On the podcast today for 9th December 2023:
A Wyndham councillor set for suspension after a serious misconduct finding;
Greater Geelong’s new executive team sends ripples through three councils and a peak body;
Glenelg finally fills its two vacant councillor positions;
A council meeting gets fiery over calls for a suspended mayor to resign;
Conduct complaint findings against more councillors, including a Lord Mayor;
Another long-time Queensland mayor calls time ahead of local government elections;
UK councils join a growing backlash against plant-based only menus;
and the would-be councillor who lost an election by one vote – after forgetting to vote for himself!
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.
Stories in this episode (with links where available):
Victorian Roundup:
Wyndham City Councillor Jasmine Hill has been found guilty of serious misconduct by a Councillor Conduct Panel, and is set to be suspended for four months from next week.
It was alleged by Cr Josh Gilligan that Cr Hill had behaved unreasonably towards council staff on 19 separate occasions.
Only six of the allegations were fully considered, with the remainder not considered for various reasons including the timing of the alleged offences and a lack of sufficient evidence.
The panel found that Cr Hill engaged in bullying of two members of staff, accepting that she had screamed and shouted at them on multiple occasions.
It also found that Cr Hill had shown no remorse or understanding of her actions.
The Panel therefore considered that no remedial action was available, and that an apology would not be required due to Cr Hill’s denial of the behaviour.
A suspension of four months has been imposed, to take effect from the Monday 11th December when the panel’s report is tabled at a council meeting.
The City of Greater Geelong’s new executive team has been announced, sending ripples through three councils and the sector’s major peak body.
The CEO of East Gippsland Shire Council, Anthony Basford will join Bass Coast General Manager and recent Acting CEO James Stirton, MAV Executive Director Troy Edwards, and internal appointment Tenille Bradley in the team that will report to new CEO Ali Wastie.
Ms Wastie announced the new appointments following a search for “the best people to invigorate our culture and meet our promise of being a high-performing organisation”.
The structural changes will take effect on 15 January when the number of directorates will be reduced from five to four.
Executive directors Robyn Stevens and Gareth Smith have finished with the city this week, while current Acting Executive Director City Infrastructure David Greaves will continue in the role until the new structure takes effect, at which time he will return to the Manager City Works position.
East Gippsland Shire Mayor Tom Crook confirmed that he had received Mr Basford’s resignation as CEO.
He said receiving the resignation was disappointing, but the council is well-placed to forge ahead. He paid tribute to Mr Basford’s leadership particularly through ‘difficult circumstances’ with bushfires, a pandemic and other natural disasters.
Cr Crook said the council would work with Mr Basford on the timing of his departure and options for the recruitment of a new CEO.
Glenelg Shire Council has its second new councillor inside a week, after the successful completion of a countback to fill the last extraordinary vacancy on the Council.
Robyn McDonald has been elected from the remaining eligible candidates and will take the seat vacated recently by Chrissy Hawker.
Ms McDonald had turned down the opportunity to become a councillor in recent countbacks due to work commitments.
But she told the Warrnambool Standard she had received strong encouragement from community members which helped convince her to accept the position this time.
The result comes after the election last week of former councillor Alistair McDonald after four countbacks to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Jayden Smith.
Both councillors have been sworn in this week.
The Mayor of Indigo Shire Council, Sophie Price, says the suspension this week of Strathbogie Shire Council is a disappointing outcome that reflects poorly on the local government sector.
However, Cr Price said it is pleasing that the state government is taking such a strong stance on improving accountability, governance and culture across the state.
She has welcomed the new legislation to be introduced next year that will elevate governance and integrity standards for all councils and reiterated Indigo Shire’s commitment to the highest levels of transparency and accountability.
Hume City Council will urge the state and federal governments to stick to promised timelines for construction of the Melbourne Airport Rail link.
A motion brought forward by Cr Jack Medcraft expressed concerns about current delays, and emphasises the airport’s employment and economic role in the city.
The Star Weekly reported that an amendment to the motion added a reaffirmation of the council’s support for an underground solution.
The City of Greater Bendigo has submitted an updated planning application for the expansion of Bendigo Art Gallery, the council’s number one priority project.
The estimated cost of the project has increased to $54M as a result of rising construction costs and inflation.
$33M in funding is confirmed so far, including $21M from the state government. A further $15M is being sought from the federal government, and the council will apply through the second round of the Growing Regions fund next year.
The project’s delivery timeline has been impacted by the cancellation of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Victorian Briefs:
A countback for Glen Eira City Council will be held on Monday 8th January at 10.30am.
The countback is required due to the recent passing of Camden Ward councillor David Zyngier.
The Roundup understands that there will be seven participating candidates from the 2020 election, with three candidates excluded from the countback.
The City of Melbourne will honour women’s rights activist and suffrage campaigner Vida Goldstein with a statue – the first in a series the council will commission to narrow the gender imbalance in statues across the city.
Just ten of the 580 statues in the city celebrate women from Melbourne’s history.
A new organics processing facility has opened near Mildura and will soon turn the region’s garden waste and food scraps into compost for local farms.
