Today on the Local Government News Roundup, the Rainbow Flag may yet fly in West Wimmera Shire this month; more council reactions to the Victorian State Budget; a CEO departs and another staying put; a mayor under pressure to resign over alleged lewd conduct; and the federal election promises continue to flow.
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Transcript with links:
Issue 121, LG News Roundup, 8th May 2022
Hello and welcome to the Local Government News Roundup for the 8th May 2022.
Coming up today: the Rainbow Flag may yet fly in West Wimmera Shire this month; more council reactions to the Victorian State Budget; a CEO departs and another staying put; a mayor under pressure to resign over alleged lewd conduct; and the federal election promises continue to flow.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, your national broadcaster for all things local government. Subscribe to the VLGA Connect channel on YouTube or your preferred podcast app for the latest interviews on topics of interest to the local government sector.
After a decision two weeks ago to not fly the rainbow flag on IDAHOBIT Day, followed by controversial comments in the media by its mayor, West Wimmera Shire Council has scheduled a council meeting this Monday to reconsider its flying of flags policy.
An officer report on the agenda for the 4pm unscheduled council meeting reveals that the matter was discussed at a Councillor Forum last Wednesday, at which councillors agreed that an amendment should be made to the Council’s policy.
The report recommends that the Council approve the flying of the Rainbow/Pride Flag on IDAHOBIT Day on the 17th May, and that community flagpoles be established at five locations in the shire.
Minutes and Agenda West Wimmera Shire Council
Campaspe Shire and its CEO Declan Moore have agreed to part ways, after he indicated he would not be seeking a new employment contract next year.
Mr Moore commenced with Campaspe on a four year deal in 2019, and was previously a general manager of community and governance at s West Torrens in South Australia for 13 years.
In a statement, the council said they had negotiated an early separation which provides an opportunity to recruit a new CEO to oversee a recently launched 12 month review of township facilities across the shire.
Interim arrangements are pending.
https://www.campaspe.vic.gov.au/Our-council/News-media/Latest-news/Campaspe-Shire-CEO
At East Gippsland Shire, the council has reappointed its CEO on a new five year contract.
Anthony Basford commenced a four year term with the council in November 2018.
Mayor Mark Reeves said Mr Basford is the right person for the job, and his reappointment provides stability and the opportunity to continue to drive the strategic direction of the organisation.
https://www.eastgippsland.vic.gov.au/media-releases/council-reappoints-chief-executive-officer
Mornington Peninsula Shire councillor and former mayor Despi O’Connor put her federal election campaign on hold for a time last week while examining a legal question about her eligibility under section 44 of the Australian Constitution.
The independent candidate for the seat of Flinders is on leave from her councillor role and has been on unpaid leave from her position with the Victorian Department of Education for 18 months.
Constitutional law experts told the Age newspaper that it is likely Ms O’Connor would be disqualified under Section 44.
The Australian Electoral Commission issued a statement confirming that regardless of the eligibility issue, ballot papers have been printed and distributed in advance of early voting; and if Ms O’Connor is elected, her eligibility will need to be determined by the Court of Disputed Returns.
Late on Friday, Ms O’Connor announced that she was still in the race, and said that having sought legal advice, there was nothing to categorically say that she was ineligible to run or sit in Parliament. She has resigned her public school teacher position and vowed to continue her campaign for election.
Independent Flinders candidate suspends campaign over eligibility doubt
https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2022/05-06.htm
Now here’s some more sector reaction to last weeks Victorian state budget:
The MAV welcomed the investment in healthcare and mental health; funding for coastal resilience; and commitments to active transport infrastructure. However, the peak body expressed concern about a lack of funding for maternal and child health and emergency management in local government; and no additional support for kerbside waste reforms.
The Rural Councils peak body has expressed disappointment in the state budget, saying that it failed to deliver for rural Victorians.
RCV Chair Mary-Anne Brown said despite $5.7B being invested in regional Victoria, much of the focus was on Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo; and there was nothing to address the financial sustainability of rural councils.
Hume City Council has credited its long term advocacy for a $104M commitment to the 1.6km duplication of Mickleham Road which will bring traffic congestion relief and bus priority lanes. The funding is in addition to $110M committed in the most recent federal budget.
State Budget delivers Mickleham Road duplication – Hume City Council
Brimbank Council welcomed health and education investments in Melbourne’s west, but said it was disappointed that projects linked to the Sunshine Precinct Opportunity Statement leveraging Melbourne Airport Rail were still without funding.
Nillumbik Shire is celebrating an announcement by the Premier of $1M to construct weather resistant roofing on two adjoining netball courts at the Diamond Creek netball complex;
Diamond Creek Netball Courts get a Premier boost – Nillumbik Shire Council
While Mitchell Shire says it has been ignored in the state budget, with no new projects in its municipality. It is particularly disappointed at a lack of funding for priority schools or for the Seymour Community Wellbeing Hub.
