Today on the Roundup podcast, Geelong’s municipal monitors named; a coalition of councillors seeks an end to prayers at Council meetings; a new gig for a former metro council CEO; a call for a limit on mayoral terms in Tasmania; a former council CEO loses an unfair dismissal case; and much more from around the world of local government.
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Transcript (with story links):
Hi, this is Chris Eddy, with the latest from the Local Government News Roundup.
On the podcast today – Geelong’s municipal monitors named; a coalition of councillors seeks an end to prayers at Council meetings; a new gig for a former metro council CEO; a call for a limit on mayoral terms in Tasmania; a former council CEO loses an unfair dismissal case; and much more from around the world of local government here on the Roundup.
Municipal monitors have been announced to guide the recruitment of a chief executive officer at the City of Greater Geelong, as flagged last month by the Minister for Local Government Melissa Horne.
Prue Digby and Peter Dorling have been appointed for 12 months and will also support the council’s “transition back to good governance.”
Minister Horne said the two monitors have extensive experience, skills and knowledge to guide the City of Greater Geelong to refocus on its community.
Ms Digby recently completed a term as municipal monitor to South Gippsland Shire Council. Mr Dorling is a previous administrator and monitor between 2017 and 2020 to Greater Geelong council.
The minister’s intervention is in response to a recommendation from the Chief Municipal Inspector who is investigating the council’s CEO appointment process, focussing on integrity and transparency.
According to a source quoted in the Geelong Advertiser (4th Feb 2023, p.5), the investigation and recommendation to appoint monitors followed a complaint by a person connected to the council; and the names of candidates may have been spread beyond the members of the recruitment committee,
It’s understood candidate interviews were about to occur when the Minister’s announcement of the intention to appoint monitors was made.
Read the Minister’s announcement here.
21 Victorian councillors have signed a letter to the state government seeking an end to Christian prayers at council meetings.
The letter argues that the use of single faith prayers at meetings is inconsistent with the multicultural, multi-faith diversity of communities, and may be inconsistent with the principles-based Local Government Act 2020.
A government spokesman told the Age that the act does not require prayers to be conducted.
Signatories to the letter include councillors from Glen Eira, Banyule and Monash City Councils.
As representation reviews get underway for a number of regional and rural Councils around Victoria, one Mayor has expressed disappointment in the short notice and limited period for community input.
Strathbogie Shire Mayor Laura Binks said her council had hoped the community would have longer to understand the process and provide feedback, and that an extension to the review has been requested.
The review was announced last month, with the public submission period opening on 1st February. Interested people have 21 days to make a submission to an independent electoral representation panel.
The panel must consider how councils can be structured to comply with the Local Government Act 2020, which requires councils to have either single-councillor wards; multi-councillor wards with an equal number of councillors per ward; or be unsubdivided.
Strathbogie currently has five wards: three single member wards, and two wards with two councillor representatives.
Twelve councils are part of the first round of reviews commencing this month, with a further 27 councils expected to undergo the process prior to the next council elections in October 2024.
Former Council CEO Justin Hanney has joined Davidson Recruitment as a senior partner as part of the firm’s plans to expand its business advisory division.
Mr Hanney, who resigned from the top job at the City of Melbourne last year, has also held senior roles in state government economic departments and the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
In his new role, Mr Hanney said he’s looking forward to using his knowledge to assist CEOs and executives to meet their challenges and grasp opportunities for growth.
Wellington Shire Council has introduced a 24-hour cat curfew, with a six month amnesty in place from now until 1 July.
The council made the decision in December to implement the curfew, after gaining support from 70 per cent of more than 1,600 submissions.
An advisory and educational campaign will be conducted during the amnesty period, before enforcement commences after 1 July.
The requirement to keep cats confined to the owner’s property boundaries is in force immediately.
In the media this week is Yarra City Council:
The Age reports on the end of Greens’ control of the Council, with news that its longest serving member Amanda Stone is no longer a member of the Greens.
The report suggests that Cr Stone let her party membership lapse late last year, around the time the council voted to reduce the frequency of council meetings from fortnightly to monthly.
With the recent election of Michael Glynatis in a countback to replace new parliamentarian Gabrielle de Vietri, just three of the nine council positions are now held by Greens members.
Ahead of more news from around the country, I’m excited to let you know that you can now support the Local Government News Roundup with our new subscription feature.
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Now for more council stories making news this week from around Australia.
A former CEO of SA’s Burnside City Council has lost an unfair dismissal case, and been ordered to pay costs estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Adelaide Advertiser reports on how Paul Deb was challenging the 2019 termination of his employment in the Supreme Court, after rejecting a $50K settlement offer in 2020.
