A new episode of the Local Government News Roundup is available now, recorded 6th December 2023.
Our top story today:
Strathbogie Shire Council has been suspended, with an administrator to oversee its governance functions until the next election.
Also today:
The Chair Administrator’s term extended at Moira;
A by-election set for Greater Dandenong;
A mayor speaks out after white supremacists march in the streets of Ballarat;
Calls for tougher action against tree vandals in Sydney;
A reprieve for commercial dog walkers in Sydney’s Inner West;
Queensland Mayors make big decisions about Olympic and Commonwealth Games;
And councillors and senior executives removed from their positions at a troubled Canadian council.
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Stories in this episode (with links where available):
Victorian Roundup:
Strathbogie Shire Council has been suspended, effective from the 6th December, until the next council elections in October 2024.
Local Government Minister Melissa Horne announced the suspension yesterday, along with the appointment of Peter Stephenson as interim administrator.
Mr Stephenson served as a municipal monitor for three months earlier this year to examine unresolved governance issues identified by previous monitor Janet Dore.
A final report was provided to the Minister with recommendations for further intervention to ensure good governance at the council.
Mr Stephenson’s appointment as administrator is for an interim period, with a longer-term appointment to be announced in due course.
The council and individual councillors were provided with the monitor’s report last month and provided an opportunity to respond to the Minister.
The minister said she had taken those response into account in reaching her decision.
Minister Horne said the administrator would “restore good governance so that local representatives can return in due course and properly fulfil their important roles”.
The suspension of the Council brings to a close a tumultuous term, dating back to the resignation of Melanie Likos in August 2021.
Her position was filled on a countback by David Andrews, who then resigned in July this year after less than two years in the role.
Two countbacks were needed to fill his position, which resulted in the return of former councillor Robin Weatherald as the only remaining eligible candidate in that ward from the 2020 election.
Just weeks later, Kristy Hourigan resigned, citing in-house political bureaucracy and gender bias, with Shirley Saywell declared elected as the only remaining eligible candidate in the ward.
Ms Saywell was never sworn in, opting not to take up the position leaving the position vacant until this week’s suspension.
Then in October, a second extraordinary vacancy was created by the resignation of Reg Dickinson.
Most recently, tensions were evident within the council when it was unable to achieve a quorum on two occasions when attempting to elect a new mayor for the forthcoming year.
Those tensions have played out in recent days across the media. Robin Weatherald called into question the validity of the appointment of Mayor Laura Binks and made disrespectful and sexist remarks about her leadership.
Those comments have been strongly condemned by Mayor Binks and other leaders across the local government sector.
In his final municipal monitor’s report, Peter Stephenson said the council had failed to demonstrate an understanding of the implications of their individual and collective behaviour, and what constitutes good governance and good government.
Furthermore, he said he did not believe the council could address the issues raised and function effectively without further Ministerial intervention.
Mr Stephenson tells the Euroa Gazette today that his immediate focus is to be briefed on current priority issues, and to reassure the administration that it will be business as usual.
And so we now know what the intervention looks like – suspension of all councillors for the remainder of the current term, and a period of administration until the next elections in October next year.
The suspension is for just 11 months, which is in stark contrast to the dismissal earlier this year of Moira Shire Council for the remainder of this term and the entirety of the next term – 5 and a half years in total.
John Tanner’s appointment as administrator of Moira Shire Council has been extended for a further six months.
Mr Tanner will continue as the Chairperson of the Panel of Administrators for the same period.
Moira Shire Council was dismissed and placed under administration earlier this year after the release of a Commission of Inquiry report, and Mr Tanner’s initial appointment was until the 8th December this year.
Former MP Suzanna Sheed and former Council CEO and state government executive Dr Graeme Emonson were appointed to the panel of administrators in June 2023 for the period up until the first meeting after general council elections in October 2028.
A by-election to fill a vacant position on Greater Dandenong City Council has been set for 9th March 2024.
The extraordinary vacancy arose with the election of former councillor and mayor Eden Foster to State Parliament in the recent Mulgrave by-election.
Nomination day for the by-election has set as 6th February 2024.
A deadlock over the election of a deputy mayor at Greater Dandenong last month has been broken, with one of the two candidates reportedly withdrawing to avoid being sanctioned by the Labor Party.
The Dandenong Star Journal reported that Cr Angela Long said she would have risked losing her Labor Party membership if she did not stand aside after fellow Labor Party councillor Richard Lim was endorsed for the position at an alleged caucus meeting.
Some non-Labor councillors have said they won’t participate in mayoral or deputy mayoral voting in future alleged caucusing continued, and there have been calls for the Local Government Inspectorate to investigate the matter.
Changes to the structure at Greater Dandenong City Council have been described as a ‘logical refresh’ by new mayor Lana Formoso.
The Dandenong Star Journal has revealed details of the restructuring under CEO Jacqui Weatherill after the release earlier in the year of her first 100 Days Report.
