On the latest episode from the Roundup,
The new CEO of the MAV announced, while the City of Hobart CEO resigns – and that’s no coincidence;
Hateful behaviour condemned as another Rainbow event is postponed;
The government says no to resident requests for a monitor at a rural city;
A call for a long overdue increase to planning application fees;
Two South Australian councillors set to be removed from office;
NSW Local Government Minister accused of fighting against the sector;
A major US city tight lipped about a ransomware attack, ongoing for more than 4 weeks;
And much more ahead in the latest update from the Local Government News Roundup.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government.
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Transcript (with story links where available):
Episode 227 LG News Roundup, 3rd June 2023
Hi, this is Chris Eddy, coming to you from the land of the Wadawurrung People with the latest from the Local Government News Roundup.
On the podcast today:
The new CEO of the MAV announced, while the City of Hobart CEO resigns – and that’s no coincidence;
Hateful behaviour condemned as another Rainbow event is postponed;
The government says no to resident requests for a monitor at a rural city;
A call for a long overdue increase to planning application fees;
Two South Australian councillors set to be removed from office;
NSW Local Government Minister accused of fighting against the sector;
A major US city tight lipped about a ransomware attack, ongoing for more than 4 weeks;
And much more ahead in the latest update from the Local Government News Roundup.
Thanks for joining me for today’s podcast – brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
Here are some of the Victorian council related stories making news in recent days.
City of Hobart CEO Kelly Grigsby has been announced as the new chief executive of the Municipal Association of Victoria.
Ms Grigsby is the former CEO of the City of Wyndham and will return to Victoria to lead the state’s peak body for councils in July.
She has been appointed for a five year term, and takes up the role from Kerry Thompson who departed earlier this year.
The position has been filled on an interim basis in recent months by former Hume CEO Dominic Isola and MAV senior executive Troy Edwards.
Ms Grigsby was appointed as the City of Hobart CEO in early 2021, after a six year stint in Wyndham.
Municipal Association of Victoria
In Hobart, Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds has spoken of the positive impact Ms Grigsby has had on the city in her two years at the helm.
Cr Reynolds said she will be working with Kelly to manage a smooth transition to an interim CEO over the coming weeks.
A Rainbow Ball that was to be held in Wangaratta this weekend has been postponed after being targeted by what the mayor described as “hateful narrative.”
Rural City of Wangaratta Mayor Dean Rees said the confronting commentary circulating on social media had led to a decision to delay the event to prioritise the safety of participants.
He said it was extremely disappointing but could not risk an event that is about fun and celebration being a threat to anyone attending.
The Mayor of neighbouring Indigo Shire, Sophie Price, also condemned the behaviour that has led to the postponing of the event, and said the shire does not tolerate any form of discrimination, hate or intimidation.
She said that unfortunately this demonstrates how much more work is needed to create genuinely inclusive communities.
Calls for a municipal monitor to be appointed to Benalla Rural City Council are unlikely to be successful, according to a report from the Border Mail.
The news outlet says three residents have contacted the office of the Local Government minister Melissa Horne asking for greater scrutiny of the council, including a request for the installation of a monitor.
A spokeswoman told the Border Mail that such an appointment would only be considered if the council or an integrity agency requested it, and that has not occurred to date.
The residents’ concerns are believed to have stemmed from a clash at last week’s council meeting between Mayor Bernie Hearn and Cr Punarji Gunaratne over a proposed sculpture, and comments by Cr Gunaratne that were described as having racial undertones.
A Melbourne metropolitan mayor has called on the state government to increase planning fees, which do not cover the cost to councils to process developers’ applications.
Jim Magee, the Mayor of Glen Eira, said that while planning fee levels are set by the state, it falls to councils to do the work- and fees need to be adequate to cover the administrations costs, and that of VCAT proceedings if required.
Cr Magee said there had been just one increase in planning applications in 14 years, the last being in 2016.
A recent analysis by Boroondara Council showed the fees were covering about 25% of the actual costs borne by councils, down from 55% in the early 2000s.
The local government family in Melbourne’s west is mourning the passing of a long time Moonee Valley Councillor and former Mayor, Jim Cusack.
Mr Cusack served on the council from 2005 until the last elections in 2020, and was mayor of the city in 2012.
He received special acknowledgement from the council and community last year in recognition of 15 year’s service.
Vale Jim Cusack
Now in today’s Victorian Briefs:
Melton Council will donate $10,000 to support community members affected by a recent horrific school bus crash, in which a number of children sustained serious and life altering injuries.
According to a Star Weekly report, Mayor Lara Carli opened last week’s Council meeting with reflection on the incident, paying tribute to the efforts of first responders.
The Council will liaise with the school on the best use for the funds.
Campaspe Shire and Murray River Council have updated a memorandum of understanding, supporting cross border collaboration between the two municipalities.
Mayor Rob Amos said the MOU was first signed in 2019, and has now been updated to reflect current cross border issues – such as flood recovery, workforce shortages, economic development and tourism.
State government approval for 145 homes on a former college site in Knox has disappointed the Council.
