Darebin’s new CEO announced, and a SA Council CEO loses his job.
Those developments lead this edition of the Local Government News Roundup.
Also today: lots more CEO and General Manager appointment news; Melbourne to review its Australia Day arrangements; a call for action on sector culture before the Victorian state election; and a demerger recommendation for a NSW regional council.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, your national broadcaster for all things local government.
Listen now on your preferred podcast app (links here) or you can listen directly to this episode here.
Transcript with links follows:
Darebin’s new CEO announced, and a SA Council CEO loses his job.
Those developments lead this edition of the Local Government News Roundup.
Welcome to the bulletin for the 31st July. I’m Chris Eddy.
Also today: lots more CEO and General Manager appointment news; Melbourne to review its Australia Day arrangements; a call for action on sector culture before the Victorian state election; and a demerger recommendation for a NSW regional council.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, your national broadcaster for all things local government.
The CEO at Port Phillip City Council Peter Smith will make the move to the top job at the City of Darebin in October.
Peter Smith was this week announced as the successful applicant for the position at Darebin. His five year term will commence on the 10th October.
The vacancy arose with the departure of Sue Wilkinson for the CEO position at Yarra earlier this year, and the role has been held by interim CEO Rachel Ollivier for the past few months.
The City of Melbourne has confirmed that a review of Australia Day arrangements will take place, after the Council supported a motion from Lord Mayor Sally Capp last Monday night.
According to the ABC, the review will investigate the city’s approach to events, communications and community management, while also looking at alternative dates to 26th January.
The review will inform a report to come back to the council in September.
It is not yet known if the review will consider the holding of citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.
Yarra and Darebin councils were banned from holding citizenship ceremonies by the former federal government due to their refusal to hold them on Australia Day.
Kingston City Council is calling on the new Planning Minister, Lizzie Blandthorn, to call in and refuse a planning application at Endeavour Cove in Patterson Lakes.
The application for a 10 storey building is listed for a VCAT hearing in September, and Kingston Mayor Steve Staikos says there are significant inconsistencies between the application and an intended planning scheme amendment for the precinct.
He said the council has been waiting some months for approval of interim controls, and for the exhibition of permanent controls.
Mayor Staikos said it is urgent that the Minister introduced the interim controls to ensure the integrity of the planning system.
https://www.kingston.vic.gov.au/council/news/latest-news/endeavour-cove-intervention
The President of Victoria’s peak member association for professionals, LGPro, has called for action this side of the November state election to progress the review of culture in the sector.
Liana Thompson says the government needs to review the legislation to provide more effective tools for dealing with behavioural issues in Councils….
LGPro has written to new local government minister Melissa Horne asking for a working group to be formed to work up solutions before the upcoming election.
For the full interview with Ms Thompson, listen to the special edition of the Roundup which was released on Friday.
Now for the Victorian briefs:
The installation of new caravan park cabins are the latest addition to tourism offerings in Hindmarsh Shire.
Mayor Melanie Albrecht said in the Ararat Advertiser that the council is working on building Hindmarsh as a tourism destination, capitalising on the expansion of silo art trails.
The new cabins in Nhill, Jeparit and Dimboola were supported by a grant from the Victorian Government’s Regional Infrastructure Fund.
(Ararat Advertiser, 29-7-22, p.17)
Colac Otway councillor Joe McCracken has been recommended in second place on the ticket for preselection by the Liberal party in Western Victorian region upper house seat. The no.1 spot has gone to sitting member Bev McArthur, a former Corangamite Shire councillor.
The Bayside Peninsula Orange Door Network has been expanded, with the official opening last week of the Hastings Orange Door access point by Minister Ros Spence.
The network provides support and advice for people experiencing family violence. The Bayside Peninsula service has supported 58,000 people since 2018.
https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/orange-door-network-open-hastings
More Council stories making the news this week include:
The Border Mail reports on how the Rural City of Wangaratta wants contentious Aboriginal welcome signs removed.
The signs, with a reference to Welcome to Yorta Yorta Country, have been erected by Regional Roads Victoria in Everton and Chiltern, and have prompted a petition to the council with 263 signatories.
The petition calls for the wording to be replaced with Welcome to Bpangerang Country. Wangaratta Mayor Cr Dean Rees told the Border Mail that the council is asking for the signs in its area to be removed while the matter is clarified.
(Border Mail, 29-7-22)
The Bendigo Advertiser has reported on concerns about Maryborough’s heritage listed art deco outdoor pool.
Central Goldfields Councillors have flagged the likelihood that the outdoor pool will need to be rebuilt, as it is deteriorating quickly and causing safety concerns.
Mayor Chris Meddows-Taylor said the pool is in a dire state, and the only thing to do is close and redo it completely.
