On the Local Government News Roundup for 7th February 2024:
- Sacked Casey councillors prepare for a possible comeback
- Moonee Valley’s second municipal monitor announced
- The future of the Captain Cook statue on the agenda for Port Phillip City Council
- Local Government’s best problem solvers celebrated
- The NSW Government’s council demerger bill not well-received
- A GM narrowly retains her position in a tight Council vote
- A Tasmanian councillor appealing a one-month suspension,
- New funding for Councils in England, with strings attached.
Plus more Council news from across Australia and beyond on the Local Government News Roundup, 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.
Listen to this episode here, and find the link for your podcast player here.
Transcript for episode 303:
Victorian Roundup
Former councillors from Casey City Council in Melbourne’s south-east, dismissed in 2020 amidst an investigation into allegations of corruption, are reportedly considering running in October’s council elections.
The Age has published an in-depth look at the potential for some of the former councillors to be returned to the Council at the October elections.
The story by Royce Millar includes warnings from prospective candidates that the returned council could become a circus because of the failure to prosecute any of the key players since the release of IBAC’s Operation Sandon report last year.
None of the former Casey councillors have been charged or convicted despite allegations of a range of offences against the act, meaning all are free to run again in 2024.
The state government has announced the appointment of Prue Digby as the second municipal monitor for Moonee Valley City Council.
This follows the completion last month of Ms Digby’s municipal monitor appointment at the City of Greater Geelong.
Ms Digby joins Phillip Carruthers, the first municipal monitor announced last week, to work for a period of six months to support good governance at Moonee Valley.
The monitors’ terms of reference direct them to advise and provide any relevant assistance and support to the council with the improvement of the council’s governance processes and practices.
They will be required to submit a report to the Minister for Local Government at the end of their six month term.
The heritage-listed Shenley Croft home in Canterbury, destroyed in an arson attack in December, is set to be rebuilt following a unanimous council ruling.
The Herald Sun reports that Boroondara Council unanimously resolved this week to amend its planning scheme so that any future development of the site will include the rebuilding of Shenley Croft.
The Council will approach Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny to amend the scheme.
The fire remains under criminal investigation, and no charges have been laid yet.
Port Phillip City Council will tonight consider a motion calling for a community engagement process on the future of the vandalised Captain Cook statue.
Cr Robbie Nyaguy has given notice of a motion that, if supported, would require the CEO to establish costs and a time frame for the reinstatement and ongoing management of the statue in Catani Gardens.
The statue was initially funded by private donation and is heritage-listed.
The City of Ballarat has won the national and state Customer Service Award in the Snap Send Solve 2023 Solver of the Year Awards, recognizing its efforts to improve customer service.
The award is given to the organization with the highest user rating and the highest percentage of updates provided to users who have made reports.
In 2023, the City of Ballarat handled nearly three times the number of reports than in the previous year.
Baw Baw Shire Council is celebrating winning the Inclusive Excellence Award, for the council with the highest overall solve rate across Pavement and Footpath, and Accessibility categories.
Its overall solve rate was 94.22 per cent.
Other Victorian winners at the awards were Whitehorse and Port Phillip City Council.
Yarra City Council is launching ‘5 Big Ways to Take Climate Action’, a project that encourages locals to take action against climate change.
The project will explore a different theme each month from February to June, starting with the emotional impacts of the climate crisis.
Other themes include sustainable food choices, renewable energy, ethical investing, and advocacy.
The initiative is part of the council’s ongoing commitment to mitigate the effects of climate change, following its declaration of a climate emergency in 2020.
Victorian communities affected by recent storms and floods will receive over $105 million in additional support from the state and federal governments in a newly announced aid package.
It includes money for emergency roadworks, expansion of the Emergency Recovery Hotline and Recovery Support Program, and additional mental health and wellbeing support in the 28 Local Government Areas where disaster assistance is already provided.
Wyndham City has purchased the former Palais Theatre site in Werribee for [more than $4M](https://wyndham.starweekly.com.au/news/wyndham-council-spends-4-million-on-former-theatre/#:~:text=Wyndham council has paid %244.4,Picture Palais theatre and cinema.) as part of the ongoing rejuvenation of the Werribee City Centre.
The acquisition aims to guide future development in line with the city’s vision and make the city centre more vibrant for residents and visitors.
