In a bumper weekend edition of the Roundup:
New reforms announced to deal with councillor conduct in Victoria;
Winners and losers emerge from the federal government’s infrastructure funding review;
The Israel-Gaza conflict continues to impact on councils and communities locally;
More councils take a stand against government cost-shifting and the imposition of planning reforms;
Catch up on the latest mayoral election results;
The shock resignation of a long-term mayor;
Voluntary council mergers proposed in the final report on Tasmania’s local government review;
and sex scandals cost a mayor and a city manager their jobs at two separate councils in the US.
Plus much more news from across the world of local government.
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Victorian Roundup:
Victoria’s Local Government Minister Melissa Horne has announced the introduction of new powers to deal with councillor misconduct.
New sanctions, including fines, suspension and disqualification, to deal with councillors found guilty of misconduct were outlined by the Minister at Friday’s VLGA FastTrack day to a packed room of mayors and councillors.
The changes are expected to come in before the next round of council elections in October 2024.
The Chief Municipal Inspector will gain new powers to issue infringement notices, and there will be a model code of conduct and ongoing training requirements for councillors.
The changes follow a ‘culture review’ conducted under former local government minister Shaun Leane, and sweeping governance recommendations from IBAC’s Operation Sandon report.
Nearly 30 councillors have resigned this year alone, with many citing the pressures of the role and toxic working relationships as factors in their decision.
Minister Horne said she would be asking the sector for input into the proposed changes from February, with the aim of introducing legislation into the Parliament in March.
She said she hoped the changes would boost community confidence in local government, and help to encourage quality candidates to put themselves forward for elections in October 2024.
Winners and losers from the Federal Government’s review of infrastructure funding have been quick to respond to the news of projects that have managed to keep commonwealth funding, and those that have not.
Moonee Valley City Council was among the first to welcome the certainty for the Melbourne Airport rail link project.
Mayor Pierce Tyson said the council was delighted to learn the federal government remains committed to the project, and called on Melbourne Airport to get on board.
He said the airport appears to be the only barrier to the critical project being able to proceed, and said it should cease its “petty squabbles” about the location of its station.
The mayor of Greater Geelong is not so happy.
Cr Trent Sullivan said yesterday that the cancellation of the Geelong Fast Rail project is a bitter blow for the people of the region, which desperately needs public transport investment.
He said the council will now be ramping up its fight for transport funding from the state government.
At Greater Shepparton, the mayor Shane Sali has responded with disappointment at news that federal funding for stage one of the Goulburn Valley Highway Bypass has been lost.
He said it was very disappointing that the federal government had categorised the project as lacking merit and strategic rationale, especially given many projects that survived the cut are not on a nationally significant freight route.
Mayor Sali it was devastating to have the rug pulled out from under after working with the state and federal governments to progress the project over several years.
A councillor at Greater Geelong says she has been prevented from bringing forward a notice of motion calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war.
Sarah Hathway was planning a motion to similar those passed recently at Merri-bek and Canterbury-Bankstown councils, but has been told by the Council CEO that the motion was prejudicial and carried safety concerns for staff, councillors and the public.
Cr Hathway has spoken to the Green Left website to raise her concerns about being denied the opportunity to bring forward the motion.
The Roundup is aware of at least one other example of a similar notice of motion being rejected on health and safety grounds, in light of recent community protests and even death threats against councillors.
At Greater Shepparton on Tuesday, the council will consider a Notice of Motion submitted by Cr Seema Abdullah condemning both the initial and subsequent attacks in the Middle East and calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
And in Maribyrnong, a lengthy notice of motion submitted by Cr Jorge Jorquera is on the agenda for Tuesday’s moeeting along the lines of that passed by Merri-bek Council recently.
It includes consideration of cancelling contracts with companies that support Israel, and seeks a commitment to fly the Palestinian flag for one week in December.