Chief Justice Chris Kourakis found the termination was justified for a number of reasons, including his alleged involvement in emails criticising elected members; making disparaging comments about some newly elected councillors; and keeping intimate photographs of himself and a sexual partner on a work email drive.
The termination followed an investigation into complaints against Mr Deb, which included the alleged improper use of a council credit card.
Chief Justice Kourakis said Mr Deb’s conduct fatally compromised the trust and confidence that was critical to his employment relationship.
Read more from the Adelaide Advertiser here ($).
A new administrator has been appointed to Coober Pedy District Council, after the departure of Tim Jackson from the role last week.
Mr Jackson carried out the role for four years, and last month requested to complete his term on 2nd February.
Former Flinders Ranges Council CEO Colin Davies has been appointed as interim Administrator while the appointment of a long term Administrator is being finalised.
Local Government Minister Geoff Brock has published an open letter to the Coober Pedy community providing an update on the administration arrangements.
The councillor body was suspended and replaced by an administrator in January 2019 for an initial 12 month period, in response to the council’s debt position and allegations of maladministration.
Last year, the state government decided to extend the period of administration , potentially until 2026.
The City of Adelaide has made 38 recommendations to an independent review of the implementation of the state’s new planning system.
The council’s 75 page response to the independent panel, submitted last week, notes that there are many elements which are working well, such as the system’s transparency and the ability to easily track development proposals.
However, the council also sees several opportunities for improvement – including greater opportunities for decisions to be appealed by the public and Council; a single act to replace state and local systems for heritage protection; and investment in greening to future proof tree canopy and cooling strategies.
Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith said the submission reflected strong feedback from community consultation, as well as expert advice on how the system has been operating on a day-to-day basis.
Launceston City Council will this week finalise a submission to the State Government with feedback after last year’s local government elections.
A key proposal for discussion is limiting the tenure of mayors to two terms as a means of more effective succession planning.
The draft submission also calls for more work to raise community awareness of candidates so that higher profile candidates don’t have an unfair advantage; and for a mix of on the day and postal voting as occurs at state government elections.
The council will consider the content of its submission at its meeting on Thursday.
The NSW peak body for councils, LGNSW, is concerned about short notice and the dollar-for-dollar contribution requirements after the federal government’s announcement of new Disaster Ready funding arrangements.
Up to $200 million will be made available each financial year for the next five years, with the money to be distributed by the states and territories.
The NSW Reconstruction Authority is coordinating project proposals for New South Wales, and councils and joint organisations are required to submit their round one proposals by 14th February.
LGNSW is looking for comments from the councils on the operation of the fund and the assistance provided by the NSW Reconstruction Authority.
In the media spotlight this week is: Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council.
The ABC has a story about an independent report on financial management at the Council, which has found a $15.8M gap between council budgets and actual expenditure over a five year period.
The report describes inadequate budgetary controls which have had a significant impact on available funding for future capital works and reserves.
Mayor Charlie Sheahan said the “unflattering” report provides a lot of good recommendations, with some already in place and others to be adopted immediately.
Now for this episode’s International Spotlight:
Nottingham City Council has avoided the appointment of commissioners after making significant progress meeting a list of 67 requirements imposed on it.
The council has been monitored by a government-appointed board since September 2020 over concerns about its financial sustainability.
According to the BBC, the government has noted the council’s good progress and that it has a “more serious sense of purpose.”
However, the responsible government minister has said he will assess whether further powers should be exercised, including the appointment of commissioners, on receipt of the monitor’s next report.
The leader of a north London council has been subject to online abuse after the renaming of a local street.
Haringey Council renamed Black Boy Lane last month due to racial connotations. It is now called La Rose Lane, in honour of a Caribbean-born poet and activist.
The BBC reports that the new sign has been sprayed with black paint, and someone has installed a huge sign with the original name on a wall behind it.
Council leader Peray Ahmet has been subject to a large number of abusive emails from what she describes as “far-right bullies.”
She says she is sad and disappointed by the mindless vandalism.
In New Zealand, a reported jump in operating deficit of $26M for one council has raised the potential for significantly higher than anticipated rate increases next financial year.
Hamilton City Council says external cost headwinds, largely due to inflation and interest, had impacted its ability to balance the books.
Approximately $14M is expected to be received from the government’s Three Waters reforms, leaving a $25M shortfall.
The expected rate increase of 4.9% would need to be lifted to 12.5% if rates were to be used to cover the funding gap.
Stuff.co.nz has more on that story.
That’s the latest from the Roundup for the 7th February 2023.
I’ll be back later in the week with another episode. Until then, thanks for listening, and bye for now.