A PANDEMIC and recession hasn’t stopped Frankston councillors from approving a pay rise for their CEO. Behind closed doors at their 31 August meeting, councillors endorsed a recommendation for CEO Phil Cantillon to receive a 3 per cent pay increase. Frankston mayor Sandra Mayer said “this decision was about securing the knowledge, capability, and leadership that Frankston City Council residents need and deserve, particularly during and beyond COVID-19.” “The committee undertook extensive benchmarking prior to making the recommendation and determined that Mr Cantillon’s annual salary was noticeably lower than the industry standard,” she said. “As outlined in the public…
Author: Brodie Cowburn
A PROPOSAL to allow people over the age of 50 to reside permanently at the notorious Ambassador Hotel has not been approved by Frankston Council, but discussions are set to continue. The permit in place at the hotel reads that “the owner covenants and agrees that no dwelling allowed by the permit on the land will be used as a principal place of residence, without the further written consent of council”. The owners at the hotel sought to amend that to read “‘the owner covenants and agrees that no dwelling on the land will accommodate persons who are under the…
KINGSTON councillors have expressed an interest in leasing the Kingswood site at Dingley Village to reopen the golf course. The Dingley Village site was purchased by Australian Super in 2014 for $125 million. The original proposal for the land, to subdivide it and build nearly 800 residential dwellings, did not proceed after Kingston Council voted to abandon the planning scheme amendment for rezoning in late 2018 (“Council tees off on golf course plans”, The News, 24/10/18). Golf is no longer played at the site, and its future remains unclear. At their 24 August meeting, Kingston councillors voted to write to…
FRANKSTON High School has been rezoned for 2021 enrolments. The school’s southern boundary for 2020 enrolments was along Humphries Road, while the northern boundary was bordered by Davey Street and the Frankston-Baxter Trail. For 2021 enrolments at the school, the boundaries have been changed. The southern boundary has moved up slightly, while the northern boundary has also moved further north past Fletcher Road and Beach Street. The eastern boundary has also moved inwards. Students who reside within a government school’s boundaries are guaranteed a place at that school. They may be enrolled at schools outside of their boundary, but will…
ALL street lighting in the Kingston area will be powered by renewable energy from next year. Kingston Council has signed a ten-year power purchase agreement with Procurement Australia and energy provider Alinta. Power in the area will be largely sourced from wind farms. Council does not currently use renewable energy for its street lighting. Kingston mayor Georgina Oxley said “from January 2021 our street lighting will be switched over to 100 per cent renewable power with our large building sites rolled over in July”. “This will mean at least 80 per cent of council’s electricity needs will be provided by…