A new CEO for Alpine Shire, and more councillors stepping aside for a run at State Parliament..
Those developments lead this edition of the Local Government News Roundup.
Also today: two councils pushing for a new peri-regional status to unlock more funding opportunities; a controversial sale proposal to be decided by Hepburn Shire this week; a council sacked, a former CEO loses an unfair dismissal appeal and is ordered to pay costs; a councillor resigns over inappropriate use of social media; and a Council encounter of the marsupial kind!
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, your national broadcaster for all things local government.
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Transcript with links (where available):
Issue 141 LG News Roundup, 17th July 2022
A new CEO for Alpine Shire, and more councillors stepping aside for a run at State Parliament..
Those developments lead this edition of the Local Government News Roundup.
Welcome to the bulletin for the 17th July. I’m Chris Eddy.
Also today: two councils pushing for a new peri-regional status to unlock more funding opportunities; a controversial sale proposal to be decided by Hepburn Shire this week; a council sacked, a former CEO loses an unfair dismissal appeal and is ordered to pay costs; a councillor resigns over inappropriate use of social media; and a Council encounter of the marsupial kind!
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, your national broadcaster for all things local government.
Alpine Shire Council has appointed a new CEO.
At a special meeting on Friday evening, the council confirmed the appointment of Will Jeremy as the successful applicant, to commence on the 25th July. Mr Jeremy has been the Council’s Director of Assets since 2017.
The vacancy arose with the departure of former CEO Charlie Bird, who has taken up a role in the housing sector after five years at Alpine.
Alpine Shire Council appoints new CEO
Mornington Peninsula Shire Councillor Paul Mercurio has taken a leave of absence from his councillor role to focus on contesting the upcoming state election.
He has reportedly asked to forgo his councillor allowance during the period of his leave, which commenced on the 13th July and will run through to the close of polls in November.
Cr Mercurio is standing as the Labor Party candidate for the seat of Hastings.
https://www.mornpen.vic.gov.au/About-Us/News-Media-Publications/News-Media/Councillor-Paul-Mercurio
Swan Hill Mayor Jade Benham is also reported to be stepping down this month ahead of a state election campaign as a Nationals candidate for the seat of Mildura.
The Sunraysia Daily has reported that Cr Benham will seek a leave of absence at the July meeting of the Council, which is scheduled for next Tuesday.
Jade Benham set to step down as Swan Hill mayor
Two of Melbourne’s outer ring councils are seeking recognition from the State Government as peri-regional councils, a new status that they believe will unlock more funding opportunities.
Yarra Ranges and Mornington Peninsula councils commissioned a report to provide evidence and analysis to support their advocacy for the new classification.
Yarra Ranges Mayor Jim Child joins me now to tell us more…
(interview)
Council seeks peri-regional status
Hepburn Shire Council is due to decide this week on whether it will sell the Rex Theatre and an adjoining house, with opposition to the proposal coming from parts of the community.
A report in the Age looks into the controversial events of recent years, which saw the Council purchase the building in 2016 for $6.3M and spend a further $3.2M on redevelopment before calling a halt due to spiralling costs.
It has estimated a further $18M would be required to finish the job.
Chief Municipal Inspector Michael Stefanovic told the Age that it was finalising a report on the matter after a Council-commissioned audit led to it referring the matter to IBAC, which passed it onto the Local Government Inspectorate.
The matter is listed on the agenda for the Council’s meeting this Tuesday evening, with an officer recommendation to sell the property through a public sale process.
Daylesford residents fear losing cinema forever after botched council redevelopment
The Victorian Briefs:
Sarah Harbidge has handed over the reins at Local Government Victoria, after holding down the Executive Director role for the past few months. She has announced her appointment to the role of Executive Director Biodiversity within the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning as of last week.
A recruitment process is under way to appoint a new Executive Director at LGV.
Geelong’s Stead Park has been announced as the host venue for hockey at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
The announcement was made in Geelong this week by local MPs Darren Cheeseman and John Eren along with Acting Premier Jacinta Allan.
The Elvis: Direct from Graceland has been an outstanding success for the City of Greater Bendigo, with the announcement this week that more than 219,000 people have visited the exhibition, which is sold out.
It now stands as the most successful exhibition ever at the Bendigo Art Gallery.
A team from Darebin City Council has won the Victorian title in the Australasian Management Challenge.