Mitchell ignored in state budget
And the Mayor of Indigo Shire, Bernard Gaffney, has described great relief in the community to see $31M in the budget for North East Water to upgrade the water system in Kiewa/Tangambalanga. The project will address long held community concerns with the water supply in the area, with works to be completed by 2026/27.
Industrial action has impacted some services in Moreland City Council this past week. The Council said it respected the right of staff to take protected industrial action, but that it had offered a fair and reasonable wage increase as part of ongoing enterprise agreement negotiations.
The council provided daily updates last week through its website about impacted services. This follows delays with its municipal wide hard waste collection, due to covid related staff shortages on the part of its waste management contractor.
Staffing levels have reportedly been at around 60% of normal levels, combined with higher levels of discarded hard waste – around 15% more than in previous years.
Delays to hard waste collection
In some of the latest federal election commitments, Nillumbik Shire has welcomed a pledge of $1.5M from the ALP for a major upgrade of the Diamond Creek Outdoor Pool. Mayor Frances Eyre said the funding would enable much-needed improvements to the 33 year old facility.
At Macedon Ranges Shire, a liberal party commitment of more than $8.5M has been pledged for upgrades to local roads. Mayor Jennifer Anderson said the announcement included a number of priority local road projects identified by the Council and the community.
Briefs:
A new tourism business innovation program has been launched in Buloke Shire. The $60,000 pilot program is designed to seed new and innovative tourism ideas. The council says it wants to give tourism operators a chance to make the most of current increased visitation to rural areas.
https://www.buloke.vic.gov.au/april-meeting-wrap-2022
Yarriambiack Shire will contribute $1M to a plan to build 14 homes to help address an affordable housing crisis in its region. The money is in addition to $2.8M from the state government. According to an ABC News report, the two bedroom homes will be constructed in five of the shire’s towns, and offered for rent at affordable prices.
https://amp-abc-net-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/100984888
And at Moyne Shire in the state’s southwest, the council is progressing plans to rezone enough farmland to create up to 1,000 new house blocks around its key townships over the next 10 to 15 years. The ABC reports that 700 of those would be around the shire’s major population base of Port Fairy.
Moyne Shire plan to expand regional towns with 1,000 new homes on farmland – ABC News
Victoria’s anti-corruption agency IBAC is looking for input from people who work in local government for a survey on perceptions of corruption in the public sector.
IBAC’s Dr Kerryn Adams told VLGA Connect about the scope of the survey.
The survey was last conducted in 2019, but there have been some changes to the scope…
Survey participation is anonymous, and the findings will be shared with councils later in the year.
Still to come – the WA mayor under pressure to resign; a controversial decision to halt a project in North Sydney draws protests; and the minister that wants council meetings back in the chamber,
You’re listening to the Local Government News Roundup for 8th May 2022, brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
I’m joined now by the VLGA CEO’s Kathryn Arndt to talk about the next in the 2022 series of Global Panel Discussions which is fast approaching.
Thanks very much Kathryn. For more details on that session on Thursday 26th May and to register, go to the events page on the VLGA’s website.. There’s a link in the show notes.
Now for some stories making news around Australia in local government this week:
A WA mayor is under pressure to resign due to alleged lewd conduct at an online meeting of a local school board.
The ABC reports that Peter Carter has resigned from the board after being asked to do so by the school’s principal.
Now local community members are calling for him to step down from the council, claiming his conduct is making it difficult for local businesses to attract investment.
The incident is said to be the latest in a series of controversies involving the mayor that are damaging the town’s reputation.
Mayor Carter has described the school board incident as a ‘stupid mistake’ and has declined to make any further comment.
Kalgoorlie Boulder Council is back in the news, this time being challenged over its commitment to addressing a housing crisis in the region.
An ABC News report says the council has recently knocked back a number of development applications for housing, attracting strong criticism from the local chamber of commerce.
The chamber has accused the city of being ‘anti-development,’ after the applications were refused due to concerns about CBD parking impacts, inappropriate zoning and cultural heritage.
Mayor John Bowler told the ABC he was frustrated with decisions, but “we have a democracy and the council voted that way.”
At least one of the decisions is likely to be challenged at the state’s administrative tribunal.
Chamber of commerce ‘disappointed’ with City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder on housing inaction – ABC News
A long planned project at North Sydney has been halted through a controversial decision of the council last week.
According to a report in the Mosman Daily, a tender for construction of the Young Street Plaza project was narrowly rejected, and the mayor, Zoe Baker was asked to discuss other options with Transport for NSW, which is contributing nearly $2M towards the project.
Mayor Baker said a better planned and more highly community accepted location and design was needed for the project.
Former mayor Jilly Gibson and supporters have filed a rescission motion and are reportedly planning a petition and a protest rally. She described the decision as a ‘slap in the face for democracy.’ The rescission motion is due to be considered on 23rd May.