(Bendigo Advertiser, 30-7-22, p.15)
Coming up: an independent commission recommends the demerger of a NSW council; a SA Council CEO sacked after an Ombudsman inquiry; a sudden CEO departure under investigation in WA; and the councillor who wants homelessness outlawed.
You’re listening to the Local Government News Roundup for 31st July 2022, brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
This Friday, the VLGA brings you Better Disagreements, Better Teams.
In a highly anticipated online session on 5th August, 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. You’re invited to register your interest by emailing vlga@vlga.org.au
Now for some stories making news around Australia in local government this week:
An independent report into the finances of a NSW council has found a history of overspending, totalling almost $16M over five years.
The review was conducted for Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council and made 17 recommendations to improve the council’s financial position.
The ABC reports that those recommendations include basic financial training for councillors, a review of its long term financial plan and operating budget.
Mayor Charlie Sheahan told the ABC that he welcomed the ‘unflattering’ report, saying councillors were aware of overspending and deficits since a forced amalgamation in 2016, but they did not realise how bad it was.
Meanwhile in related news, a report by the NSW Local Boundaries Commission has resulted in a recommendation the deamalgamation of Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council.
If the demerger goes ahead, it has also recommended that elections be held to return elected representatives to Cootamundra and Gundagai Shires as soon as feasible to enable the communities to move forward.
The Commission’s recommendation was not unanimous, and a dissenting opinion from one of the four commissioners was submitted to the Minister alongside the Commission’s report.
Local Government Minister Wendy Tuckerman said she will consider the recommendations and respond to the demerger proposal in due course.
The Government is required to provide a written response within 28 days of receiving the report.
Ms Tuckerman also thanked the commission’s Chairperson, Bob Sendt, and advised that he has decided to step down from the role.
https://amp-abc-net-au.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.abc.net.au/article/101266380
https://www.olg.nsw.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/CGRC-Report-Final-Report-27.07.22
Last week’s sudden departure of the CEO of Town of Cambridge is reportedly under investigation by the state’s department of local government.
PerthNow reports that the department has confirmed it is looking into the circumstances of the departure, amid a number of concerns around governance at the council, and a number of complaints regarding behaviour.
Karl Heiden spent less than 5 months in the job before announcing his immediate departure on 21st July for personal reasons.
A recruitment process is expected to commence soon for what will be the Council’s third CEO in less than seven years.
The South Australian council CEO who admitted fabricating and backdating a letter about covid restrictions has lost his job.
Northern Areas Council Mayor Ben Browne has confirmed to Adelaide Now that the Council voted on Wednesday to terminate the contract of Colin Byles, acting on legal advice following an Ombudsman’s inquiry.
The Ombudsman found that Mr Byles had not acted honestly, ethically or with integrity by backdating a letter he had told the Mayor he had previously sent.
It’s the second time in 12 months that Mr Byles was found to have altered official Council documentation.
Prior to this week’s decision, the council received a letter from the Local Government Minister Geoff Brock, asking about what action it proposed to take and reminding it of the expectation for councils and staff to conduct themselves in a manner that fosters trust, integrity, and accountability to their communities.
The Mayors of the NSW Hunter Region have made a joint call for more support in the recovery from recent flood devastation.
Nine out of ten councils in the region have been declared as disaster zones.
A joint statement from the mayors says immediate and future costs of recovering from floods, coastal erosion, droughts and bushfires will be astronomical, and the region is ill-equipped to get ahead.
The say local governments cannot do it alone, and they need state and federal governments to step up and deliver needed funds, projects and resourcing.
https://www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/News-Media/Hunter-region-mayors-call-for-more-disaster-support
The Australian Local Government Association has reacted to a review of the Building Better Regions Fund, saying it was a timely reminder of the importance of fair and transparent federal funding.
The Australian National Audit Office review of the $1.15B grants scheme found that almost two thirds of the money went to projects that did not have the most merit; resulting in more than $100M extra going to National electorates.
ALGA President Linda Scott said the upcoming Federal budget is an opportunity for the government to redirect funding from competitive grants programs to the Federal Assistance Grants program, which is formula based and transparent.
She has repeated the call for the Financial Assistance Grants scheme to be restored to 1% of Commonwealth taxation revenue, up from its current level of 0.55%.
A Gold Coast councillor is making news for her views on homelessness and vagrancy, calling for the reintroduction of legislation to make being homeless illegal.
The ABC reports that Brooke Patterson says the changes would give more power to authorities to interact with homeless people, and provide access to temporary housing and medical attention.
However, the Gold Coast’s Mayor and Council are not in support of Cr Patterson’s idea, and local legal service workers and academics say criminalisation is not the answer.
