Council Meeting Summary - 26 April 2023

Published on 02 May 2023

Council Meeting

Council held a meeting on 26 April 2023. The following is a summary of the outcomes from the meeting:

Matter of Urgency – Ryde Central update
Council will update the community about the status of the Ryde Central project through a media release and on Council’s website after numerous residents contacted Councillors.

Revised Ryde Civic Centre designs
Council recognised the long-established practice of seeking consultation when modifying a development consent per section 4.55 of the Environment Planning & Assessment Act. It further notes that Council projects are not exempt from this process.

Matter of urgency – West Ryde bus shelter
Council will investigate the opportunity to install bus shelters, including seating, on Ryedale Road outside West Ryde Train Station. It will also install rubbish bins to maintain cleanliness. Funding will be allocated from existing budgets and relevant State Government grants.

Connect Macquarie Park Innovation District: 2022-2023 funding
Council approved the financial contribution of $100,000 to Connect MPID from the Macquarie Park Special Levy in accordance with Section 256 of the Local Government Act 1993. It noted that Council staff will undertake a formal evaluation of Council’s membership with Connect MPID which will be included in any future requests for financial contributions to Connect MPID.

Mayoral Minute – 2023 NSW State Election
The Mayor will write to the Hon Chris Minns MP and congratulate the Labor government on the recent NSW State Election result and offer to work in collaboration with the new government. He will also send written congratulations to newly elected Ryde State Member Jordan Lane MP, and the re-elected State Member for Lane Cove, Anthony Roberts MP. Letters will also be sent to the former State Member for Ryde, the Hon Victor Dominello, thanking him for his long service to the local area and to all candidates for the state seats of Lane Cove and Ryde, thanking them for participating in the democratic process and for their work during the campaign.

Draft delivery programs
Council will place the Draft 2022-2026 Four Year Delivery program, Draft 2023-2033 Ten Year Long Term Financial Plan, Draft 2023-2024 One Year Operational Plan, and Draft 2023-2024 Fees and Charges on public exhibition between 1 May 2023 and 28 May 2023.

Councillor Expenses and Facilities Policy
Council will remove the component for Councillors to claim an expense allowance for attending the LGNSW conference, the National General Assembly of Local Government, and the 2023 Australian Council of Local Government in relation to registration, accommodation, travel, and all other expenses in relation to these conferences. The Councillor Expenses and Facilities Policy will be placed on public exhibition for 28 days.

Local Government conferences
City of Ryde Councillors will not attend the National General Assembly of Local Government and the Australian Council of Local Government being held in Canberra from Tuesday 13 June 2023 to Friday 16 June 2023. The CEO will nominate either himself or his delegates to attend these conferences.

Changes to Council through the COVID-19 pandemic
Council noted the report on the changes to its services and operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to innovate, provide flexibility, and increase value for the community without compromising standards.

Evaluation report – Taiwan Smart City Summit and Expo
Council noted the success of the international delegation visit to the Taiwan Smart City Summit and Expo in March 2023. It will pursue the potential benefits identified by the delegation, develop a strategy paper for Smart Cities, and seek opportunities for continued participation in the Taipei Smart City Expo and Net Zero Summit in 2024. Council expressed gratitude to staff for organising the successful delegation and will write to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) to express gratitude for the invitation and its assistance.

Plaque in honour of Michael Carozza
Council will donate a plaque in honour of City of Ryde resident Michael Carozza, a much-loved teacher and Ju-Jitsu instructor, who passed away at the age of 35. The plaque will be displayed at Charity Creeks Cascades in May 2023 with the ceremony, appropriate date and wording organised in collaboration with the Carozza family.

Memorial park bench for Anna Talarico
Council will donate and install a park bench in memory of Anna Talarico, a greatly missed mother of two little girls who passed away in May 2022 after a long and brave battle with cancer. Anna was a well-known member of the Ryde-Putney community and helped raise funds for cancer charities over many years.

North Ryde playground fence
Council will investigate the feasibility and cost of installing a fence at North Ryde playground, with a report to be presented at the July 2023 Council meeting.