Four executive director portfolios have been streamlined into three areas called Community Strengthening, Corporate Development and City Futures, and two new executive manager roles have been created in Strategic Growth and Advocacy, and Digital Technology.
Cr Formoso said she fully supported the necessary changes being made by Ms Weatherill, and that the organisation was going in the right direction.
Ballarat Mayor Des Hudson has spoken out this week about a march that took place in the city on the weekend during Eureka Day.
Cr Hudson expressed disappointment at the display of symbols and slogans about white supremacy, which he said is abhorrent and has no place in Ballarat.
The council was not aware of the march before it took place.
Victorian Briefs:
Greater Bendigo has been awarded Gold in Local Government Award for Tourism category at the annual Victorian Tourism Awards.
The silver went to Bass Coast Shire Council, while Greater Shepparton City Council took out the Bronze award.
Winners were announced at a gala event last week across 32 categories recognising business excellence, innovation, industry professionalism and collaboration.
17 trees have been added to the City of Ballarat’s Exceptional Tree Register, after a recent nominations period.
Nominations from the community focussed on individual and groups of trees, and the additions bring the total number of exceptional trees on the register to 4,318, from more than 60 sites.
Greater Bendigo deputy mayor Matthew Evans has been endorsed as the Federal Liberal candidate for the seat of Bendigo at the next election.
Cr Evans was elected to the council in 2020, and was a former electorate officer for former Member for Goldstein Tim Wilson.
The seat has been held since 2013 by Labor’s Lisa Chesters.
Southern Grampians Shire Council is set to install 17 next-generation parking meters in Hamilton’s CBD by January 2024.
The meters will accept payments via tapping bank cards or using a phone app and do not require displayed tickets, allowing for multiple moves within the paid period.
While installation takes place, parking will be free, with time limits still enforced.
National Roundup:
NSW:
A spate of attacks on trees in Sydney coastal locations has shocked councils and horrified communities, according to a new report from ABC News.
Mayors and MPs are calling for the government to introduce tougher laws to deter the crime and help lead to more prosecutions.
The ABC sought details of tree vandalism from all councils in Greater Sydney, and estimates that at least 1700 trees have been vandalised in the past 12 months, with only a small number of charges laid.
This includes 265 trees poisoned and cleared in the Willoughby Council area in August, and the recent destruction of nearly 300 in the Lane Cove Council area.
Inner West Council is expected to back away from introducing an annual fee for dog walkers to use its parks.
It reported on the weekend that Mayor Darcy Byrne and the majority Labor councillors would not be supporting the policy when it comes before the council again.
A draft commercial dog-walking policy was unveiled in September and prompted an angry reaction from residents, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Mayor Byrne said the need for permits had never been raised with him by residents and there was no apparent safety problem.
The Hills Shire Mayor Dr Peter Gangemi has called on the NSW Government to work with councils across the state to deliver more homes, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach that could make the housing crisis even worse.
“There is already enough land zoned to accommodate an extra 100,000 people in the Hills by 2036,” Mayor Gangemi said.
“In the last ten years, only 19,000 dwellings have been built in The Hills against 30,000 consents, so blaming councils and fashioning a greater number of approvals is not the magic answer to the housing crisis.”
Mayor Gangemi said he was concerned that announced changes contain no detail on how additional open space, road upgrades and services will be delivered or funded.
“By trying to fix a housing crisis, the Government could be creating a community crisis – something that is potentially worse”, Mayor Gangemi said.
Canterbury-Bankstown councillor Barbara Coorey has been censured over a series of Facebook posts, in which she described her council as kooky and dysfunctional.
The council considered the comments made in the posts to be inappropriate and baseless, while Cr Coorey submitted that she was expressing her own opinion, according to the Daily Telegraph.
It’s the third time Cr Coorey has been censured by the council for her behaviour.
QLD:
The Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Adrian Schrinner, has quit a Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games delivery forum over the state government’s approach to infrastructure funding.
He said on the weekend that the state government had “lost its way”, becoming more interested in building overpriced stadiums than vital transport solutions, according to the Courier Mail.
Mr Schrinner has accused the government of attempting to extort $50M from ratepayers towards a $137M bill for the upgrade of RNA Showgrounds.
Tourism and Sport Minister Stirling Hinchcliffe described the Lord MAyor’s resignation from the forum as bewildering and said it would make it more difficult to plan the games.
On Monday afternoon, the Courier Mail reported that Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was attempting to broker a peace deal and said she would speak with the Lord Mayor about a partnership between the government, the RNA and the council on the stadium proposal.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has announced that the city has withdrawn its bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
He said on the weekend that a lack of support from the state and federal governments was the main reason for backing out of a $700M proposal to host the games jointly with the City of Perth.
Reuters reported that the future of the games is in doubt after Canada’s Alberta province withdrew its support for the 2030 games.
