On the latest summer update from the Roundup:
Two monitors to be appointed to oversee Greater Geelong’s CEO hiring process;
Corangamite Shire appoints an interim CEO;
Another countback for Colac Otway Shire due to a councillor resignation;
a former Council CEO posthumously awarded an Order of Australia Medal;
and more of this week’s local government happenings from around the country.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government.
Listen to this episode here, and find the link for your podcast player here for any of the 192 episodes to date.
Transcript (with story links):
Episode 192 LG News Roundup, 27 January 2023
Hi, this is Chris Eddy, with some of the latest stories making news on the Local Government News Roundup – brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government.
Councillors – the annual VLGA FastTrack Councillor Leadership Development is coming up on Friday 31st March, with the theme “Leading in Times of Chaos’
A limited number of seats are still available-
Check out the VLGA website for registration and more details.
Victoria’s Minister for Local Government will install two municipal monitors to assist the City of Greater Geelong in hiring its new Chief Executive Officer.
Melissa Horne has announced the move after taking advice from Local Government Victoria and the Chief Municipal Inspector (CMI).
The CMI has raised concerns about integrity and transparency in the appointment process arising from an ongoing investigation into the council.
The minister will appoint two monitors to “support the hiring process of a new CEO and during their term will work to ensure the Council delivers good governance”.
Further details on the appointment and terms of reference are to follow.
A Council spokesperson told the Geelong Advertiser that the council looks forward to working with the government to ensure exceptional leadership for the city.
Read the Minister’s announcement here.
Former Southern Grampians CEO Michael Tudball is returning to the sector as interim CEO at Corangamite Shire.
The council this week appointed Mr Tudball to lead the council until a permanent CEO is selected.
Since leaving Southern Grampians in 2021, Mr Tudball has been a regional director with Regional Roads Victoria.
He takes up the position on 30th January, from outgoing CEO Andrew Mason who has been appointed as CEO at Warrnambool City Council.
Former Victorian council CEO David Turnbull has been posthumously awarded an Order of Australia Medal for service to local government.
David left a strong legacy in the sector over 40 years, including 21 years as CEO and director at the City of Whittlesea, and four years as CEO at Mitchell Shire Council before his death from cancer in 2020.
Mitchell Shire Mayor Fiona Stevens welcomed news of the award this week, saying it was a great honour to see Mr Turnbull’s legacy and commitment recognised with the Order of Australia medal.
Read Mitchell Shire’s news release here.
Colac Otway Shire Council will have its second countback for the year, after Cr Jamie Bell resigned this week to focus on work commitments outside the shire.
Mr Bell was elected in 2020. Mayor Chris Potter thanked him for his contribution, and said it was understood that his work commitments have grown to the point where he’s unable to dedicate the time required for the role.
The VEC will announce details for a countback in due course.
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has expressed significant disappointment in a VCAT decision to allow a large-scale aged care facility in Mount Eliza, outside of the urban growth boundary.
The Council has previously rejected the proposal and has unsuccessfully sought state government intervention.
It is now asking the planning minister to urgently approve a planning scheme amendment to prevent further parcels of land within the Green Wedge from “inappropriately developed”.
The General Manager of Upper Lachlan Shire Council in NSW has resigned her position and will finish in early March.
Colleen Worthy has held the position since January 2020. She said she has made the decision to prioritise her personal family commitments.
The council’s director of environment and planning Alex Waldron will be acting general manager while a recruitment process is conducted.
The City of Greater Geraldton council will next week vote on a recommendation to reduce its number of councillors by a third after completing a representation review.
The move follows advice from the local government minister of legislative reforms that will see the introduction of optional preferential voting, and determination of councillor numbers based on population levels.
For Greater Geraldton, its population means it will be able to have no more than nine elected members, inclusive of the Mayor.
Northern Beaches Council has said it will decline an offer to take planning authority responsibility for a development proposal at Lizard Rock in Belrose over concerns about the destruction of natural bushland.
Mayor Michael Regan said the proposal from the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council does not demonstrate strategic or site-specific merit.
The Council has opposed the proposal for some time as it believes it would see the construction of more than 400 homes on bushfire-prone land, representing an extreme risk for those residents.
Yarra Ranges Shire Council has received additional state and commonwealth government funding to continue recovery efforts from a major storm in June 2021.
$320K in funding will be used for the continuation of the Healing in our Gardens program, and to make grants of up to $25k available to community groups in storm-impacted areas for recovery and resilience projects. Read more here.
This year’s National General Assembly of Local Government will be held in Canberra from 13 – 15 June.
The Australian Local Government Association announced the dates for the assembly this week, with a theme of “Our Communities, Our Future”.
ALGA said it is working closely with the Federal Government towards incorporating the return of the Australian Council of Local Government as part of the event.
Motions for the assembly are due to be submitted by 24th March. Read more here.
A city council in the US state of Ohio has been collecting more municipal income tax than authorised for the last 15 years.
Rittman taxpayers have received a letter from the city revealing that they have been charged tax at the rate of 1.5%, instead of the authorised rate of 1%.
The issue dates back to 1996 when a previous ordinance was “inadvertently omitted from the city’s tax code”, according to a report from news5cleveland.com.
The city says residents won’t be refunded for “legal and practical reasons”, and the likelihood that it would bankrupt the city.
Those are the latest news briefs from the Local Government News Roundup.
Our regular episode schedule will resume later this month.
In the meantime, stay subscribed for our summer updates on your podcast player.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government – The VLGA is now on Instagram -give them a follow on @VLGAssoc
Until next time, thanks for listening.