Gold Coast councillor says vagrancy act should return in response to homelessness – ABC News
In today’s national briefs:
The City of Darwin has appointed its first female CEO, this week announcing it had selected Simone Saunders for the position. Ms Saunders has been the interim CEO since March. She has been the council’s Chief Financial Officer since 2020, and was previously CEO of the Darwin-based airline Airnorth.
https://www.darwin.nt.gov.au/council/news-media/city-of-darwin-announces-new-ceo-0
In NSW, Clarence Valley’s new General Manager will be Laura Black, currently Acting GM and Director Corporate Governance.
She has been appointed on a five year contract, commencing 7th October.
Cliff Frewing has swapped the Acting CEO role at WA’s City of Bayswater for the same position at the City of Swan, after the departure of Jeremy Edwards who has swapped the permanent CEO role at Swan for the same role at Bayswater.
Mr Frewing is a former CEO of the City of South Perth and the Shire of Denmark, and also spent 12 months as acting CEO at Subiaco.
A countback at Wentworth Shire in NSW has been conducted, resulting in the election of Jane MacAllister.
Ms McAllister previously served as a councillor from 2016 to 2021. She returns to the role, replacing Greg Evans who resigned in June.
And the Adelaide Advertiser is reporting that former broadcasting executive Phil Martin has withdrawn from the Adelaide lord mayoral race.
In announcing his withdrawal, he took a swipe at current Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor’s team over “relentless personal attacks” and publicly endorsed former senator Rex Patrick for the position.
(Adelaide Advertiser, 28-7-22, p.11)
Some more Councils in the news this week:
In Tasmania, West Coast Council has renewed a push to make wind farms rateable.
The Burnie Advocate reports that its Mayor Shane Pitt has written to government ministers seeking an urgent change to current arrangements where wind farms are not valued by the valuer general, and cannot be charged rates at their full value.
The Council says it’s a matter of fairness, and it is yet to receive a reply to its correspondence which was sent in June.
(Burnie Advocate, 29-7-22)
The Griffith Area News has reported on a plea from Griffith Council for residents to cut down on water usage while the local water treatment plant undergoes repairs.
The works will require the plant to be turned off intermittently, increasing reliance on the only other source of drinking water for the Griffith community, prompting the council to urge moderation over a period of about six weeks.
(Area News, Griffith, 29-7-22)
And Cairns Regional Council has come under fire over a decision to outsource work on a 2050 growth strategy to a Brisbane based consulting group, instead of using local suppliers.
Former Mayor Kevin Byrne told the Cairns Post that the skills and capacities were available in Far North Queensland, while the Cairns Chamber of Commerce CEO Patricia O’Neill expressed frustration to see money going outside the region.
The Council says the procurement and contracting process was conducted transparently, demonstrating probity and accountability, and ensuring the best value for money for ratepayers.
(Cairns Post,29-7-22, p.6)
Heading the International Spotlight this week, a story out of NZ about Napier City Council which has lost its CEO and four senior managers in recent months.
The CEO, Steph Rotarangi, has only been with the council for 18 months, during which time four senior managers also resigned.
While at least one Councillor has suggested the exodus is proof of a serious culture and leadership issue, the Mayor, Kirsten Wise says that’s not so. She told the Dominion Post that the council now has a strong leadership team now, and spoke of a good working relationship between staff and elected members.
Mayor Wise also expressed disappointment that the CEO’s personal decision to step down had been turned into electioneering fodder. Ms Rotarangi has given three months’ notice and is going to a senior role with Fire and Emergency NZ.
Council loses CEO and four senior managers inside four months | Stuff.co.nz
At New Plymouth Council in NZ, we’ve reported previously on the resignation of the former CEO after a complaint was made against him.
The Council has now appointed Jacqueline Baker from its senior leadership team as Acting CEO. The Taranaki Daily News says details on a recruitment process to fill the position on a permanent basis are yet to be announced.
New Plymouth council votes unanimously to appoint acting CEO | Stuff.co.nz
In the UK, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority have approved what has been described as an ‘exceptional’ delegation to its new interim CEO.
CambridgeShire news reports that board members say they are putting a large amount of trust in the new CEO to deal with significant weaknesses identified through a recent external audit.
The government department of levelling up has paused its funding of the authority due to the audit concerns, amounting to £1.4M in funding.
The new interim CEO, Gordon Mitchell, started last month and has put forward an improvement plan which has now been approved by board members.
https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/new-combined-authority-interim-ceo-24608398
And in the US state of Minnesota, an investigation into the mayor of the City of Two Harbors has found he may not have disclosed interests in businesses related to certain city actions.
The state auditor found instances where city actions involved one or more businesses that appear to be connected to the Mayor, Chris Swanson, but documentation of disclosures could not be found.
The Duluth News Tribune says the investigation was prompted by a flurry of concerns, and that the auditor found the council and the city attorney acted appropriately to prevent conflicts of interest with the mayor to occur.
The report comes as Mayor Swanson is due to face a recall election on 9th August.
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.