Swan Hill Regional Art Gallery is entering a redevelopment phase with a construction tender announcement expected soon.
During the construction stage, the gallery will operate from a temporary pop-up space within Swan Hill Regional Library, accommodating essential features and continuing its functions.
National Roundup
The New South Wales government has introduced a bill to facilitate the demerger of local councils, a move away from the controversial forced amalgamations initiated by the previous Coalition government in 2016.
ABC News reported that the bill will outline the steps for a council to demerge, including a constitutional referendum, minister approval, and a proclamation of demerger from the governor.
But according to the Sydney Morning Herald, the state government won’t meet the costs of undoing amalgamations.
It’s estimated that the councils would have to find more than $150M each over ten years to fund their ‘conscious uncouplings.’
The move follows successful lobbying for a demerger by the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council and moves towards a potential demerger by Inner West, Snowy River, and Canterbury-Bankstown councils.
Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig said in a press release that the legislation delivers certainty for councils, and will remove a major roadblock to council de-amalgamations after years of failed policymaking by the former government.
However, LGNSW President Darriea Turley described the bill as a “cunning public relations exercise” by the state government, and sleight of hand given councils do not have the tens of millions of dollars needed to de-amalgamate.
She said councils shouldn’t have to carry the financial burden of unravelling forced amalgamations.
Hawkesbury City Council general manager Elizabeth Richardson has narrowly retained her job with a 7-5 vote in favour of a new three-year contract.
The Hawkesbury Post reported that the contract renewal, to take effect from 1st June, comes a few months after a unanimous vote of the Council to award a 5% salary increase.
The council has faced several expensive issues recently, including a $32.5 million loan after what has been described as mismanagement of a sewer repair project.
Ms Richardson has held the GM position since June 2021.
Wingecarribee Shire has engaged a local heritage consultant to examine all material from an original heritage study and responses from residents.
The appointment follows a decision in December to remove Council Heritage staff and add rigour to the community-based Heritage Study.
The consultant, Robert Staas, has previously worked with numerous councils on heritage matters.
He has committed to maintaining probity and will report any contact made by residents directly to the Council’s General Manager.
Wagga Wagga City Council is trialling Geogrid reinforcement technology in road rehabilitation projects, aiming to minimize cracking due to environmental factors and stabilise the gravel in the pavement.
The technology, which has proven effective in reducing maintenance costs and extending service life in European case studies, is being tested on three streets, and will also be trialled at a roundabout to assess its effectiveness with different traffic patterns.
The NSW local government community has lost a long-time contributor with the passing of Councillor Ron Higgins from Warren Shire Council.
Cr Higgins served as an elected member for eight years until his death last month and was previously a shire staff member for 25 years until 2013.
Mayor Milton Quigley remembered Ron as a reliable and popular member who had made an invaluable contribution to the council and community.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner plans to tackle Brisbane’s chronic congestion by upgrading traffic lights across the city if his administration wins the upcoming council election.
The proposed $15m two-year trial of a new automated traffic light control system aims to streamline traffic flow, according to a report from the Courier Mail.
If successful, the new digital camera technology will be implemented citywide by 2028.
The technology, which has improved traffic flow by 23% in a Birmingham trial, can monitor congestion, identify necessary traffic light sequencing changes, and track road user trends and behaviour.
Hobart City Councillor Louise Elliot has confirmed that she is appealing a suspension imposed after a code of conduct complaint.
The one-month suspension has started, but details about the reason for the suspension have not been revealed.
Pulse Tasmania reported Cr Elliot’s online comments, where she claimed that the suspension was part of a broader attack on local government representatives across the country.
She described the situation as “flawed and extreme” and said her suspension could very well be overturned.
Circular Head Council, one of Tasmania’s smallest by population, has released a draft settlement strategy to address potential population growth.
Mayor Gerard Blizzard told the Mercury that the strategy aimed to balance housing and growth while protecting the region’s natural assets.
He said housing development is under control with around 300 building lots approved and is confident that the region can achieve sustainable growth while preserving its scenic values.
The Town of Port Hedland Council will tonight consider a motion of no confidence in its mayor.
The motion has been put forward by Cr Lorraine Butson, seeking a no-confidence resolution against Mayor Peter Carter.