At Port Phillip, a mural will be painted over after the council received a large number of complaints that it was anti-semitic and highly offensive.
The mural in Balaclava was created as part of a street beautification project aimed at mitigating graffiti.
ABC News reports that its depiction of faces, many with long noses, were reminiscent of caricatures that have long been used to spread anti-Jewish hate.
Mayor Heather Cunsolo said the council had taken advice from Jewish community leaders, and while no concerns were raised, it had decided to have the mural painted over in light of heightened sensitivities in the community.
The removal of the mural commenced yesterday and is expected to take several days to complete.
Yarra City Council has voted to cease maintaining some state roads in a standoff with the government over funding.
The Age reported this week that the council’s unanimous vote on Tuesday night will see mowing and litter collection cease on government land and about 20 roads.
A spokesperson said the government was disappointed that the council had made its decision without consultation.
The council says it receives around $88k per year from the government towards estimated costs of more than $1M.
Boroondara City Council has voted unanimously to oppose many of the elements of the state government’s new housing and planning reforms.
The Age reported this week that the council fears the government’s plan will erode neighbourhood character and create parking issues.
The removal of a requirement for a planning permit for granny flats is opposed on the grounds that it will change streetscapes irreversibly, without community concerns being taken into account.
The council said the inclusion of Camberwell Junction among the priority precincts targeted for increased density was “completely unacceptable”, with one councillor describing the planning minister’s control over projects as “a wolf in sheep’s clothes” that would lead to inappropriate developments.
Former mayor and councillor Steven Kingshott has been announced as the second municipal monitor for Glenelg Shire Council.
Mr Kingshott served for a decade at the former Williamstown City Council, prior to its amalgamation as part of Hobsons Bay City Council.
He was the first Mayor of the newly amalgamated council in 1996/97.
He has also been a board member at Melbourne Water.
Mr Kingshott joins Jim Gifford as the two monitors appointed for a three-month term at Glenelg.
The Victorian Ombudsman, Deborah Glass, has used the case of a woman’s seven year building permit issue to remind councils about the hallmarks of good complaint handling.
The issue commenced in 2016 when a builder applied for a permit on behalf of a client from the wrong council – Mitchell Shire.
A year later, the woman received a building order from Yarra Ranges Shire, at which point she became aware of the error and that she did not have a valid permit.
What followed was, according to the Ombudsman,a tangled bureaucratic web with conflicting requirements from the two councils, and communication errors.
Ms Glass said neither council initially demonstrated the kind of effective complaint handling that would be expected, and that they struggled to recognise the human story behind the complaints.
Her report on the investigation into the complaint was tabled in Parliament this week.
Let’s look at the latest mayoral election results from around the state.
At Bass Coast, there’s been a change of mayor and we have another all-female team.
Clare Le Serve is the new mayor, with Rochelle Halstead elected as the deputy.
Rob Amos has been re-elected for a second consecutive term at Campaspe Shire, with Tony Marwood to serve as deputy.
Baw Baw’s mayor Annemarie McCabe has also been re-elected for another term, and Tricia Jones was elected deputy.
At Wyndham, a new mayor in Jennie Barrera taking over from Susan McIntyre, while former mayor Josh Gilligan will serve as deputy for the coming year.
Damien Gallagher has been elected the new mayor of Murrindindi Council, and Sue Carpenter is the new deputy mayor.
A new mayor also at Benalla, where Danny Claridge steps into the role, and Justin King retains the deputy mayor position.
At Merri-bek, the council has elected Adam Pulford to the mayoralty. He takes the robes from Anjelica Panolpouls, while former Moreland mayor Lambros Tapinos steps into the deputy mayor position.
Yarra also has a new mayor in Edward Crossland, while Anub Mahamud has been elected as the new deputy mayor.
No change at Frankston, with Nathan Conroy elected for a third successive term – which is a record for that council. The election of a deputy mayor has been deferred until Monday.