(Mosman Daily)
Western Australia’s Local Government Minister sees no reason for council meetings to remain in an online-only format, and is asking councils to return to normal meeting arrangements.
John Carey is writing to all local governments and asking them to ensure members of the public can once again attend council meetings and engage with the regular business of council meetings.
In a statement, the minister said pending reforms will mandate the live-streaming of meetings for all large councils, and the option for elected members to stream into council meetings under specific circumstances should be maintained.
In South Australia, an election commitment of $6.8M would see the Port Lincoln foreshore get a major facelift if the federal coalition is returned.
Port Lincoln Mayor Brad Flaherty told the Port Lincoln Times he was delighted with the commitment, describing the foreshore project as one of the council’s most must-do items.
The project would see the Parnkalla Trail upgraded and extended, with expectations it would be popular with locals and visiting cruise ship passengers.
(Port Lincoln Times)
Yet another election signage stoush is making news, after Goulburn Mulwaree Council instructed signage for a third party campaign to be removed.
According to a report in the Guardian, signs erected by a group looking to oust sitting Liberal MP Angus Taylor were deemed by the council to be contrary to state policy.
However, legal experts are suggesting that the removal of the signage goes against the rights of third-party campaigners.
The council told the Guardian that it has been forced to take action due to a constant stream of complaints about the saturation of the area with election signage.
Council move against anti-Angus Taylor signs goes against third-party rights, legal experts say
To the National Briefs now:
NSW council Blayney Shire has tapped former Bourke Shire General Manager Ross Earl to step in as interim GM from tomorrow. He has recently filled the same position at Moree Plains and Bogan Shires. Blayney Shire expects the recruitment of its next general manager to replace Rebecca Ryan to take about three months.
(Blayney Chronicle)
Meanwhile at Goulburn Mulwaree, Matthew O’Rourke is stepping in as acting general manager while the council recruits to replace Warwick Bennett who left the council in March. Mr O’Rourke started on Friday, replacing Brendan Hollands who had held the reins since March 15.
(Goulburn Post)
And at Weddin Shire, four new and returning councillors have been inducted at the council’s April meeting. They took their oath or affirmation of office in front of new acting general manager Max Kershaw.
(Grenfell Record)
An extraordinary election has been set for 8th July to fill a vacancy at City of Cockburn in WA. The election was triggered by the resignation of Chamonix Terblanche, and will be conducted by postal vote.
Narrabri Council in NSW is the latest council to raise concerns about the inland rail project, voting unanimously to withdraw its support for the current route. The council supports the concept and the positive opportunities it will create, but does not believe the current route is the right one. The Guardian notes that Narrabri joins Goondiwindi and Coonamble councils in raising questions about the route, albeit for different reasons.
‘The right railway in the wrong place’: Narrabri council objects to route of $14.5bn Inland Rail
International Spotlight:
An extraordinary story this week out of the US state of Indiana, where a man in prison on charges of murdering his wife has won a town board primary election.
According to a report from TheHill.com, Andrew Wilhoite won 21.74 per cent of the vote to be a representative on the Clinton Township Board.
The farmer is accused of hitting his wife over the head with a blunt object. Her body was retrieved from a nearby creek last weekend.
Indiana man charged with wife’s murder wins GOP town board primary | The Hill
If you’re looking for your next local government job, you might consider a move to the US state of Maine.
Towns in the state are reporting a heavy decrease in job applicants for local government jobs, with administrative positions remaining vacant for months.
The Associated Press reports that Maine has the oldest average population in the country, and the problem is being exacerbated as current city managers and employees near retirement age.
Smaller municipalities are finding it particularly hard to attract applicants as they are unable to match the pay on offer by towns and cities in other states.
Maine town says fewer people applying for government jobs | AP News
In British Columbia, Canada, councillors at the City of Trail have passed a no-confidence motion in the mayor – but the intent of the motion is unclear.
The motion was introduced by one councillor under the ‘New Business’ section of the meeting. It was passed with a majority of one vote, with the apparent intention of getting an opinion on the record. The mayor, Lisa Pasin, called it ‘retaliatory, vexatious and vindictive.’ You can read more at the Castlegarnews.com.
Trail mayor responds to council passing motion of non-confidence – Castlegar News
And local government election results are still being finalised in the UK, after voters went to the polls last Thursday to elect councillors for 146 councils in England; 32 in Scotland, and 22 in Wales. There were also 7 directly elected mayoral contests in England. 91 council seats were uncontested, due to having only one candidate, most of them in Wales.
2022 United Kingdom local elections – Wikipedia
It is also election weekend in Lubbock, Texas. Voters are being asked to choose from five candidates for mayor, with the incumbent standing down after three terms. There are also three city council seats to be determined – more details at lubbockonline.com.
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 Wednesday. Until then, thanks for listening and bye for now.