Representation at regional external committees
Council noted that qualified and experienced staff attend the Bush Fire Management Committee and invites any interested Councillors to request meeting minutes and open discussions with relevant staff. To stay abreast of external meetings, interested Councillors should send a request to relevant staff and delegates.

Request for Council culture report
Council noted the sensitivity of employee minority group identification and believes this should not be public information. There were also concerns about individual privacy. Council recognised that the 30 June 2023 annual report process is being undertaken and should work towards adopting Environmental, Social and Governance reporting principles.

Fossil fuel investments
Council noted that City of Ryde staff use the entity Market Forces to validate its classes of investments into either fossil fuel of non-fossil fuel aligned institutions. As of 28 February 2023, Council had a total amount of $88.3 million invested in non-fossil fuel aligned financial institutions, which is 37.09% of its total investment portfolio. Council resolved that staff bring back as part of the next Investment Report details on how over 40 Councils in Australia have managed to divest their fossil fuel investments by 100%, the timeline of those divestments, an outline of why City of Ryde has stalled at 37.09% non-fossil fuel aligned investments, and an explanation of how Council uses Market Forces to validate its classes of investments.

Kayak storage
Council will investigate options for kayak storage for Meadowbank residents near Meadowbank wharf with a report, including costs, to be presented within three months.

Traffic and parking
Council endorsed the following Ryde Traffic Committee recommendations from the meeting held in March 2023:

  • Jarvis Circuit, Macquarie Park: A proposed parking restriction at 2 Jarvis Circuit will be reviewed further to minimise impact to the local community.
  • Waterview Street and Osborne Avenue roundabout, Putney: A 2.5m wide by 50m long shared path on the southern side of Waterview Street between Osborne Avenue and Regent Street will be constructed to complete the missing link along the existing shared path.
  • Lardelli Drive, Ryde: No changes to be made due to lack of community support.
  • Pearson Street, Gladesville: Two disabled parking spaces and one 1P parking space to be installed at the frontage of 3 and 5 Pearson Street.
  • Coxs Road, North Ryde: A 1.4m wide ‘Motorbikes Only’ parking zone will be installed adjacent to the frontage of 199 Coxs Road.
  • Gardeners Lane, West Ryde: ‘No Parking’ restrictions to be installed on Gardeners Lane between Victoria Road and Hay Street. ‘No Stopping’ restrictions to be installed at the intersection of Gardeners Lane and Hay Street.
  • Leonard Place, North Ryde: A ‘2P 8am-6pm Mon-Fri Authorised Permit Holders Excepted – Zone 3’ resident parking scheme to be installed on the northern side. Residents will be advised about the permit application process.
  • Sutherland Avenue, Ryde: A ‘No Stopping’ zone to be installed at the frontage of 6 and 8 Sutherland Avenue and 9A Thistle Street.
  • Ryedale Road, West Ryde: Parking bay line marking to be installed on Ryedale Road, Wattle Street, Herbert Street and Little Victoria Road.
  • Hermitage Road, West Ryde: A 10m length of ‘No Parking’ to be installed across the frontage of 62 Hermitage Road.

Urban Forest Strategy
Council will adopt the amended Urban Forest Strategy, dated 28 March 2023, prepared by Edge Environment. Staff will write to thank all residents who participated in the City of Ryde Urban Forest Strategy public exhibition and inform them of Council’s resolution.

Community Grants
Council endorsed funding for a number of organisations involved in the City of Ryde Community Grants, Round 1, 2023. Funding of $221,613 was awarded from the Community Grants budget, with unspent funding of $10,887 forwarded to Round 2.

Sourcing local contractors
Council will review its tendering processes to include a system that provides more information to tenderers to assist in responding to Council’s Request for Tenders with a positive weighting for local contractors.

Request for tender – advertising services panel
Council declines to accept all tenders and postpones or cancels the proposal for the contract because a decision to progress with appointment to a panel would fail to provide the required value for money on behalf of the community.

View the minutes of the Council meeting.