At Horsham, another record with Robyn Gulline elected to a fourth consecutive term as mayor. The council has chosen not to have a deputy mayor this time.
Greater Dandenong has elected Lana Formoso as mayor. She has been acting in the position since Eden Foster stepped aside to contest the Mulgrave by-election, which is taking place this week. Cr Formoso was the deputy mayor, and it does not appear that the council has elected a new deputy mayor at this time.
Last night in Brimbank, the council elected Ranka Rasic as its mayor for the final year of the term. She was last in the mayoral position at the start of the term in 2020/21. Jae Papalia was elected as deputy mayor.
And Central Goldfields Shire Council has announced its mayor-elect is Liesbeth Long.
Cr Long will be formally appointed at the council’s meeting this coming Tuesday.
By my count, we have 23 councils yet to determine their final-year mayors with most of those elections scheduled for this coming week.
As always you’ll find the updated list of election outcomes on our website.
Victorian Briefs:
Baw Baw Shire Council will trial a change to its council meeting schedule from next year. It will hold monthly instead of fortnightly meetings, with agendas to be published 10 days in advance.
Meetings will now start at 1.00pm, and the ability for the public to make submissions on agenda items will be enhanced.
Mayor Anne Marie McCabe said the council hopes this modern move will help attract an even more diverse pool of candidates for next year’s election.
A trade mission from the US state of Minnesota has been in Greater Geelong this week.
The delegation, including representatives of Delta Airlines and Clean Energy Economy Minnesota, received a presentation on Cleanaway’s hydrogen initiative which will provide Australia’s first publicly accessible green hydrogen refuelling station for heavy vehicles in Geelong.
Greater Bendigo will consider running an e-scooter trial in its urban area from next year.
A report to next week’s council meeting recommends the engagement of a single operator to run a trial for at least 12 months, with conditions informed by trials that have been running in other cities.
National Roundup:
A new report from the Grattan Institute is shining a light on the state of local roads across the country.
The Potholes and Pitfalls report shows that local roads are in a state of dangerous disrepair, and without a serious injection of funding they are only going to get worse.
One of the report’s authors, Marion Terrill, told me that an additional $1B is required each year to halt the decline.
(grab)
Roundup subscribers have priority access to my full interview with Marion in a new episode Roundup Unfiltered available now.
NSW:
A Sydney mayor is calling for a super tax on gambling profits in his city.
Fairfield Mayor Frank Carbone has proposed a 10% tax on profits of over $20M for registered clubs in his municipality.
He says the proceeds could be used for local infrastructure, sports facilities, and reviving non-gambling venues.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Mayor Carbone has written to the NSW Premier about his proposal, and highlighting that five clubs in Fairfield have a combined income higher than Australia Post – in the most disadvantaged LGA in the state.
The idea has received support from other councillors and councils, including the mayor of Liverpool Ned Mannoun, who agreed that money raised from gambling taxes should go back into the community it came from.
ClubsNSW said that clubs already contributed $1.4 billion in state and federal taxes, with profits going back into the community or upgrading facilities.
A proposal from Woollahra Council to introduce 15-minute parking restrictions around the beach at Watsons Bay has been attacked by the state’s Roads Minister.
According to the Guardian, the minister, John Graham, said the council is “taking the rest of us for mugs” and that the government would veto the council’s plan.
The council decided on the new 15-minute restrictions after receiving advice that its 50 year old “residents parking” scheme is illegal.
Council officers had recommended one-hour restrictions.
Mayor Richard Shields said the beach is one of the few without metered parking, and accessibility for all is critical.
He said the changes would impact a small percentage of parking spaces, with 87 per cent of spaces around Watsons Bay remaining unrestricted.
A special rate variation that has been in place for 20 years in Randwick is due to expire next year, and the council is asking the community to support its continuation.
A six-week consultation program is underway on the proposal to continue a levy on residential and business ratepayers in the city.