The facility will process up to 11,000 tonnes of food and organics waste annually from the council’s kerbside green bin service.
Cr Jason Modica welcomed the $7.4M investment in the region from Cleanaway.
The announcement of a new state government-operated early learning centre at Drouin has been welcomed by Baw Baw Shire Council.
Mayor Annemarie McCabe said the selection of Drouin for one of 50 government centres in the state is in line with the council’s priority advocacy for more investment in early years infrastructure to support the growing needs of the Baw Baw community.
National Roundup:
NSW:
Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig has been given a deadline of December 26 by Parliament to decide on what action, if any, he will take against Upper Hunter Shire Council.
A petition signed by more than 1200 residents has been tabled in the Parliament calling for the council to be sacked and placed under administration, due to concerns with the council’s financial performance.
NBN News has reported on the issues that petitioners say have led them to this course of action, as well as moves from some in the Merriwa community to break away from Upper Hunter and join neighbouring Liverpool Plains Shire.
A meeting of Canada Bay City Council this week turned fiery after a councillor introduced a motion calling on suspended mayor Angelo Tsirekas to resign.
Mr Tsirekas was suspended last month by Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig after an ICAC investigation found that he had engaged in serious corrupt conduct.
While Mr Hoenig is yet to make a final determination, Canada Bay councillor Andrew Ferguson thinks Mr Tsirekas should resign in the interests of the council and community.
Councillors voted down the motion, at which the public gallery erupted with jeers and insults. One person was directed to leave the meeting by the acting Mayor.
There was heated debate amongst councillors before an amended motion was passed calling on the Local Government Minister to expedite his decision.
Mr Tsirekas has said he won’t quit, and his lawyers were expected to seek a Supreme Court review of the ICAC’s findings, according to an ABC News report this week.
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne has called on Transurban to end what he describes as a deafening silence on the traffic fiasco at the Rozelle Interchange, and start contributing to solutions.
He said that as owners and operators of the interchange, Transurban and WestConnex have been stubbornly silent during the traffic chaos that has followed the opening of the interchange.
Mayor Byrne convened a public meeting on Thursday night, resulting in agreement to pursue a range of actions including the disclosure of immediate, real-time traffic data and travel times.
New regulations governing the operation of Audit, Risk and Improvement Committees at NSW Councils will come into effect next year.
The changes respond to recommendations from ICAC and the NSW Audit Office.
Committees will be required to have qualified voting members that are independent of the council and appointed for time limited terms.
The amendments also recognise that councils can tailor how the committees operate to reflect their size and operational risk.
The changes come into effect on the 1st July next year.
TAS:
Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds has been cautioned over an interaction at a public meeting last year.
A code of conduct panel found that the interaction between Lord Mayor Reynolds and now-councillor Louise Elliot did not meet acceptable standards, according to a report from Pulse Hobart.
Ms Elliot had spoken against a proposed move of the University of Tasmania’s campus to the Hobart CBD.
She claimed that Mayor Reynolds grabbed her by the arm and verbally accosted her aggressively.
The panel found that Mayor Reynolds did not treat Ms Elliot fairly, causing offence and embarrassment, and bringing her office into disrepute.
An allegation of bullying or harassment was dismissed.
A caution was determined to be the appropriate sanction, noting that Mayor Reynolds had apologised to Ms Elliot following the incident.
Northern Midlands councillor Andrew McCullagh is appealing a code of conduct panel ruling that found he had engaged in bullying and abused his position, and suspended him for 21 days.
The suspension was due to take effect this week, but the Launceston Examiner (8th December 2023) reported that Cr McCullagh would resume his councillor activities after lodging his appeal application.
He claims that he was not afforded procedural fairness of natural justice.
Northern Midlands Mayor Mary Knowles and General Manager Des Jennings provided testimony to support the complaint, which was lodged by local government director Mathew Healey.
Mayor Knowles earlier dismissed a call from Cr McCullagh for her resignation, labelling it a continuation of a long-running campaign against her and Mr Jennings, and she defended the use of Council funds to obtain independent legal advice.
She said that over the past two years, Cr McCullagh has been fined for Contempt of Supreme Court proceedings, pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court to unauthorised use of the Council’s logo, and lost an appeal against a council decision at TASCAT and had costs awarded against him.
QLD:
Another long-time mayor of a Queensland council is calling time ahead of elections in March.
Anne Baker has been mayor of Isaac Regional Council for 12 years, and a councillor for 17.
Council CEO Ken Gouldthorp said Mayor Baker had been “the political architect steering the ship for over a decade, and the driving force behind a series of remarkable achievements”.
He said the Isaac region’s trajectory had been forever altered under her visionary guidance.
Mayor Baker plans to take a break and spend time with family and friends after her term ends in March.
Sunshine Coast Council has warned of big penalties for those who damage nature after a sensitive coastal environment was poisoned.
Trees and plants have been destroyed across an 8000m2 area along the Mudjimba-Marcoola Foreshore Reserve – about the size of two football fields.
The council said the damage had created a significant risk to endangered loggerhead turtles nesting on the beach below, and that it is investigating the environmental vandalism.
