Merri-bek BUG

Hume City Council is helping to facilitate the establishment of a Hume Community BUG.

The BUG will organise rides and social events, campaign and advocate for cyclists needs, and work to improve the local cycling network and generally promote cycling in the community. It is also a great way to meet other cyclists and make new friendships

The inaugural meeting of the Hume BUG will take place:

7pm, Wednesday 11th November 2009

Hume Global Learning Centre, 1079 Pascoe Vale Road, Broadmeadows (opposite the Broadmeadows train station)

A light dinner and refreshments will be served (please RSVP for catering purposes).

For more info and to RSVP, please email: cycling@hume.vic.gov.au

Just a reminder that the Moreland BUG’s annual general meeting is scheduled for this Thursday night (October 22nd, 2009) at the Edinburgh Castle Hotel (cnr Albion St & Sydney Rd) at 7pm.

The agenda for the Annual General Meeting will be:

1. Confirm minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting
2. Presentation of financial statements by the Committee, detailing the transactions of the Group in the preceding financial year
3. Elect the next Committee of Management
4. Receive and consider the statement submitted by the Group in accordance with the section 30(3) of the Association Incorporation Act (1981), covering details such as income and expenditure in its last financial year and assets and liabilities at the end of its last financial year
5. Enact any other business for which required notice has been given in writing to the Secretary
6. Set membership fees for the following year
7. Appoint an auditor of the financial records for the ensuing year

We have entertainment lined up and snacks will be provided on the
evening so please put the AGM down in your diary and we’ll see you all
there!

Dear all,

The Moreland BUG’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Thursday 22nd October 2009, in place of our normal monthly meeting. One of the purposes of the meeting is to elect a committee of management for the next year. I invite and encourage all BUG members (which includes all subscribers to this email list) to consider nominating for a position on the BUG committee.

As someone who has held a role on the Committee since its inception, I can recommend it as a great way to be active in a fantastic community group, and to contribute to better outcomes for cyclists in the City of Moreland and beyond.

The following positions are open for nomination:
* Convenor
* Deputy Convenor
* Secretary
* Treasurer
* 3 x Ordinary Members

For a description of the roles and duties associated with each position, please contact Phuong (secretary@morelandbug.rog) for a copy of the Bicycle User Group’s Constitution.

Nominations must be made in writing to the Secretary (Phuong Le) by 15th October, and must be signed by at least 2 other members of the BUG. The nomination form is attached to this email. Please send nominations to:

The Secretary, Moreland BUG
C/- PO Box 518
Brunswick 3056

Scanned copies may also be emailed to Phuong secretary@morelandbug.org

I would like to announce that I will not be standing for the role of Convenor for the next term. Serving in this role for the past four years has been a great pleasure for me – I’ve learnt an awful lot and have been lucky to work alongside fabulous people both within and outside the BUG. I feel it’s time for someone else to have this opportunity, and I hope there will be a bunch of nominees for the position. I’d like to point out that it is possible to share the position too, so if you’re interested in nominating but feel you would like some extra support or somebody to share the workload, consider making a joint nomination with another member.

I also note that Geoff Lewis will not be standing for the position of Treasurer this year – the BUG sincerely thanks Geoff for his years of great work in this role.

I look forward to seeing the nominations roll in…

Anna

Just a quick reminder that the Moreland Bicycle User Group meeting is on this Thursday (tomorrow) from 7:30pm to 9pm. We will meet at the Edinburgh Castle Hotel in their small room out the back, through the courtyard.

Current agenda items include:

– Annual General Meeting in October (next month)!
– Council report-back
– Bicycle Advisory Committee report-back
– Sydney Road clearways bike path campaign update
– Anstey Station campaign update

If you have any agenda items to add to the list or would like to send your apologies, please email Phuong.

This month’s Moreland BUG meeting is scheduled for Thursday 27th August.

The BUG Committee meeting starts at 6:30pm and finishes at 7:30pm. The regular BUG meeting will start at 7:30pm and conclude at 9pm.

We will be meeting at the Edinburgh Castle Hotel, in their small room through the courtyard.

The agenda includes:

• Sydney Road bike lanes campaign
• Anstey Station update
• report back from the Bicycle Advisory Committee’s first meeting
• upcoming Annual General Meeting
• Moreland Council update
• Ride to Work Day, activities and call for volunteers

Some good news:

On 8th July the Moreland Council adopted the 2009/10 budget with the proposed $820,000 spend on cycling intact. BUG is extremely pleased to see an increased expenditure compared to last year’s reported spend of $711,000, particularly given that this increase was approved in a tough economic climate and in a budget where rate increases were reduced significantly.

I think this great outcome is testament to the strength of the ever-growing cycling community in Moreland. The BUG will be working hard to make sure the cycling spend continues to grow over the coming years, to help Moreland realise its full potential as a cycling paradise!

The breakdown of expenditure allocated specifically to cycling in the 2009-10 budget is:

– Bike Strategy $15,000
– Bike paths concrete $690,000
– Bicycle structures $30,000
– Onroads bicycle paths $85,000

Thanks and congratulations to all those who contacted Councillors during this year’s budget campaign; anyone who feels like a celebratory beer or OJ can join the crew at the July BUG meeting next Thursday (23rd July, Edinburgh Castle Hotel, Bruns from 7:30pm)

The Moreland Bicycle User Group is due to meet this Thursday 25th June 2009.

It’s been brought to my attention that this month’s BUG meeting coincides with the Council Budget submissions hearing, which will be held at Coburg Civic Centre from 6pm, Thurs 25th June.

So the committee has decided that we will not hold a formal BUG meeting this month, but that instead we will encourage as many people as possible to come along to the submissions hearing. Even if you don’t wish to speak, it’s great to have a good strong show of cyclists there – it shows councillors that there is a big and active cycling community in Moreland.

Afterwards, those who are keen can head to a nearby pub or restaurant for an informal meeting/bikechat.

If you do plan on making a verbal submission to Council on the night, make sure you register with Derek Madden of Council beforehand.

Happy winter riding,
Anna

Moreland Council will be holding a special meeting on the evening of Thursday 25th June to accept verbal submissions and comments on their draft 2009/10 budget. Come and support the increase to the budget for cycling facilities in Moreland. Put it in your diaries!

————————–
Moreland Council 2009/10 budget verbal submission:
commencing at 6 pm
on Thursday 25 June 2009
at the Municipal offices, Bell Street Coburg
————————–

For more details of the budget, check the Moreland Council website.

See you there!

Below is a list of draft agenda items for this week’s Moreland Bicycle User Group meeting. I’m just waiting on people to confirm they can speak about the various topics and whether there is anything else to add to the list. If you have any issues you would like to raise at the meeting, feel free to email me at: secretary@morelandbug.org and I will add it to the agenda. If any items that might be of particular interest arise, I’ll let everyone know.

Moreland Bicycle User Group Monthly Meeting
7:30pm – 9:30pm
Thursday 26.03.09
Edinburgh Castle Hotel, Brunswick

DRAFT AGENDA:
1. Moreland Council update – Kylie?
2. Ride leaders for April
3. Finance report
4. Super Tuesday report-back
5. Sydney Road Street Party report-back
6. Budget campaign working group update
7. Anstey Station campaign update
8. O’hea Street update
9. Other items