AHEAD of the November election, bayside councils have teamed up to demand that the state governement spend more money to fix potholes on Nepean Highway. Kingston and Bayside Councils have joined forces to call for urgent intervention on potholes and deteriorating road surfaces across the two municipalities. Nepean Highway has been highlighted as an area of particular concern. Kingston mayor Georgina Oxley said that residents “should not have to put up with deteriorating state roads.” “Our residents shouldn’t have to dodge potholes on the way to work, school or home,” Cr Oxley said. “Councils invest heavily in maintaining the roads…
Author: Brodie Cowburn
KINGSTON Council will refer invoices submitted by the state government-appointed municipal monitors for independent auditing, with a referral to the Local Government Inspectorate and Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission to follow. Kingston Council has been overseen by monitors for close to a year. Monitor John Tanner arrived at council last August, followed by John Watson in October. Last week Kingston Council confirmed that it had discovered “administrative errors” in invoices submitted by John Tanner. Among the points of concern were that Tanner had invoiced council for work undertaken on 30 February and 31 February, dates that do not exist. At their…
KINGSTON Council estimates that its ratepayers are paying for nearly $7 million in responsibilities passed on to councils by the state government. Earlier this year, Kingston Council officers began work on a report outlining instances of “cost shifting from the Victorian State Government to the City of Kingston.” The report, published last week, revealed that “more than $6.8 million of known costs have been shifted from the state government to council and are now embedded within the existing budget.” “In addition, proposed policy changes by state government could result in a further $6.8 million in estimated annual ongoing costs. This…
“ADMINISTRATIVE errors” in ratepayer-funded payments made to a Kingston Council monitor are being worked on by council officers. Kingston Council being overseen by two state government-appointed monitors. Earlier this month it was reported that monitor John Tanner had invoiced council for work on the non-existent dates of 30 February and 31 February. Those invoices were paid by council in June. In a statement last week, Kingston Council confirmed that the errors were made and were being corrected. “Council is working with Mr Tanner to correct three minor administrative errors that were made in an invoice submitted in his statutorily appointed…
A PLAN to introduce more bees into Frankston’s green spaces is being formed. Last week, Frankston Council approved a proposal to begin work on a “Frankston Pollinator Action Plan”. The plan is expected to consider the establishment of “a targeted pollinator corridor” linking Langwarrin Flora and Fauna Reserve to the Frankston Metropolitan Activity Centre and foreshore. Cr Emily Green, who raised the proposal for the Frankston Pollinator Action Plan, said that a pollinator corridor is “a network of connected green spaces planted with native flowering plants. These corridors help bees, butterflies, birds, and other pollinators move safely through the landscape…