Douglas Shire Mayor Julia Leu will use her mayoral powers at Tuesday’s open session of Council to introduce a Mayoral Minute which will focus on Council’s position on crocodile management and rezoning of Four Mile Beach. This was not on the original agenda published on Friday afternoon. 

A Mayoral Minute overrides all business on the agenda for the meeting and the Mayor may move that the Minute be adopted without the motion being seconded.

And based on the on-going and heated debate regarding the threat/future of crocodiles in this area, this could be the liveliest Council meeting in recent times.

The outcome from Tuesday’s meeting will determine Council’s position which will be taken to a “CrocWise stakeholders roundtable discussion” in Cairns on Thursday being chaired by the state’s Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection, Dr Steven Miles, to which Mayor Leu has been invited.

The issue of reclassifying areas to a zone will be a sticking point as Councillor David Carey made it clear last week that he will not support any proposal to have Four Mile Beach rezoned in order to remove crocodiles passing through the area.

A new crocodile management plan was released by the Queensland Government last week which has the famous tourist beach classified in the same monitoring and education zone (Zone E) as the entire Douglas Shire.

It prompted Mayor Leu to declare it was time to act on the crocodile threat to Four Mile Beach for the sake of the local tourism industry.

“I fully support the Zone E classification for Douglas and will not support any proposal to remove crocodiles regardless of size, which are not displaying dangerous behaviour,” said Carey.

“I will be presenting arguments at Tuesday’s Council meeting in support of my position, which I consider represents the views of a large section of our community,” he said. 

Original Agenda: 10am Tuesday March 28, Council Chambers, Mossman *** Mayoral Minute – to be moved by the Mayor

1.  Negotiated decision lot reconfiguration 12-36 Alchera Drive, Mossman
   
   
2.  Proposed liquor licence Diwan eco b&b
3.  Proposed private rising sewer main through reserve land - lot 1 on sr840, Hope Street, Port Douglas
    
4. Registration of standard terms for trustee and freehold leases 
   
   
5. Proposed relocation of electronic scoreboard - AFL Crocs Port Douglas Sporting Complex
   
   
6. Financial report for the period ended 28 February 2017
   
   
7. Enhancing Great Barrier Reef regulations submission to EHP
   
   
8. Corporate sustainability general policy
   
   
9. Application for building our regions funding
   
   
10. Arts strategy and policy
    
    
11. Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) 2017-18 funding application
    
    
12. Amendments to the April and May 2017 ordinary council meetings
    
    
13. Reports from the office of the CEO for the period December 2016 - February 2017 

Agenda for closed session

1. Contractual matter s275 (1) (e) local government regulation 2012 - proposed land resumption and road opening - part of lot 8 sp243566 Crees Road Craiglie
2. Prejudicial matter s275 (1) (h) local government act 2009 - proposed relocation of the Port Douglas Commercial Fisherman's Association 

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