On the Local Government News Roundup today, a call for a new standalone shire in northern Victorian gathers momentum; the KnowYourCouncil website is gone, and some people aren’t happy about it; the growing shortage of municipal building surveyors confirmed by new survey data; it’s big week for Council CEO news – I’ll have the details; a call to relieve Queensland Councils from being “judge and jury”over their peers; plus – councillors call for an end to the requirement to report councillor childcare expenses.
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Transcript (with story links where available):
Hi, this is Chris Eddy, with the latest from the Local Government News Roundup.
On the podcast today: a call for a new standalone shire in northern Victorian gathers momentum; the KnowYourCouncil website is gone, and some people aren’t happy about it; the growing shortage of municipal building surveyors confirmed by new survey data; it’s big week for Council CEO news – I’ll have the details; a call to relieve Queensland Councils from being “judge and jury”over their peers; plus – (grab)- councillors call for an end to the requirement to report councillor childcare expenses.
All that and more ahead in the latest update from the Local Government News Roundup which starts now.
Thanks for joining me for today’s podcast – brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
The dismissal by the government of Moira Shire Council, following a Commission of Inquiry report, has led to renewed calls for a new standalone shire in the region.
The so-called YEXIT movement is led by a group of Yarrawonga locals who want to see their town excised from the shire.
Group leader John Leary told the Shepparton News this week that the Commission of Inquiry report has vindicated the view that Yarrawonga and surrounding towns should have its own independent council.
Mr Leary says the group would like the government to pay for a consultant to develop a strategic plan and a full case study.
The group says it has over 2,000 signatures on a petition to break away from Moira Shire, and has been exchanging correspondence with the local government minister about the proposal.
Source: Shepparton News
The Know Your Council website, which provided comparison data for all Victorian councils for the past seven years, has been decommissioned and replaced with spreadsheets loaded to the Local Government Victoria website.
The Age has reported that transparency and governance experts have criticised the demise of the website, with one saying the process of finding information is now like finding a needle in a haystack.
An MAV spokesperson told the Age that the decision by the state government to longer fund the website was made last year, and there is no clarity on whether it would return.
Council comparison websites currently operate in New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.
Source: The Age
A Bass Coast Shire councillor is part of a growing number of women councillors looking to remove what is being described as a barrier to more women running for their local council.
Leticia Laing has received the support of her fellow councillors to challenge the requirement to report councillors’ childcare expenses.
(grab 1)
Bass Coast is the second council after Kingston City Council to pass a motion to go to the next MAV State Council.
(grab 2)
It’s understood at least one other council is considering sending a similar motion to the next MAV State Council meeting, which will be held in May. The submission of motions closes next Monday.
You can hear more of my interview with Cr Laing on a special bonus episode of the Roundup coming soon, and available exclusively at first for Friends of the Roundup.
Source: LinkedIn; Municipal Association of Victoria
Surf Coast Shire Council says it will no longer operate a family day care management service from next year.
It says the increasing cost to ratepayers to run the service, and difficulty attracting and retaining educators were some of the reasons for the decision.
It will work with educators and families on a transition to local privately-run service providers.
Source: Surf Coast Shire Council
The Latrobe Valley is set to host the biggest lawn bowls event in Victoria, with the Henselite Victorian open kicking off next week.
Under a new agreement between Bowls Victoria and Latrobe Valley City Council, Gippsland will be home to the event for the next five years.
With over $100,000 in prize money, nearly 2,000 participants from Australia and overseas will converge on the region for the event that runs from 24th March to 2nd April.
Until this year and for its first ten years, the Victorian Open was held in Greater Shepparton.
Councils in the news:
Proposed rate increases at Mildura have been the subject of a Weekly Times story this week.
The news outlet says the council is set to hit farmers with a 13.1 per cent rate increase, while residential rates would drop by 4.5 percent.
Some farmers are up in arms, with one describing the proposed increase as an outrage.
The changes are contained in a review of the Council’s Revenue and Rating Plan, due to come before the council next week.
Source: The Weekly Times, 15-3-23
Councils are facing a “war” on talent, with a shortage of municipal building surveyors predicted to worsen as many senior staff near retirement.
The critical shortage is leading to some councils, such as Mildura Rural city, ceasing to offer building permit application services.