Mayor Marcia Timmers-Leitch said there was no public notice and minimal consultation before the approval of the plan.
She said the council’s concerns about bushfire risk, stormwater management and habitat loss had not been addressed, and that a meeting with the Planning Minister was being sought to advocate for significant changes to the plan.
In Swan Hill, parking meters have been reactivated across the rural city, after being extensively damaged recently.
Around 85% of the city’s parking meters were vandalised in April, putting them out of action for nearly two months.
The meters have now been repaired, and the council says the issuing of parking meter infringement notices will recommence this coming week.
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Now for some of the stories making local government news from around Australia this week.
A South Australian council has made a move to have two of its elected members removed after months of controversy, according to a report from the Adelaide Advertiser.
City of Salisbury councillors Severina Burner and Grace Bawden were both found to have breached behavioural standards earlier this year, but neither have complied with directions to apologise.
Comments linking smart city technology to Nazi concentration camps, offensive remarks directed at councillors and senior executives, and unsupported conspiracy theories are among the behaviours said to have been engaged in by the two councillors.
They have both now been absent for three consecutive council meetings without approved leave, giving the council the opportunity to exercise its power to remove them from their roles.
A motion to do just that was passed at a special meeting this week, giving Crs Burner and Bawden the opportunity to submit as to why they should not be removed.
Any response, and final decision on the proposed removal, will be considered at a further meeting of the council scheduled for next Monday.
Adelaide Advertiser, 1-6-23
The President of Local Government NSW (LGNSW), Darriea Turley AM, has expressed disappointment at what she considered an “unprovoked attack” on the state’s councils by the Local Government Minister in State Parliament.
In Parliament, the Minister criticised the expenses of several councils, including Kiama Council, Liverpool City Council, and City of Ryde Council.
He also referenced an Auditor-General’s report that identified errors worth $1.3 billion in one-third of NSW councils’ annual reports in the past year.
President Turley told Inside Local Government that the Minister’s statements as disappointing and an abrupt about-face for the new Government.
She said she still hopes to develop a productive relationship based on consultation and mutual respect with the new government.
Regional mayors have also reacted to the minister’s comments, with one saying the minister is fighting against local government.
Tamworth Council was one of those singled out in the minister’s comments over an overseas trip in 2018.
In an ABC report, its Mayor Russell Webb defended the trip as a necessary expense, and said the minister’s actions had left councils feeling unsupported.
The mayor and CEO of one of the councils named in Parliament met with the minister this week shortly after the statements were made.
Kiama Mayor Neil Reilly said the comments about his council were neither a surprise nor a shock, given the council’s issues were self-disclosed to the government in December 2021.
He said he thanked the Minister for his frank appraisal of the previous Council’s decision making concerning aged care capital investments.
He said it was positive that the minister is well briefed on Kiama’s situation and the corrective steps being taken.
The former mayor of Bathurst, Robert “Bobby” Bourke has been found guilty of misconduct in public office over his role in an attempt to blackmail a fellow councillor through an anonymous letter.
The letter threatened to reveal mental health issues if the councillor, Jacqui Rudge, didn’t resign from council.
ABC News reports that the jury deliberated for six hours before returning a guilty verdict.
The prosecutor described the actions of Mr Bourke and another man as a ‘joint criminal enterprise’ which attempted to undermine the democratic system of local government.
The defence asked the jury to consider that the “nasty letter” might have been just politics rather than blackmail.
Mr Bourke will be sentenced in September.
A countback will be conducted to fill a vacancy on Shoalhaven City Council, after the resignation of Liza Butler.
Ms Butler was elected to the state seat of South Coast at this year’s elections, and has been performing both roles in recent months.
Radio 2ST reports that Ms Butler has decided to step down after being unable to contribute to council debate on some issues due to conflicts of interest.
She said it was best to resign her councillor role so that she can solely focus on representing the people of the South Coast.
The New South Wales government has identified 22 sites in the northern rivers region where more than 10,000 homes could be built as part of its strategy to address the housing crisis.
The government has allocated $1.9bn to support feasibility studies, build critical infrastructure, and acquire land.
However, some mayors have criticised a lack of detail and community consultation in the plan.
One mayor told the Guardian that the government’s goals were very optimistic, and described the lack of detail provided to councils and the community as “really crap.”
Six of the sites to be developed in the short term are in the Lismore area, which was heavily impacted by last year’s floods.
The government plans to develop most of the initial plots of land by the end of next year.
In a related development, a report released on Thursday by the state’s auditor general found that 36 councils did not identify climate change or natural disasters as a strategic risk, despite experiencing at least one natural disaster in 2021-22.
Wagga Wagga City Council, along with Coolamon Shire Council and Junee Shire Council, have successfully bid to host the 2024 Local Government NSW Destination and Visitor Economy Conference.
The conference is expected to draw hundreds of participants from across the state in May 2024.
The event is designed to bring councillors and council staff together to discuss ways to enhance councils’ visitor economy potential and achieve sustainable growth.
The co-hosting approach was first adopted by Orange, Cabonne and Blayney councils in 2022.