The agenda for the meeting, scheduled for 5.30 this evening, states that the Council decision would have no legal effect on the position or role of the mayor, and the council cannot restrict or constrain the mayor from fulfilling the statutory role as defined by the Local Government Act.
Plans to fly the Pride flag outside the City of Bayswater’s administration building were rejected after a 5-5 deadlock vote, with Mayor Filomena Piffaretti casting the deciding vote.
The proposal included installing a fifth flagpole to fly “other optional flags” such as the Pride flag, at a cost of up to $11,000.
Perth Now reported that the decision also means flags and pennants would not be flown for events such as Harmony Day and R U OK Day.
Councillors voting against the proposal argued that the city can demonstrate inclusivity in other ways, using existing infrastructure and signage.
SA’s Peterborough Council has announced the appointment of Mark Austin as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Mayor Ruth Whittle OAM said Mr Austin brings a wealth of local government experience to the role, and will start with the council on 12th March.
The UK government has confirmed a funding package of over £64 billion for councils in England, intended to bolster budgets and ensure the delivery of frontline services.
The funding represents an above-inflation increase of 7.5% from the previous year.
The package includes an extra £600 million for council budgets, including £500 million for social care.
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has also confirmed additional council tax flexibilities for some failing councils, reflecting the most serious of circumstances.
Councils will be required to develop and share productivity plans by July, covering four main areas including transformation of services and ways to reduce wasteful spending within systems.
The Secretary’s statement also suggested the government would introduce barriers to councils’ ability to introduce four-day working week arrangements and other equivalent arrangements of part-time work for full-time pay.
Birmingham council has been granted permission by the government to increase council tax by up to 10%, affecting over 1 million people.
The move comes after the council declared bankruptcy due to a £300m budget gap.
The increase, which bypasses the national cap and avoids a local referendum, could mean an extra £191 per year for a typical property.
The Guardian reports that the decision to raise the tax is due to be confirmed on 5 March.
Three senior councillors at Suffolk County Council have resigned from their cabinet posts following a critical report into local special educational needs and disabilities services (SEND).
Councillors Rachel Hood, James Reeder and Chris Chambers said that their roles had become a distraction from the council’s work.
The council is setting up a new SEND accountability board and restructuring its children’s services senior leadership in response to the report by the government agency Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission.
BBC News reported that another Suffolk County councillor, Sam Murray, was earlier suspended after calling for a “resignation or sacking”.
A new report by the County Councils Network (CCN) reveals a worsening workforce crisis in local government in England, with staff numbers having reduced by over half a million since 2012.
The report calls for a national branding campaign to recruit and retain staff, and a sector-led effort to dispel misconceptions about working in local government.
While a majority of respondents to a survey of over 6,000 local government employees said they were proud to work in the sector, 26 percent plan on staying for less than four years, and only half believing they would work in the sector for longer than 10 years.
A state of emergency has been declared in downtown Portland, Oregon due to a public health and safety crisis fueled by fentanyl.
The Mayor of Portland, the Oregon Governor and the Multnomah County Chair have jointly made the 90-day declaration, which will see a command centre established to coordinate response efforts.
The Associated Press reports that the initiative also includes a crackdown on drug sales and an extension of the Portland Police Bureau’s partnership with Oregon State Police to patrol downtown streets for fentanyl sales.
Governments at all levels in the US are said to be scrambling for solutions to an addiction and overdose crisis that has gripped the country for over two decades.
In Texas, parks in the city of Kyle may soon have boxes filled with naloxone, better known as Narcan, a drug that can quickly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
CBS News reports that the proposal has come from the Forever 15 Project, an organisation founded by Janel Rodriguez, who lost her son to a fentanyl overdose.
If approved by the Kyle City Council, the Forever 15 Project will ensure the boxes are fully stocked.
Auckland Council is considering a $130 million bailout for Watercare to cover ongoing costs from last year’s storms, the Ōrākei sewer collapse, and rising costs of the Central Interceptor wastewater pipe.
Watercare already plans to borrow $485m this year to fund a $1b capital works programme.
The council’s treasury group confirmed the extra $130m can be borrowed without significantly impacting the council’s debt, according to a report on the issue from the NZ Herald.
Mayor Wayne Brown is urging the Government to give a Crown guarantee for new debt by Watercare, warning that if Watercare’s debt remains on the council’s books, the water company will be limited in its borrowing capacity for a $13b, 10-year capital programme.