Team Darebin competed against 10 other Victorian councils to achieve the win, and will now prepare to represent Victoria at the Australia/New Zealand finals later in the year.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/darebin-city-council_were-delighted-to-announce-team-darebin-activity-6953199088364396544-8Pc8
A new $10M fund has opened for applications to support bioenergy projects that will help increase the proportion of renewable energy generated in Victoria to 50% by 2030.
Sustainability Victoria’s Interim CEO Matt Genever told me the funding program is aimed at organisations, including councils, looking to generate energy from organic waste.
Mr Genever said they were expecting to see a strong theme of collaboration and partnerships in the applications….
One of the expected outcomes from the scheme is the creation of new opportunities for regional development and long-term employment…
Applications for the funding are now open through Sustainability Victoria, with a closing date of Friday 26th August.
Still to come – a former CEO loses an unfair dismissal appeal and is ordered to pay costs; a council sacked; a councillor resigns over inappropriate use of social media; a former mayor to face trial over blackmail allegations; and Council encounter of the marsupial kind!
You’re listening to the Local Government News Roundup for 17th July 2022, brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
The VLGA is hosting two upcoming events that may be of interest to you.
On the 28th July, the VLGA and LGIU will co-present another Global Executive Panel, this time on the topic of Biodiversity Planning and Green Spaces.
A stellar panel has been assembled to discuss and provide examples of how biodiversity conservation is an essential component of responsible environmental and natural resource management.
Joining us will be Helen Bailey, Chief Executive of the London Borough of Sutton; Donna Manson, Chief Executive of Highland Council in Scotland; Rachel Ollivier, Acting CEO at Darebin City Council, and Dr Gillian Sparkes, the Victorian Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability.
The panel will be live from 5.30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time on Thursday 28th July, online via Zoom.
And on Friday 5th August in another highly aniticipated online session, Melissa Scadden of Justitia Lawyers and Consultants will delve into the characteristics of effective teams that create an environment for better disagreements. And how disagreements can be used to create better teams.
Elected representatives and council staff from around Australia are invited to be part of this special online session.
To register or find out more about either of these events, visit www.vlga.org.au/events.
Now for some stories making news around Australia in local government this week:
The former CEO of Logan City Council, Sharon Kelsey has lost an appeal against her dismissal and has been ordered to pay costs.
Queensland’s Industrial Court has this week brought the four year legal battle to an end, ruling against Ms Kelsey’s amended appeal.
The Courier Mail reports that Justice Peter Davis said the appeal had no basis to upset critical findings against Ms Kelsey.
She has been ordered to pay the legal costs of seven former Logan councillors, and of the council, estimated to be a multi-million figure.
Wingecarribee Shire Council in NSW has been sacked this week, after the findings of a public inquiry were released.
The council has been under administration since last year, and interim Administrator Viv May has had his term of appointment extended through to the next council elections in September 2024.
Removal of the councillors was one of nine recommendations made by the inquiry’s commissioner, Ross Glover.
The council was suspended after concerns arose about infighting and dysfunction affecting its ability to function effectively.
Local Government Minister Wendy Tuckerman told the ABC she was considering further recommendations relating to misconduct, code of conduct and code of meeting practice.
Wingecarribee councillors sacked – ABC News
The South Australian councillor at the centre of an inappropriate messaging scandal has bowed to pressure and resigned.
Julian Carbone from Burnside Council was found to have breached the councillor code of conduct when he allegedly sent an inappropriate message to a teenager referring to photos in which she was wearing a bikini.
Mr Burnside had apologised and said the message was a mistake and not intended for the recipient, but was resisting calls from fellow councillors and others to resign.
However, by late last week he reached the view that the media attention was causing pain and distress for his wife and family, and he said he was putting their interests ahead of his own by resigning.
According to the Adelaide Advertiser, Mr Carbone had deleted most of his social media accounts prior to resigning with the exception of Facebook, which he used to issue an apology for any embarrassment caused to the Council.
In a statement, Burnside Mayor Anne Monceaux said she had accepted the resignation and expressed sadness for the impact the issue had on the young woman involved and others in the community.
She said she was pleased that the Council could now move on to continue the good work that council members have been doing for their community.
Still in South Australia, and blame for a toxic culture at Adelaide City a council has been laid at the feet of two councillors, in staff survey results released this week.
The Adelaide Advertiser reported yesterday on the release of the survey in which senior council managers blamed Crs Phil Martin and Anne Moran for political dysfunction at the council.
