been a great idea if we had discussed it before.
“It happened so fast that no one had the chance to digest what it was all about,” Cr David said.
He said he believed there was nothing wrong with having the rescission motion put in.
“We decided many times on wrong things before, but we went back and corrected it. That’s what we’re there for, not to just spark a decision in the spare moment.”
Cr Dymott said he was hopeful that the right decision of the motion would be undertaken at the next meeting.
“It’s just common sense that council should be more community minded and not impose that fee on groups.”