Adelaide City Council has decided to ban rental e-scooters from the CBD by May 2024 unless the state government regulates their use.
InDaily reports that the council is concerned about pedestrian safety and lack of insurance, and Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith is opposed to their use on footpaths.
The council has authorised the Lord Mayor to request a further extension of the city’s e-scooter trial until April 30, 2024, but with the amendment that this will be the “final” extension.
The state government is reviewing personal mobility device use in South Australia to inform new laws and regulations.
Briefly:
In Byron, the council will invest an additional $250,000 into enforcement of illegal camping, parking and irresponsible dog ownership.
The funding will pay for additional staff and an extra vehicle, and follows an increase in community concerns about the issues.
In Tasmania, a union is calling for council workers to be given the right to attend consultations about potential council amalgamations.
The ASU says some workers will need to travel great distances to attend one of just nine face to face sessions available, and is concerned that the haste and complexity of the proposals will limit their ability to have a say on their working futures.
The City of Victor Harbor is celebrating being named the Top Tourism town, and winner of the People’s Choice award at the 2023 South Australian Top Tourism Town Awards.
Coober Pedy has been recognised with the Small Tourism Town Award, and Port Broughton in Yorke Peninsula is the Tiny Tourism Town winner.
Tourism Industry Council South Australia
New figures released by the Regional Australia Institute reveal the north Queensland city of Townsville as the most popular destination for internal migration in the nation.
The city experienced a 500% increase in new residents last year, with two thirds coming from other regional areas.
Townsville Deputy Mayor Mark Molachino told the Guardian that while the city had one of the best local job markets in the country, the growth was putting pressure on the local housing market.
He said private investment is needed to meet an urgent need for two and three bedroom units.
Now for today’s International Spotlight:
One of the largest councils in Texas has been hit with a ransomware attack, and its crisis communications methods are being called into question.
The City of Dallas was hit in early May, taking many services offline with some still yet to be restored.
The Dallas Morning News has reported that preventative measures were taken to limit the effect of the ransomware attack, but little has been revealed about what those measures were.
Four weeks later, the newspaper has obtained communications talking points that have been given to elected members, advising them to respond to any enquiries with minimal information.
Officials will not reveal if there have been any ransom demands, and have said little else reportedly due to an ongoing criminal investigation involving the FBI.
Another twist in the Gore District Council dramas, with revelations this week that a petition calling for the CEO’s resignation was organised and distributed by a councillor’s employee.
The Southland Times has revealed the individual works for an internet provider, of which Gore councillor Joe Stringer is a director, and that the firm also employs the mother of Mayor Ben Bell.
As previously reported, the relationship between Mayor Bell and the CEO Stephen Parry has broken down in recent months, to the point where the Council appointed a councillor as an intermediary for the pair.
Cr Stringer has confirmed the connection to the petition organiser, and said while it doesn’t look good, he can’t tell people what to do in their day-to-day lives.
The petition, with nearly 5,000 signatures, is due to be considered by the Council in mid-June.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown has offered what has been described as a package of sweeteners to Councillors to gain their support for offloading the Council’s share of the city’s airport.
Privatising the council’s $2.2B shareholding is a key plank in his plan to limit rate increases and address an estimated $325M budget shortfall.
The NZ Herald reports that the sweeteners include a reversal of previously announced cuts to arts and social services funding and local boards funding, and a pay increase for bus drivers.
But Mayor Brown’s budget announcement on Thursday has attracted criticism from the country’s Media Freedom Committee, after certain media outlets were excluded.
When some reporters threatened to walk out as a protest, Mayor Brown is reported by Radio New Zealand to have confirmed that some outlets were not invited because they’d been nasty – only inviting those that were felt “best able to convey the mayor’s message.”
The Media Freedom Committee described the events as troubling, and that it was unacceptable to cherry-pick journalists based on who you think will give you the easiest ride.
Following his budget announcement, Mayor Brown did not take questions from those who were present, saying he did not have time.
Other international stories worth following currently:
The UK government has installed commissioners at another English council.
The Guardian reports that debts at Woking Council are forecast to reach nearly £2.5B, around 100 times its annual net income.
The council will be overseen by a team of commissioners as it is said to be on the verge of effective bankruptcy.
And a council in Canada has asked its staff to come up with ways to limit frivolous or dangerous behaviour after a council meeting was disrupted last week.
The meeting of Windsor City Council was adjourned for 30 minutes and the disruptive person asked to leave, prompting the council to consider a policy review.
It is looking to Essex County Council for a template, which recently passed a new conduct policy for visitors to county facilities after its April meeting had to be postponed.
As reported by the CBC, the new policy seeks to limit frivolous, vexatious and unreasonable behaviour by the public, with escalating consequences for repeat offenders.
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That’s the latest from the Roundup for the 3rd June 2023.
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The Local Government News Roundup is recorded in the city of Greater Geelong, Victoria, on the land of the Wadawurrung People of the Kulin Nation.
I’ll be back soon with more of the latest local government news. Until next time, thanks for listening, and bye for now.