The council says its continuation would allow the completion of a coastal walkway, expansion of public EV charging, and the improvement of water quality at beaches among other projects.
The annual levy for an average residential ratepayer is $101.
The council will consider the results of the consultation and make a decision on a special rate variation application in February.
Ballina Shire Council says the federal government’s infrastructure spending review has brought a disheartening revelation for the Northern Rivers region, due to the loss of funding for a vital Bruxner highway upgrade project.
The funding was intended to address capacity issues on the link between the regional centres of Ballina and Lismore.
Ballina Mayor Sharon Cadwallader said the funding loss renders work undertaken to date futile and has urgently called on the state government to continue the planning stage of the project.
QLD:
In a move that has shocked many, the long-term mayor of Cairns has resigned this week with immediate effect.
Bob Manning, who has been the city’s mayor since 2012, having been elected on three consecutive occasions, said he and his wife Claire have made the decision together based on medical advice.
Council CEO Mica Martin has expressed gratitude to Mr Manning for his significant contributions to the city and the broader region.
Mr Manning was the city’s second longest-serving mayor and was previously CEO of the Cairns Port Authority and a long-time director/chairman of Tourism Tropical North Queensland.
With elections due in March, the council will choose a mayor to serve out the current term at its meeting next Wednesday.
Current deputy Terry James has indicated that he will nominate for the mayoral position and told the Cairns Post that he is ready to build on Mr Manning’s legacy.
There will also be a requirement to fill a vacant councillor position as a result of the election of a new mayor.
TAS:
The final report on Tasmania’s review of the Future of Local Government has recommended a reduction in the number of councils in the state, suggesting that 12 of the 29 councils could be merged into seven.
While forced amalgamations have been ruled out by the state government, some councils have indicated they are open to mergers.
The final report, which is now out for public comment, includes 37 recommendations covering all aspects of the local government system, from voluntary amalgamations to councillor performance, and council management of local infrastructure.
One of the recommended mergers is Hobart with Glenorchy.
Lord Mayor of Hobart, Anna Reynolds, said the council would consider the report carefully, and suggested a merger could see a light rail system introduced to join the two cities.
Feedback on the report from the community and councils is due by the end of February.
WA:
It’s been revealed that at least 11 new councillors elected recently to Western Australian councils, played down or hid fringe beliefs in their election campaigns.
Crikey has reported on a group of candidates, backed by an anti-vaccine, conspiracy-theory-promoting group, who were encouraged to campaign on more electable issues.
It’s said to be part of a strategy to use councils as a springboard to state and federal politics.
Councils believed to have been successfully targeted by the strategy include the Augusta-Margaret River, Joondalup, Busselton, Karratha and Geraldton.
Persistent questions and disturbances at council meetings in Western Australia have led to the introduction of a range of new restrictions by councils.
PerthNow has reported that some councils are imposing limitations on public participation, including restrictions on what the public can ask during briefing sessions and full council meetings.
The Town of Victoria Park is limiting questions and statements to items on the agenda only, while the mayor of South Perth says he will use his power to restrict or disallow repetitive questions.
A resident in the Town of Bassendean has been restricted from contacting town staff for 12 months due to excessive and unreasonable demands.
National Briefs:
Councillors at Camden Council in NSW have cited cost of living pressures in voting to support a submission for a pay increase of up to 5 per cent.
News.com.au reports that the decision has attracted media attention, including criticism on talk-back radio, with new research showing Camden is among the regions experiencing the most elevated levels of mortgage stress.
The CEO of Augusta Margaret River Shire in WA has resigned.
Steph Addison-Brown has held the position for four and a half years.
In a touching statement, Shire President Julia Meldrum paid tribute to Ms Addison-Brown’s achievements, and said she was saddened by the loss of an outstanding CEO, but that she leaves with the council’s full gratitude, respect, trust and friendship.
A trial for recycling soft plastics and e-waste has commenced at Blue Mountains City Council.