The survey shows 100 percent of participants have been embarrassed by poor behaviour of elected members, unreasonable workloads arising from unnecessary questioning, and been subjected to harassment in the form of badgering by some councillors.
The survey was conducted in 2020 as part of a cultural review.
(Adelaide Advertiser, 16-7-22, p.11)
A former mayor of Bathurst Regional Council will face trial in September of charges of blackmail and misconduct, after pleading not guilty this week in Bathurst District Court.
Bobby Bourke resigned from Council last year after it was revealed by the ABC that he was under police investigation for allegedly attempting to blackmail a fellow councillor.
An ABC report this week revealed that local businessman Darryl Leahey has pleaded guilty to a charge of blackmail in relation to the same matter, and will be sentenced on 30th August.
Former Bathurst mayor Bobby Bourke to face trial after pleading not guilty to blackmail – ABC News
WA’s City of Wanneroo has had its request to leave the office of Mayor vacant until October next year denied by the Minister for Local Government.
The Council has received advice that an extraordinary election is required to proceed, and a postal vote will occur in September. The Council was hoping to avoid the cost of an election, estimated to be in the order of $320,000.
The election has been triggered by the resignation of former Mayor Travcey Roberts who was elected to Federal Parliament in the seat of Pearce earlier this year.
September extraordinary election for new Mayor – City of Wanneroo
The National Briefs:
An extraordinary election in the Western Australian Shire of Lake Grace has failed, after no nominations were received by the closing date last Wednesday.
The election was to have been conducted by postal vote on the 19th August. However, the vacancy will remain unfilled, at least for now.
A new CEO has commenced work this week at Longreach Council in Queensland.
Dick Dowling was appointed last month, and has made the move from West Coast Council in Tasmania.
Mr Dowling’s local government career includes roles in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania across 20 years in the sector.
Longreach Regional Council appoints new Chief Executive Officer
And in NSW, Port Stephens Council has commenced the process to recruit a new General Manager, after the recent retirement of Wayne Wallis.
The Council this week endorsed a process, including confirmation of the members of a recruitment panel which will include the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and four other councillors.
An appointment is expected to be made by the end of August.
https://www.portstephens.nsw.gov.au/council/news/2022/recruitment-for-port-stephens-council-general-manager-underway
A curious event at Lismore City Council’s meeting last week, when a furry friend came to call but had nothing to say.. And therein lies the problem.
A person in a Koala suit, going by the name of Burribi, had registered to address the council during its public access segment, in relation to a proposed subdivision that has given rise to fears of endangering a koala breeding corridor.
When Burribi took the chair and remained mute for one minute and 17 seconds, the Mayor asked him to vacate the chair as the speakers were required to…well, actually speak. Which of course is difficult for a Koala to do.
While the public gallery was not impressed with the insistence on the rules of meeting practice, the point was well made that the Koalas don’t have a voice in the current debate.
And for the record, the development in question was voted down by the Council for a second time. You can read more about the story in the Daily Telegraph – link in the transcript for this episode.
International Spotlight:
From New Zealand comes a story from the Dominion Post about a councillor who has missed 24 of 29 briefings over 12 months.
Councillor Chris Milne at Hutt City Council is unapologetic, and says his lack of attendance is a protest at the anti-democratic way the council is being led by its mayor, Campbell Barry.
Cr Milne has reportedly been the subject of disciplinary action in the past, and calls from his colleagues to resign.
For his part, Mayor Barry says some elected members have had trouble accepting the progressive mandate under which he’d been elected as mayor.
Combative Hutt City councillor tops truant list, skipping 24 of 29 briefings | Stuff.co.nz
In the US, there are calls for a change of administrative model in the St. Louis, Missouri region which some say has become a poster child for political corruption.
NPR reports that Glendale City Administrator Benjamin DeClue is recommending the region adopt a council-manager form of government to separate elected officials from the day-to-day operations of city government.
He says it’s time that the elected officials get back to the business of leadership, and setting goals and priorities.
Currently St. Louis, the state’s second largest city, and most of its smaller cities operate under a mayor/council form of government.
Corruption-riddled St. Louis should move to professional management, says city admin
City Government – MY LOGO – UMSL
That’s the latest from the Roundup, thanks to the Victorian Local Governance Association, your national broadcaster for all things local government. Subscribe to VLGA Connect on YouTube and podcast for regular sessions with local government identities and decision makers.
I’ll be back with more news from around the world of local government on Sunday. Until then, thanks for listening and bye for now.