The Victorian Municipal Building Surveyors Group has partnered with recruitment firm Planned Resources to conduct a survey that reveals a growing number of vacancies, with some councils unable to find a suitable candidate for five years.
Here’s Kirsten Ellis from Planned Resources:
(grab 1)
Ms Ellis says competition between councils is a big part of the problem:
(grab 2)
An estimated 16 councils have senior building staff at retirement age, and only half of the affected councils have a succession plan in place.
You can hear more of my interview with Kirsten Ellis on a special bonus episode of the Roundup coming soon, and available exclusively at first for Friends of the Roundup.
Source: Planned Resources; Sunraysia Daily
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Now for some of the stories making local government news from around Australia this week.
A big week for Council CEO news continues, with Noosa Shire CEO Scott Waters announcing he is leaving to take up the top job at Moreton Bay Regional Council – the third largest in Australia.
Mr Waters joined Noosa in February last year and has since undertaken an organisation restructure and guided the council through floods and its largest ever budget.
He has previously been CEO at Whitsunday and Darwin.
He leaves Noosa on 12th May, and at Moreton Bay, he will take over from outgoing CEO Greg Chemello from the 15th May.
Infrastructure Services Director Larry Sengstock has been appointed Acting CEO at Noosa until June 2024. He is a former director at Latrobe Valley City Council in Victoria, and a former chief executive of Basketball Australia.
Source: Noosa Shire Council; Moreton Bay Regional Council
Emma Bradbury has left Barkly Regional Council in the Northern Territory, with her resignation last week effective immediately.
The Council issued a statement on Saturday expressing its gratitude to Ms Bradbury for her work over the past year.
Last month, it advised that Ms Bradbury was on extended leave, and had appointed Russell Anderson as its interim CEO.
Source: Barkly Regional Council
At Southern Downs in Queensland, the council has unanimously voted to offer current CEO Dave Burges a new four year contract.
Mr Burges commenced in the role on a three year deal in September 2020.
Source: Warwick Today, 16-3-23
In South Australia, the Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Jane Lomax-Smith, has unveiled a plan to use council land to boost affordable housing across the CBD.
The Adelaide Advertiser reported on Dr Lomax-Smith’s vision to increase the number of people living in the city by up to 100 per cent from the current 25,000 residents.
She has flagged a pilot study to identify council owned sites that could be used to create affordable housing.
She said more low-cost housing was crucial to provide homes for essential workers living in the city.
Source: Adelaide Advertiser, 15-3-23
SA’s electoral commission has released the results of the Tumby Bay District Council by-elections.
Four new faces are set to join the council, with Trevor Smith, Julie-Ann Elliott, Ross Hudson and Fiona Ward named as preliminary winners.
Once sworn in, the council will have a full complement of elected members for the first time in some years.
Source: Port Lincoln Times
A meeting of Tamworth Regional Council was interrupted and ultimately called off this week, when police were called to escort a member of the public from the council chamber.
According to the Armidale Express, the aggressive person was refusing to leave the chamber, causing a 45 minute delay which led to the mayor calling off the meeting.
Mayor Russell Webb said councillors were in no position to think clearly, and councillors agreed to postpone the agenda items to the 28th March.
Oxley Police have since said they would not be taking any further action in relation to the unruly member of the public.
Source: Armidale Express, 15-3-23
A new green bin initiative on the Gold Coast has been unveiled, and will reportedly save ratepayers around $13M over five years.
The rollout of green organics bins later this year will allow for the diversion of more than 22,000 tonnes of green organics from landfill.
The savings will come from state government waste disposal levy costs, with $2 million in savings expected in the first year alone.
Mayor Tom Tate said the new system will divert the equivalent of 59 Olympic sized swimming pools of palm fronds, grass clippings, leaves and branches away from landfill each year.
Source: Gold Coast City Council
Councillors in south east Queensland are calling for a review of councillor complaint rules that force councillors to be “judge and jury” over their peers.
The Redland City Bulletin says local councillor Wendy Boglary is pushing for the process to be looked at urgently as part of the parliamentary inquiry into the Office of the Independent Assessor.
Cr Boglary wants the OIA to have the power to rule on inappropriate conduct complaints, rather than refer them to Councils for final determination.