The offence carries fines of up to $130K.
WA:
A three-year investigation has found no evidence of systemic fraud, corruption or collusion at WA’s Shire of Coolgardie.
The enquiry looked into allegations of procurement irregularities, improper tenderIng processes, and accusations levelled at chief executive James Trail.
It found that no obvious suspicious financial activity, tendering practices or any other breaches of legislation were identified.
City of Nedlands Council has published two public apologies on its website from former councillor Andrew Mangano.
The Local Government Standards Panel investigated complaints that then-councillor Mangano had contravened conduct regulations by making disrespectful comments about the performance of a city executive and failing to declare an impartiality interest on a matter before the Council.
Mr Mangano bowed out at the elections in October after six years on the council.
Meanwhile, the council has voted to become an eligible body to make superannuation payments to councillors but fell short of implementing the change because the decision was not unanimous.
PerthNow reported that the change will be further considered as part of budget discussions next year.
News Briefs:
The deputy mayor at Edward River Council Paul Fellows has resigned after two years as a councillor.
Inside Local Government reported on the decision of Cr Fellows to step down for personal reasons.
CEO Phil Stone said the council is seeking advice on how to best manage the vacancy, given that council elections are due in September next year.
Central Coast Council is using new technology to improve its water services and reduce costs.
It’s investing $200K in the technology which means there’ll be no need to shut down water mains during large water main valve replacements.
The council estimates the initiative will reduce water wastage by up to 95,000 litres per job.
Georges River Council will be the first in the Sydney metro area, and the sixth in the state to trial shared e-scooters.
A 12-month trial involving e-scooter provider Beam will commence on the 10th January.
The devices will be geofenced and speed limited to 20km/h on roads with a speed limit of 50km/h or less.
International Spotlight:
NZ:
An investigation has found five Wellington City councillors in breach of the code of conduct following a confidential briefing.
The breaches included failing to observe confidentiality, disrespecting other councillors, and criticising council staff in public.
Radio New Zealand has reported that the recommendations from the probe include refresher training on the legislation for councillors, a workshop under an independent facilitator, and a review of the Code of Conduct policy.
While Mayor Tory Whanau has accepted the recommendations, the councillors have expressed dissatisfaction with the process, rejected the findings, and criticized the mayor’s choice of the investigator.
UK:
Dorset Council in the UK looks set to become the fifth council in recent times to pass resolutions in support of British farmers, by rejecting plant-based only menus at council events.
The move follows a string of councils moving in the opposite direction by banning meat and dairy products at their events.
The Dorset proposal would see produce required to be sourced locally, and the reduction of food miles, according to a report from the Daily Mail.
If passed at a meeting next week, Dorset would join Portsmouth, Suffolk, Cornwall and North Northamptonshire which have recently passed similar motions.
This follows decisions to move to fully plant-based catering by several councils including Edinburgh, Norwich, Oxfordshire County and Cambridge City Council.
A new local government association survey of council leaders in the UK has found a high degree of pessimism about the financial stability of councils across the country.
The Guardian reports that around 1 in 5 council bosses believe it to be fairly or very likely that their council will join those who have already declared effective bankruptcy over the next 15 months – unless funding is lifted to keep pace with inflation and the increasing demand for child protection, adult social care and homelessness.
The Autumn Statement last month, which offered no new financial support for the sector, has many councils planning further cuts to services.
This week, Leeds City Council announced that 750 jobs will be cut, parking fees raised, and several facilities closed as it tries to trim £58M from its budget.
LGIU Chief Executive Jonathan Carr-West told the Guardian that a dozen more councils would likely go bust in the 2024-25 financial year.
EUROPE:
In the Czech Republic, Prague’s Old Town is now (almost) free of road traffic at night.
A new restriction has been introduced to promote safety and quiet for the area’s residents.
From 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM, all motor vehicles are prohibited from entering or passing through the Old Town area except traffic service vehicles, residents, and taxis.
Violation of the entry ban is punishable by a fine of up to CZK 2,000 (about 82 euros).
The new ban is expected to have a significant impact on the quality of life for residents of the popular tourist area by reducing noise and pollution levels, and making the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
USA:
A city in the US state of Minnesota is making history, where the council has become the first to comprise all women, all under the age of 40, and a majority of women of colour.
The historic first has happened in St Paul, Minnesota, the city that became infamous for the murder of George Floyd over three years ago.
Four women were elected for the first time last month, joining three incumbent women who were re-elected, with the new look council to be sworn-in in January.
CNN and NBC News are among those reporting on the dramatic change that is occurring at the municipal level in the city. You find links for those reports in the show notes.
And spare a thought for the candidate in Washington state who lost a contest for a city council seat by one vote.
And it turns out that he didn’t even vote for himself.
Damion Green told The Post that he’s not very good at tooting his own horn, and he didn’t bother casting a ballot at all.
His opponent in the two-horse race, Ryan Roth had no such qualms. He has confirmed that he did vote for himself, and it turns out that was the vote that swung the outcome in his favour.
It took a month to return a result in the election for Rainier City Council due to the very tight result, with officials confirming the final tally was 247 votes to 246.