The continuing matter of locating a suitable site to relocate Paws & Claws animal refuge is causing a stir not only for Paws & Claws and the community,  but also within Council. 

In an ordinary meeting of Council on Tuesday  07/07/15 agenda  item  5.7 The Homeless Animal Society and Boarding Kennels Inc (Paws & Claws) Proposal for use of Trustee Land,  left Council expressing mixed opinions on the matter at hand.  There was laughter, applause and a Councillor leaving the Chambers over this contentious agenda item.

A detailed report was tabled. In the report, the recommendation is that Council resolve:

1. to facilitate the use of Lot 250 Crown Plan SR564 County of SOLANDER Parish of WHYANBEEL by the Homeless Animal Society and Boarding Kennels Inc (Paws and Claws) for the purpose of a homeless animal shelter and associated facilities; 

2. to consult the local community on the above proposal; 

3. that the potential lease or sale of the site to Paws and Claws for the above purpose is dependent upon Development Consent being obtained to the satisfaction of Paws and Claws and Council; 

4. to commission the preparation of the required environmental assessments (Suitability Statement) and Land Management Plan at Councilís cost, and that consideration be given to recovering the cost of these studies from Paws and Claws following issue of the Development Consent; 

5. that in due course a further report be brought back to Council detailing land tenure options for the site, and the associated costs; and 

6. to delegate authority to the Mayor and Chief Executive Officer in accordance with the Local Government Act 2009 to negotiate all matters relating to this recommendation, prior to submission of a further report on land tenure options to Council

Douglas Shire Council Meeting Recommendations

Before proceedings continued, CR Melchert voiced his concerns of a perceived conflict of interest and in light of this stated he intended to leave the chambers during the discussion on this item and did not intend voting on the matter.  Although the reasons for the conflict of interest were not given for the purposes of the minutes, CR Melchert did state that the conflict related to another Councillor.  He also stated he had received a signed petition from concerned residents which was handed to him late last night which he handed back to Cr Clarke before exiting the Chambers.

CR Noli stated if the conflict of interest relates to friendships, then we will all probably have to leave the chambers.  This response was met with a roar of laughter from the members of the gallery.

Mayor Julia Leu was adamant  that the conflict of interest could not relate to friendships otherwise a functioning local government and community would not exist and for this reason the exact conflict must be detailed for the purpose of the minutes. The Mayor firmly stated that  this is very clear in the Local Government Act and all the workshops that all Councillors have an opportunity to attend and also something that comes up regularly at conferences as well and it is something  that all Councillors need to be absolutely clear on, otherwise inadvertently they could also get themselves into ìhot waterî.

CR Carey stated he was disappointed with the report as he thought Paws & Claws was on track for a successful outcome with  the initial Killaloe site, however he  understood the protestations from the surrounding property owners.  CR Careyís concerns for the newly proposed site was that he is not convinced that the site will necessarily serve Paws & Claws needs in terms of their business plan and outcomes. He reiterated that he has supported Paws & Claws in its endeavours to seek another site and has taken on board the community feedback received from those that support Paws & Claws and those against this particular proposal. CR Carey is happy for Council to proceed with the tabled recommendations but expressed uncertainty over the results of the  investigations of the proposed site.

CR Clark, though not totally against the proposed new site,  pointed out that the advantages of the  transfer station site outweighed the disadvantages, in particular the cost as well as being a better building site because of the perfect foundations.  By following this up it would avoid  being subject to another saga of protests because the site has already been earmarked by the residents as the preferred site.  He did express concern about having to put Paws & Claws through that situation again with the proposed new site.  

Mayor Julia Leu stated the tabled report  was thorough and described the entire history since mid-last year as well as detailing all the pros and cons of different sites.  In the Council Media Release sent out on 30/06 it announced that  this was a possible new site subject to the Council report and community consultation. Mayor Julia pointed out that the decision not to proceed with the Killaloe site had been made by Paws & Claws and they had contacted Council regarding the proposed new site.

CR Noli also stated her continued support in trying to find a home for Paws & Claws and was happy to go ahead and vote for this recommendation.

CEO Linda Cardew said that going forward the Council would like to continue as Officers and be able to investigate the proposed site and to consult with the community and put forward the facts and continue to consult with Paws & Claws as part of the Councils community engagement process and to proceed with the investigations with assurance from Council that it will conduct itself in a way that is unbiased.

Finally the Mayor stated there will be a thorough community consultation process and she has made that very clear. She said that by supporting the tabled recommendations this  did not conclude or exclude any further investigations of the Killaloe site and that it is also important that Paws & Claws continue to consult with the Animal Welfare Society as it relied heavily on a potential grant of approximately $250,000.  The recommendations tabled were voted for and now the Council will move forward into the community consultation phase.

Michael Kerr President of the Homeless Animal Society and Boarding continues to be grateful for the support council is offering on this matter.  "It is the perception and fear the residents are protesting against that is causing the saga.  In particular the issue over the potential noise of the facility has caused the residence near the initial Killaloe site to be against it". 

Yet Michael said that none of the residents came to the current site to hear for themselves.  The fact that the current site is an open air site is not enough to support  this claim.  The purpose built new facility would be sound proof and would be potentially less noisy than if you lived in a residential area with neighbouring cats and dogs.  

When asked if he was ready for the new proposed site investigations and community consultations, there certainly was a hint of wearisomeness but definite determination toward a positive outcome.