Scenic Rim Councillor Jeff McConnell agrees, and says the whole system is broken and has taken leadership away from the mayor.
A list of 40 recommendations for reform of the system are expected to be discussed in State Parliament next week.
Source: Redland City Bulletin, 12-3-23
Briefly:
Lismore City Council is starting a process to reduce the number of its Councillors from 11 to 9.
The decision was made after a notice of motion was presented proposing the change, with a referendum to be held in conjunction with the 2024 local government elections.
Source: Lismore City Council
Toowoomba Regional Council in Queensland will consider a move from an undivided electoral structure to divided or multi-member divisions,
It has asked for a report on the idea, expected to be presented by October this year.
If it supports a change, the Council would be required to submit the proposal to the State Government for consideration.
Source: Toowoomba Regional Council
The City of Perth has won a bid to host the annual general meeting of the World Energy Cities Partnership.
Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas was in Houston for the announcement this week, and says the city is looking forward to hosting other member cities in Perth later this year.
Source: City of Perth
And at WA’s City of Melville, a project is helping to stimulate conversations with young people about mental health.
More than 50 young people have helped to paint two murals at the Swan River Rowing Club and the Melville City Hockey Club, and participated in a series of workshops to talk about depression, suicide, resilience and overcoming adversity.
Mayor George Gear said the project has helped young people to express themselves creatively, make friends and reinforce the importance of self-care and seeking help.
Source: City of Melville
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Now for today’s International Spotlight:
A council in Canada has been put in notice after being found to have been governed in an irregular, improper and improvident manner.
Municipal affairs minister Rebecca Schulz has issued 12 directives to the City of Chestermere in Alberta province.
According to the CALGARY Herald, an inspection has found a range of concerns, including intense division within the council and a senior administration tainted by council influence.
Financial statements are overdue, after its auditors quit due to threats of litigation, and the term of an administrator appointed last September has been extended to the end of this year.
The city says it has concerns about the directives and is seeking legal advice.
Source: Calgary Herald
In England, the minister for local government, Lee Rowley, has today announced intervention arrangements at three councils of concern, including an expansion of oversight measures at financially challenged Thurrock Council.
Lee Rowley has appointed a managing director commissioner at Thurrock to manage its day to day operations until a permanent chief executive appointment can be made.
He has expressed concerns that the council is not meeting its Best Value Duty, and transferred a range of responsibilities to commissioners, including the ability to hire senior staff.
The Minister has also issued improvement directions for the London Borough of Croydon to address governance failings and poor financial decision making, and announced next steps for the current intervention at Slough Borough Council including the pending appointment of new commissioners.
Source: UK Minister for Local Government
A councillor, and former leader of a Scottish council has resigned amid fresh claims of misconduct that have been published in the press.
Jordan Linden of North Lanarkshire Council resigned the leadership position last year over accusations of groping and sexual harassment, but he didn’t resign then from the council.
But with fresh claims dating back to 2015, he has now quit, triggering a by-election to replace him.
Mr Linden told the BBC that he refutes the allegations and will robustly defend himself.
Source: BBC News
Yet more developments in the saga surrounding Jeremy Clarkson and West Oxfordshire Council.
Security has been required at planning hearings after two people opposed to his development at Diddly Squat Farm received death threats.
The council has previously rejected a planning application for a car park, and ordered the closure of a restaurant and cafe on the site for being in breach of planning laws.
The BBC reports that Mr Clarkson is now appealing an enforcement notice issued by the Council.
The death threats are believed to have been directed at a councillor and a member of the public.
Source: BBC News
And in the US state of New Mexico, there are calls for the mayor of Albuquerque to face investigation over hundreds of thousands of dollars in spending on a turf field.
Cr Louie Sanchez is upset that the money has been spent on a facility for a football team that doesn’t play in the city, and is calling on the state attorney general to look into Mayor Tim Keller’s spending.
News outlet KOB4 says the city’s Office of the Inspector General has published a report saying the mayor violated anti-donation laws.
Mayor Keller says the report was misinformed, and the “empty accusations” are from a biased councillor.
The attorney general’s office says they have received the complaint and are reviewing the documentation.
Source: KOB.com
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That’s the latest from the Roundup for the 17th March 2023.
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