At last week’s City of Wanneroo’s Electors AGM, three residents presented 24 different motions for the council to consider.
Sabine Winton, from Nowergup, presented 15 motions. Her first motion was for the meeting to be suspended and reconvened at a date such that no time limits were placed on the presentation and voting on motions presented by electors.
Mayor Tracey Roberts ruled the motion out of order.
Of the next 14 motions Ms Winton presented, five were lost in a tight vote count. Each of these lost motions related to extractive industries and/or activities at Lot 52 Nowergup Road, Nowergup.
In one of the highest attended and longest Electors AGMs held at the City of Wanneroo for over ten years, with nearly forty people in attendance, most interest related to the alleged unapproved activities at Lot 52 Nowergup Road.
Ms Winton told the meeting that the RMS Heavy truck training facilities were unapproved, noisy and dusty; and the owners should be prosecuted.
Merryn Richards, from Richards Mining Services told the meeting that they had not received one complaint from any residents and had been informed by the landowner, who they leased the land from, was approved for their business activity.
RMS asked the council to allow them to remain at the Nowergup property until March 2012, so they could relocate in a timely fashion Ms Richards told the Sun City News: “The relocation of the quarry comes at a significant cost to RMS and one that was neither anticipated nor budgeted for. It is expected this relocation will cost us in the vicinity of approximately 100k.”
Two Rocks resident, Martina Thomas, presented eight motions for consideration. The motions related to an audit of the 1999 MOU between the City of Wanneroo, State Government, Federal Government and Tokyu Corporation, and in particular the upgrade of the Two Rocks marina; the upgrade of the Two Rocks Shopping Centre; and, the provision of 1000 local jobs.
Ms Thomas’ other motions related to the Yanchep Two Rocks security and ranger patrols; verge clean ups; mandatory sand and dust controls; local water issues; and, bus stop shelters. All Ms Thomas’ motions were carried.
Ms Lindsay from Nowergup, presented a motion requesting the council to hold the Annual Electors meetings on a separate night from any council briefings or meetings. The motion was lost 15-16.
At the City of Wanneroo’s last council meeting for the year, the council considered a report related to all the motions presented at the Electors AGM.
The report contained 17 different recommendations. Sixteen of the recommendation were to note certain actions with one recommendation instructing RMS they had to cease their business operation at Lot 52 Nowergup Road, by 12noon, Friday, 2nd March, 2012.
The council agreed to put some of the issues raised into the 2012/2013 budget considerations, or provide a report to council by mid 2012.
During question time at last week’s council meeting, a RMS representative said: “RMS had been portrayed both in the media and at council meetings as a company that blatantly ignores our responsibilities, is money driven and conducts our operations in an unsafe manner.
“A perception that was not only offensive to us but one that was untrue and needed to be defended. The fact that RMS personally was communicated to by the council for the first time, only six weeks ago, gives reason as to why it is feasible that an operation of our size requires a bit more time to relocate.”
The Gibbs Road area, was at one time, consider to be part of a ‘Rural Way Trail’.
Many of the local residents who were driving the trail idea, some years ago, have moved on and the idea seems to have been lost at the back of the bookshelf. Not all residents on the proposed trail could not come to an agreement on an acceptable position.
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