Residents can drop off household quantities for free at the council’s Blaxland and Katoomba facilities from now until next June.
Mayor Mark Greenhill said the council had found a solution to recycle soft plastics and e-waste and help divert them from landfill.
International Spotlight:
NZ:
Auckland Council plans to introduce a congestion charge for motorists entering the city centre, possibly from 2026 onwards, according to a report from Stuff.
The scheme, previously described as ‘congestion charging,’ aims to replace the current Regional Fuel Tax and has received cross-party support from a parliamentary select committee.
The city says it wants to minimise the financial impact on low-income individuals and aims to improve public transport options for those in the west and south before implementing the scheme.
The scheme still requires legislation to be passed and there will be public consultation on the details of the system.
A nine-member political reference group has been established to oversee the development of the congestion charge plan.
The former CFO of Gore District Council, who says he was pushed out by the outgoing CEO, is looking to return to the city after 17 years.
According to 1News New Zealand, Doug Walker says he was unsupported and bullied by the CEO Stephen Parry, and relocated to the UK.
He now says he is seeking to return in the CEO position, which is up for grabs following Mr Parry’s recent resignation after more than two decades.
Mr Parry has been reappointed by the council on an interim basis pending recruitment of his replacement.
A report on the recruitment process is due to come before the council next week, along with a community petition calling for Mr Parry to be removed from the interim CEO role.
UK:
The mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Nik Johnson, has apologized after breaching the authority’s code of conduct, according to a report from BBC News.
An investigation began almost two years ago after complaints were made about his behaviour.
The specific allegations faced by Mr Johnson have not been revealed, but it was unanimously decided that he breached the code in relation to ‘civility’ and ‘disrepute’.
A previous whistleblowing investigation alleged that Mr Johnson’s then chief of staff, Nigel Pauley, had caused ‘stress and strain’ to colleagues.
Mr. Johnson has expressed remorse and emphasised personal growth and the desire to be a better mayor.
A panel recommended that Mr Johnson provide a written apology, agree to appropriate development and training, and that the Authority ‘reviews and improves’ its induction process for new mayors.
USA:
A former mayor of Kennewick in Washington is under scrutiny after admitting to police that he received sexual acts at illicit massage parlours.
News outlet KEPR reports that a special prosecutor, Mary Robnett, has been asked to determine if criminal charges should be filed against Bill McKay, due to a potential conflict of interest for the local prosecutor who had received election donations from McKay.
Mr McKay resigned suddenly last week following the release of police reports, emails, and a video interview pertaining to his involvement at the illicit parlours.
While charges have not been currently brought against McKay, doing business with a prostitute is classified as a misdemeanour that carries a potential sentence of up to three months in jail.
McKay initially claimed he was investigating the massage businesses, but later admitted to paying for sexual services at the suspected illicit massage parlours.
And in another local government scandal, the city manager at Shawnee City Council in Kansas has been fired by a unanimous vote of the council, after a fortnight of controversy sparked by the circulation of a sexually explicit video.
The video of city manager Doug Gerber was sent anonymously to some staff members, and was it some weeks before the incident was reported to elected members.
According to the local NPR station, the anonymous sender said they wanted to reveal Mr Gerber’s online behaviour.
It’s not clear how they obtained the video, or whether its distribution constitutes a criminal act.
Councillors were said to be angered at being blindsided after being kept in the dark for over a month about the scandal.
Mr Gerber had been placed on administrative leave before this week’s decision to terminate his employment.
Legislation has been passed to make New York City the largest U.S. city to require a zero emissions vehicle fleet.
The new law mandates that all heavy-duty vehicles purchased after 2028 be zero emissions and that the entire municipal fleet converted by 2038.
It also requires the training of city workers on the repair and maintenance of electric vehicles to preserve existing workers’ jobs.
The commitment makes New York City a national leader, and exceeds the goals of the COP27 international agreement.