Today on the Local Government News Roundup,
First Nations events cancelled in Greater Geelong this Australia Day;
A Council CEO takes leave after a tragic personal loss;
Council parking costs and fines in the media spotlight;
A Sydney council demanding answers from its mayor and CEO;
Queensland councils on alert for yet another wild weather event;
Water supply slowing returning in Douglas Shire days after being turned off by the council;
UK MPs call for action on council funding;
and gunfire brings a council meeting to an abrupt halt in Canada.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government; with support from Davidson, the nationally recognised executive recruitment service and business advisory practice.
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Transcript for episode 297:
There’ll be no council-hosted Australia Day events in the city of Greater Geelong this year.
The Geelong Advertiser reports (23/1/24) that traditional owners are focused on a truth-telling event at Torquay, leading to the cancellation of planned formal First Nations events in the Geelong CBD.
Last year, the council voted to move citizenship ceremonies away from the 26th of January in favour of formalised First Nations acknowledgement events.
Greater Dandenong City Council CEO Jacqui Weatherill has taken leave after the tragic passing of her husband, Simon Weatherill.
Mr Weatherill, a former CEO of the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, died while competing in the Portsea Swim Classic last Saturday.
Mayor Cr Lana Formoso said the council was shocked by the sad news, and that “our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Ms Weatherill and her family at this incredibly difficult time”.
The council’s executive director of community strengthening, Peta Gillies, will be Acting CEO during Ms Weatherill’s leave.
The cost of parking and the likelihood of being fined for overstaying or failing to pay are the subject of a Herald Sun piece today.
The report reveals the streets in Melbourne’s CBD that have the highest rates of parking infringements; the number of infringements issued by Greater Geelong council last year; and details on parking enforcement activity in other locations including Greater Dandenong, Ballarat, and Mornington Peninsula Shire.
The Geelong Advertiser today reports on Surf Coast Shire’s desire for improved bus services, including support for the idea of an electric bus service between Torquay, Armstrong Creek and Geelong.
Upgraded bus services in the area are planned for later this year.
Mayor Liz Pattison told the Advertiser that an electric bus service with a corresponding active transport corridor would be ideal.
A new state-of-the-art basketball facility for Victoria has been officially opened at Wantirna South in Knox.
The project was jointly funded by the Council and the state government, and has delivered 12 new indoor courts for local basketball competitions, bringing the total to 18 courts, and a new regional level gymnastics facility.
The Council secured $105 million funding from the Victorian Government and contributed a further $27 million bringing the total investment to $132 million, making it the council’s biggest investment ever in community facilities.
Yarra City Council has this week launched its “Queer is…” campaign, celebrating the diversity, joy, and strength of the local LGBTIQA+ community in Yarra.
It champions Yarra’s vibrant LGBTIQA+ community, showcasing their stories and experiences through street posters and online content.
The campaign runs alongside Australia’s premier LGBTIQA+ cultural festival, Midsumma, featuring residents, visitors, artists, and queer community groups, and builds on Yarra’s existing support and solidarity with the LGBTIQA+ community, aligning with the Rainbow Yarra brand identity and platform.
Former local government CEO and state government executive Nick Foa has been appointed the new CEO of the Industry Capability Network – Victoria.
He will take up the position with ICN Victoria in early February, taking over from Kristan Dooley who has been interim CEO for the past three months.
Mr Foa was the CEO of Brimbank City Council until 2012, later holding senior roles with Local Government Victoria, Sport and Recreation Victoria, the Suburban Rail Loop Authority and various other state government departments.
City of Ryde councillors are demanding answers from the mayor and the staff about why they were not informed of the defects in a 900-unit apartment complex in Macquarie Park, which received an urgent rectification order from the state’s building watchdog.
An extraordinary meeting has been called at which councillors will seek a report on the history of the building, the impact of the defects on the council-owned community and childcare centres, and the communication breakdown within the council.
That’s according to a report this week from the Sydney Morning Herald.
Georges River Council has finalised the Significant Tree Register, including 257 trees at 16 sites, following a public exhibition period where numerous nominations for significant trees on private and public land were received.
The register aims to recognize and protect local trees of visual, botanical, ecological, and historical significance.
It will be managed in accordance with the Council’s Tree Management Policy.
The Mayor, Sam Elmir, emphasised the importance of protecting the local flora and fauna and expressed gratitude to the community for their contributions.
An extraordinary meeting of Kiama Council has been called an Extraordinary Meeting for Thursday 1 February to consider the Blue Haven Bonaira tender, and a notice of motion regarding the divestment of the aged care business.
The notice of motion was deferred from a December meeting.
Wave FM has reported that the tender will be discussed in a confidential session of the meeting.
Communities across Queensland are preparing for yet another potentially damaging storm event.
The Townsville Local Disaster Management Group (TLDMG) has moved to ‘lean forward’ status as it continues to monitor the slow-moving tropical low currently in the Coral Sea off the North Queensland coast.
The weather system is expected to move closer to land over the next few days, possibly crossing the coast between Innisfail and Airlie Beach.
