Council Meetings and Committees


All residents and ratepayers are welcome to attend a Council Meeting and familiarise themselves with the way Council makes decisions. 

 

Political Donations

NSW Government Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP)

Task Groups


 

Council ChambersBusiness Papers and Minutes

Currently some items and attachments can only be published on this website at a low resolution. If this does not meet your requirements or if you experience difficulty viewing a particular item or attachment contact The Hills Shire Council's Public Officer on +61 2 9843 0555 or email council@thehills.nsw.gov.au 

All Business Papers, Minutes of Council and Committee Meetings are available to the public. Copies of the minutes from each meeting are available from this website on the Friday after the meeting or from Council's Customer Service Centres on the following Monday after the meeting. Please note that these minutes have yet to be adopted by Council.

 

Click on the following links to access the latest and archived Business Papers and Minutes for each meeting:

 


Ordinary Council Meetings

Each ordinary Council meeting follows an order of business. The Mayor opens the meeting, the National Anthem is sung and issues carried over from prior meetings are addressed. Matters are then raised for discussion from the agenda (this is also called the Business Paper). Prior to the Business Paper being discussed, a 'Community Forum' allows members of the gallery an opportunity to ask questions on any topic not related to an item on the Business Paper that evening. 30 minutes is allocated for the 'Community Forum' with a limit of five minutes for each speaker.

The Business Paper outlines what will be covered at each meeting and is available from each Shire library and on this website on the weekend before each meeting. A copy is also available from the Customer Service Centre on the Monday before each meeting.

To find out what will be covered at a Council Meeting you can also call Council's Agenda line on +61 2 9843 0130. This service lists all items to be considered at the next Council or Committee Meeting.

During a Council meeting, people interested in a matter sometimes address Council - always on application and at the Mayor's discretion. The Councillors then discuss the matter and either vote or defer it. A formal counting of votes is occasionally called for especially with a close vote. If three Councillors disagree with a decision they are able to lodge a "rescission motion". This can happen during the meeting or within 24 hours of the decision being made. This rescission motion means that the original decision does not stand and the matter must be reconsidered at the next Council Meeting.

 

 

After consideration of all matters on the agenda, Councillors may ask "Questions Without Notice."

Community Forum & Councillors' Questions Without Notice Responses 2013

 


Extraordinary Council Meetings

Occasionally Council holds extraordinary meetings. These are Council meetings held outside the normal meeting cycle most often to consider matters of an urgent nature.

 

 


 

Development Assessment Unit Meetings

This is a staff committee to deal with applications which attract some concern but generally can be controlled by conditions. The meeting is held on a Tuesday and is not a public meeting. All Councillors receive a copy of the weekly DAU agenda and can have any matter referred to Council for consideration by giving notice by 5pm the following Wednesday. Any decisions of the DAU are void if this occurs.

 

 


Local Traffic Committee Meetings:

Are open to all residents and ratepayers. Each meeting deals with matters concerning local roads in the Shire and includes:

  • Proposed closures;
  • Parking and traffic restrictions;
  • Traffic signals;
  • Traffic management plans;
  • Speed and load limits;
  • Location of bus stops. 

 

 


Audit Committee Meetings

The Audit Committee is an advisory committee to Council.  Its primary objective it to assist Council in the effective conduct of its responsibilities for financial reporting, risk management, maintaining internal control and promoting ethical development.  It also assists in the coordination of management, internal and external audit to achieve the organisation's objectives in a timely and effective manner.

 

 


Delegated Authority Meetings

Delegated Authority Meetings require a Resolution of Council to delegate to the Mayor and General Manager those authorities that would normally rest with the Council, subject to the limitations under Section 377 of the Local Government Act.  A Resolution of Council is passed during November to allow for two or three Delegated Authority Meetings to occur every year over the Christmas/New Year period, when Council is in recess.

 

 


 

Council Meetings Dates Schedule 2013

Delegated Authority Meeting - 11.00am

10 January 2013

24 January 2013 - CANCELLED

Ordinary Meetings of Council - 7.00pm


February March April

12 February 2013

26 February 2013

12 March 2013 

26 March 2013

9 April 2013

23 April 2013

May June July

14 May 2013

28 May 2013

11 June 2013

25 June 2013

9 July 2013

23 July 2013

August September October

13 August 2013 

27 August 2013

10 September 2013 

24 September 2013 

8 October 2013

22 October 2013 

November December

12 November 2013

26 November 2013

10 December 2013

 

Traffic Committee Meetings – 2.00pm Audit Committee Meetings – 7.00pm 

18 February 2013

18 March 2013

15 April 2013

20 May 2013

17 June 2013

15 July 2013

19 August 2013

16 September 2013

21 October 2013

18 November 2013

16 December 2013                              

4 April 2013

20 June 2013

22 August 2013

21 November 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Political Donations - Councillor Requirements


NSW Government Joint Regional Planning Panels

Development Applications determined by the Joint Regional Planning Panels include:

General development over $20 million
         
Development that has a capital investment value of more than $20 million.

         Council related development over $5 million
         
Development that has a capital investment value of more than $5 million if:
               (a) a council for the area in which the development is to be carried out is the applicant for development consent, or
               (b) the council is the owner of any land on which the development is to be carried out, or
               (c) the development is to be carried out by the council, or
               (d) the council is a party to any agreement or arrangement relating to the development (other than any agreement or arrangement entered into under the Act or for the purposes of the payment of contributions by
                     a person other than the council).

         Crown development over $5 million
         
Crown development that has a capital investment value of more than $5 million.

         Private infrastructure and community facilities over $5 million
         Development that has a capital investment value of more than $5 million for any of the following purposes:
         (a) air transport facilities, electricity generating works, port facilities, rail infrastructure facilities, road infrastructure facilities, sewerage systems, telecommunications facilities, waste or resource management
              facilities, water supply systems, or wharf or boating facilities,
         (b) affordable housing, child care centres, community facilities, correctional centres, educational establishments, group homes, health services facilities or places of public worship.

         Eco-tourist facilities over $5 million
         Development for the purpose of eco-tourist facilities that has a capital investment value of more than $5 million.

         Particular designated development
         Development for the purposes of:
         (a) extractive industries, which meet the requirements for designated development under clause 19 of Schedule 3 to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000, or
         (b) marinas or other related land and water shoreline facilities, which meet the requirements for designated development under clause 23 of Schedule 3 to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000, or
         (c) waste management facilities or works, which meet the requirements for designated development under clause 32 of Schedule 3 to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000.

         Coastal subdivision
         Development within the coastal zone for the purposes of subdivision of the following kind:
         (a) subdivision of land for any purpose into more than 100 lots, if more than 100 of the lots will not be connected to an approved sewage treatment work or system,
         (b) subdivision of land for residential purposes into more than 100 lots, if the land:
                (i) is not in the metropolitan coastal zone, or
                (ii) is wholly or partly in a sensitive coastal location,
         (c) subdivision of land for rural-residential purposes into more than 25 lots, if the land:
               (i) is not in the metropolitan coastal zone, or
               (ii) is wholly or partly in a sensitive coastal location.

The following Development Applications are to be determined by the NSW Government Joint Regional Planning Panel Sydney West Region. A copy of the meeting agenda and associated reports can be downloaded at www.jrpp.nsw.gov.au.

 
Current Reports and Agendas
 
 

Archive of Minutes, Agendas and Reports

 

Task Groups

Council from time to time establishes specific Task Groups to research and report on specific tasks. Currently these are:

  • Sports Field and Open Space Management Task Group
  • Waste and Resource Recovery Task Group

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