Here are the stories that made the national roundup segment of the latest episode of the Local Government News Roundup.
The new CEO for Queensland’s fastest growing city has finally been announced, after weeks of speculation.
Sonia Cooper, the acting CEO of Ipswich City Council since April, has been appointed to continue in the role. She has been with Ipswich Council since February 2020, and was previously a Deputy Commissioner with the Queensland Public Service.
Ms Cooper is the council’s first female CEO, and the appointment makes Ipswich one of only six councils in the state to have a female mayor and a female CEO.
The recruitment process was conducted by Davidson, with 84 applications received from across Queensland and interstate. Read more here
Meanwhile, the outgoing CEO at Queensland’s Maranoa Regional Council is being forced out of the job months earlier than planned.
The Courier Mail reports that the council passed a motion to extend Julie Reitano’s leave from Christmas Eve through to her expected finishing date of 1st March.
As with the decision to not renew Ms Reitano’s contract in August, the council vote was split on the matter, with the mayor and deputy mayor recusing themselves due to a conflict of interest. Read more here
In South Australia, two Adelaide metro councils have attracted criticism from the RSPCA for proposed by-laws that include the tethering of cats.
RSPCA SA CEO Paul Stevenson expressed extreme concerns about the by-laws that would have made the tethering of cats to a fixed object by means of a chain, cord or leash acceptable.
He said he is pleased that following lobbying of politicians, the Legislative Council has used its powers to disallow the by-laws. Read more here
A new Wollongong version of the popular Monopoly board game has arrived, just in time for Christmas.
Wollongong City Council has welcomed the release of the classic board game which replaces the likes of Pall Mall, the Electric Company and the Strand with local landmarks such as the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre, Crown Street and the Sea Cliff Bridge.
The game is available from local retailers, which are listed on the city council’s website. Wollongong joins Tamworth in having a local edition of Monopoly, with that city’s version released in time for the 50th anniversary of the Tamworth Country Music Festival in January. Read more here
The mayor of Blue Mountains says he will push for a shift to a model where the community elects the mayor, after the current elections are concluded.
Cr Mark Greenhill has told the Blue Mountains Gazette that the current system where councillors elect the mayor is antiquated, and having the community choose the mayor would be more democratic.
Currently, 35 of the state’s 128 councils have a popularly elected mayor. A change for Blue Mountains would require a referendum to be conducted some time after the new council is elected next month. Read more here
A new national study into suburban parks and playgrounds has identified a wish-list of features to meet the needs of various user groups.
The study by Deakin University’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition has found that children, adolescents and older adults all look for different features in parks, but all age groups benefit from well-designed urban spaces that cater for play and relaxation.
Associate Professor Jenny Veitch, who led the study, said many councils spend a lot of money on parks, but it must be the right expense that achieves the well-designed, attractive environments that are wanted by the public.
She said parks not currently well attended should be reinvigorated and refurbished to optimise use, offering huge benefits to our population’s physical, social and mental wellbeing. Read more here
Listen to these stories and more in episode #75 of the Local Government News Roundup, brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.