News from tonight's council meeting - 20 March 2023

News from tonight's council meeting - 20 March 2023

Published on 20 March 2023

Salamanca Market Licence Agreement and Site Fee Valuation

A recommendation that a draft Salamanca Market Stallholder Licence Agreement be distributed to all licenced Salamanca stallholders and the Salamanca Market Stallholders Association for review and comment for a period of 30 days was endorsed by council.

This proposal would result in an average market site fee increase of $9.58 (excluding GST) per market day, with most stalls increasing by $8.76 (excluding GST) per market day for each year of the agreement. CPI increases will not be applied until mid 2024.

Each stallholder will receive a personalised letter from the City of Hobart detailing how any proposed increase will impact their individual site fees.

The consultation period with stallholders commences on 27 March and closes on 26 April 2023. All submissions received by the city will be presented to elected members for consideration at the 22 May council meeting.

Council also agreed to a review of costs of managing and operating the market to look for any savings opportunities. There was also agreement to explore alternative funding sources.

New registers to be established to improve transparency

A recommendation for the establishment of an Elected Member Public Interest Register was endorsed.

Additionally, a recommendation for the establishment of a Property Developer Contact Register Policy was also endorsed. Both draft council policies will be developed for consideration by Council at the April 2023 meeting.

New flag policy allows for recognition of multicultural communities

To coincide with Harmony Week, the council unanimously agreed to adopt a Flag Management Policy to establish guidelines for the flying of flags at Council’s flagpole sites. This will allow for multicultural communities to request flags be flown to recognise national days or in the event natural disaster in that nation.

Within this policy Council also resolved to permanently fly the Aboriginal flag at the front of Town Hall alongside the Australian national flag.

Strategic Priorities and Annual Plan Progress Report

A progress report for the City of Hobart’s Strategic Priorities and the 2022-23 Annual Plan for the period ended 31 December 2022 was endorsed by council. It showed 88.6 per cent of major actions and initiatives are underway. Some of the major actions underway include:

Progressing introduction of electric and hybrid vehicle options for the City’s fleet. Commenced delivery of the “Sparking Conversations, Igniting Action” project to educate the community of the risk of and mitigation works required to survive in a bushfire. Conducting an accessible footpath audit. Council makes submissions on state policy and projects

Two submissions providing Council input on state government issues and projects were approved including:

Council’s draft submission to the Tasmanian Government’s Population Strategy refresh consultation paper was approved with amendments, which highlights the City of Hobart’s population forecast and identifies a range of priorities including managing population growth in a way that maintains or improves liveability and supporting those wishing to have children given the recent growth of young adults in Hobart.

A draft submission to the Parliamentary Standing Committee of Public Accounts Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s process into a new sporting and event stadium in Hobart was also endorsed by council. The council noted the Lord Mayor and other representatives have been invited to attend the public hearing and the council may also wish to nominate other elected members to attend.

Hobart to take heritage motion to Australian Local Government Association

A recommendation that the council submit the following motion at the Australian Local Government Association’s National General Assembly to “call upon the Australian Government to develop a National Heritage Design Guide to support local governments to encourage conservation for the reuse and repurpose of heritage buildings for commercial and residential use, to adapt to a changing climate, and to be more sustainable and future-ready” was carried unanimously by council.