VPRS 8910 Minute Books of Council Meetings

This series consists of volumes containing the minutes of meetings of the Council of the City of Melbourne (VA 511). The volumes constitute the official "original set" of minutes which have been created since 1842 in accordance with the Melbourne Incorporation Act (6 Vic, No.7) and its subsequent amendments.The legislation required that for each meeting of Council, minutes of all proceedings be recorded including the names of all councillors present, all who vote in a decision for or against a motion and, since 1982, reports of committees appointed by the Council to manage various aspects of its operations such as finance, public works and health are included. Separate volumes for these reports were maintained to 1933 (refer to VPRS 3103 MCC Committee Reports). The minutes of the previous meeting must be confirmed at the subsequent meeting, and signed by the Lord Mayor and Town Clerk or Chief Executive Officer.The minutes relate to a range of activities for which the council is, or has been, responsible including building, health, licensed vehicles, rates, property valuation, Lord Mayor's Fund etc.After 1982 these volumes contain complete copies of papers presented to the meeting. Printed papers such as By-Laws began appearing as attachments in 1915 and statement of accounts began appearing as an attachment in 1940.The minutes were handwritten from 1842 to February 1916.