TLDMG Chair Jenny Hill said the decision to move to lean forward was made in preparation for any weather event.
She has encouraged residents to get their emergency kits ready, ensuring they include any prescription medicine, cash and identify documents.”
The number of sites offering sand and SES-supplied bags has been increased from three to seven this week.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has warned residents to prepare for the possibility that the city will be smashed on Australia Day, according to the Gold Coast Bulletin.
Citizenship ceremonies may be cancelled, and sandbag stations are being opened with the city’s disaster response at ‘level three’ currently.
Redland City Mayor Karen Williams also warned residents to be ready for heavy rains.
The city is putting a priority on ensuring stormwater drains are clear and has called on residents to help by removing debris from around their properties.
Residents in Port Douglas were without water from Sunday night due to an emergency decision to halt the water supply.
Douglas Shire Council turned off the water due to low reservoir levels partly due to a suspected leak, which was later found and rectified.
The council has been providing regular updates as supply has been returning gradually in recent days.
In the latest updates yesterday, it reported on high levels of silt and debris flowing from the Daintree River to treatment plants, and said chlorine levels and turbidity were being closely monitored.
A councillor has resigned from Meander Valley Council in Tasmania.
The Examiner reports that Lochie Dornauf is heading overseas ($) for a year of work and travel after a little more than a year as a councillor.
He will step down at the beginning of February, and a recount will be required to fill the vacancy.
The City of Melville is seeking community input to shape its first Community Climate Action Plan, with the goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by December 2050.
A community survey, launched on January 22, 2024, is asking for feedback on how the City can support local climate action across various areas of daily life.
Participants who complete the survey by February 11, 2024, have the chance to win one of five $100 VISA gift cards.
The draft plan will be informed by the City’s Climate Action Reference Group (CARG), which consists of 24 members and has identified priority action areas such as energy, water, transport, and education.
Dozens of UK MPs, including over 40 Tories and former cabinet ministers, have written to the Prime Minister urging additional funding for English councils to prevent significant service cuts.
The MPs, coordinated by the County Councils Network and the County All-Party Parliamentary Group, expressed “exceptional concern” about the measures many local authorities are considering to avoid insolvency, such as raising council tax and reducing services.
The government announced a £64bn funding package for councils, but there is growing worry about council funding, particularly regarding the cost of caring for vulnerable adults and children, as well as housing services.
More on that story from BBC News.
In a report from Radio New Zealand, the country’s Local Government Minister, Simeon Brown, has expressed “serious concerns” about the ability of Wellington and Upper Hutt councils to manage water shortage and leakage issues.
This comes as much of the Wellington region moved to level 2 water restrictions due to high demand putting pressure on the drinking water supply.
Brown has requested updates from the councils on their efforts to address water challenges, including fixing leakage issues, increasing supply, and funding short and medium-term activities. He has also raised questions about the allocation of water rates and the councils’ water infrastructure investment.
A meeting of Christchurch council today is expected to include discussion about a potential bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
Radio New Zealand is reporting that Mayor Phil Mauger has put forward a recommendation to look into the viability of the idea.
2030 will mark fifty years since the event was hosted in the city.
Reports of gunfire brought a meeting of Edmonton City Council in Canada to an abrupt halt earlier today, according to a report from the Edmonton Journal.
The meeting had been underway for about an hour before the incident.
All councillors were sent home and city hall was put on lockdown while police conducted a sweep of the building.
It’s understood one person has been arrested and there are so far no reports of any injuries.
Two councillors at Saint John, New Brunswick, stripped of their duties last October during a code of conduct investigation have been reinstated.
CTV News reports that Joanna Killen and Brent Harris, have reportedly apologised for their actions during a strike by city workers, and the council has accepted the apologies.
The city says the two councillors were found in breach of a code of conduct but has not provided details of the alleged breaches.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed has declined to veto a non-binding resolution by the local city council calling for an extended ceasefire in Gaza, despite her concerns about foreign policy interfering with city politics.
Mayor Breed criticised the decision by the Board of Supervisors, claiming that it has inflamed divisions and hurt the city.
The resolution added to the challenges faced by Mayor Breed in the run-up to the primary election, impacting her focus on addressing homelessness, drug use, and property crimes.
The Times of Israel reported that San Francisco’s resolution aligned with a trend of US cities expressing support for addressing the Israel-Hamas war, despite their resolutions having no legal weight, but reflecting mounting pressure on local governments to voice their concerns on the conflict.
The mayor of Calvià, Majorca, has refused to pay an approximately €10 million extortion fee demanded by cybercriminals following a ransomware attack.
The city council is working to recover normality as soon as possible and has formed a crisis cabinet to evaluate the scope of the cyberattack, according to a report from website The Record.
All administrative deadlines have been temporarily suspended, and the council has contacted the cybercrime department of the Civil Guard and shared its preliminary forensic analysis.
Mayor Juan Antonio Amengual emphasized the council’s firm commitment to not paying ransomware extortion demands, in line with Spain’s pledge as a signatory of the Counter Ransomware Initiative