Statement from CEO Mark Dixon on June council meeting

I thought it would be useful to respond to the operational concerns raised from our June council meeting.

The June meeting was a duly constituted meeting of the Wodonga City Council conducted in accordance with the Local Government Act 2020 and the council’s Governance Rules.  Section 61 of the Act provides for council meetings and determines that they are to be conducted in accordance with any Governance Rules adopted by the council, and otherwise conducted at the discretion of the council.

Importantly, further COVID legislation has amended the Act so that during the prescribed period ending April 27, 2022, council meetings can be held via live stream and councillor attendance is permitted by electronic means.  The council followed the requirements of the Act and its Governance Rules in the conduct of the June meeting.

Having sought formal legal advice and advice from Local Government Victoria, we remain very comfortable that the meeting was entirely legal, appropriate and COVID safe.  Most importantly, we overcame COVID restrictions and ensured that we met our community’s expectations in running a meeting where all entitled and elected councillors were able to participate and vote, in accordance with the Act. 

Mark Dixon Chief Executive Officer Wodonga Council