Another Queensland mayor is bowing out of politics at the upcoming elections in March.
Western Downs Mayor Paul McVeigh announced his decision on his Facebook page on Monday.
He has led the council since 2016.
The Council’s CEO Jodie Taylor paid tribute to Cr McVeigh and his leadership in a statement on Tuesday.
She said his passion, knowledge and business acumen had helped cement the reputation of Western Downs as a leading local government region in Australia.
Eight nominations have been received for the vacant position on Cairns Regional Council, created after the resignation of former mayor Bob Manning and the subsequent election of former deputy mayor Terry James to the mayoral position.
Once qualifications are verified, councillors will consider the list of candidates at its meeting on 13th December and follow a process to appoint a replacement councillor.
TAS:
A recount has been conducted to fill a vacancy on Sorell Cornell after the resignation of Meg Brown last month.
Beth Nicholls was elected from six eligible candidates and will serve as a councillor until elections in 2026.
WA:
The Town of Mosman Park will hold an extraordinary election early next year, with Cr Josh Allsop stepping down later this month halfway through a four-year term.
PerthNow reports that the council must agree costs of a by-election with the Electoral Commissioner, estimated to be a little over $40K.
The postal election for March 15 is expected to be locked in at its December meeting.
The City of Fremantle is investigating the options for a permanent location of the Fremantle History Centre.
As part of the process, the community is being asked to share its desires for the vital resource through a public engagement program.
The History Centre is currently located on the ground floor of the Walyalup Civic Centre.
National Briefs:
Feedback on a new National Sport Plan is closing soon.
National peak body ALGA is urging councils to provide feedback on harnessing the power of sport and physical activity to build healthy, active, connected and thriving communities.
Submissions on a consultation paper are due this week.
Lismore’s iconic upcycled Christmas tree is back in place, after a hiatus last year due to floods.
It’s the eighth time the sustainable tree has been displayed, this year featuring a mosaic of upcycled materials including donations from the community.
This year the tree is also surrounded Back Lismore campaign banners, designed to shift the narrative from ‘flood city’ to ‘open’.
A partnership between Bundaberg Regional Council and the Queensland University of Technology has been extended, with the signing of a new five-year MOU.
The partnership has so far delivered a Masters scholarship and youth innovation opportunities. and Mayor Jack Dempsey said it would continue to foster a legacy of innovation for the region.
International Spotlight:
UK:
Nottingham City Council has become the 13th local authority to issue a section 114 notice in the last five years, meaning it has declared itself effectively bankrupt.
The council has written to stakeholders revealing that its resilience has been affected by past financial failures.
It has indicated that services cuts are inevitable, according to BBC News, with a £23M overspend expected this financial year.
The council previously issued a section 114 notice in 2021 over the unlawful spending of £16M.
Council leader David Mellon said a sell off of assets would be considered to raise funds.
CANADA:
In breaking news out of Canada, the government has removed four elected members and three officials from their positions at the City of Chestermere in Alberta province.
According to the Calgary Herald, Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver had originally intended to remove the entire council but determined that three members had worked to hold the council to account and should be spared from dismissal.
A provincial investigation has been underway since May last year into what was described as “irregular, improper and improvident” conduct.
The mayor, three other councillors and the city administration had been criticised for a lack of cooperation with that investigation.
A by-election to fill the four vacant positions will be held within six months. Until that occurs, the three remaining councillors will not have any role in the governance of the city.
USA:
Philadelphia City Council has passed legislation to ban ski masks in some public spaces, in a move that it hopes will increase public safety amid high violent crime.
The measure defines ski masks as a close-fitting covering over the whole head with exceptions for religious garb and protests.
Violating the ban will result in a $250 fine, and it applies to public spaces like schools, recreation centers, parks, city-owned buildings, and public transportation.
The Altoona Mirror reported that there was opposition to the measure from those who say it will unfairly target people without proof of any wrongdoing, and that there is no evidence to support that ski masks cause or encourage crime.
The Philadelphia ban contrasts with New York City, which relaxed a law prohibiting masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Los Angeles City Council’s approval of rent increases to take effect next year has prompted a protest and march in the streets of the city’s Koreatown on the weekend.
TV station KTLA5 reported on the demonstration which is said to have included tenants, and such groups as the Palestinian Youth Movement and Jewish Voice for Peace.
They are demanding that the mayor and the council stop the rent increases along with any evictions, and cancel COVID-related rent debt.
It’s estimated that rents will go up by around 6% for hundreds of thousands of families in LA as a result of the council’s decision.
CARIBBEAN:
A former mayor in the Dominican Republic has been sentenced to five years in prison.
A court in Las Terranas imposed the sentence after finding that Jose Martinez Emeterio had engaged in embezzlement activities that negatively affected the Las Terrenas City Council and the Dominican State.
The Dominican Today reported that the case was initiated after a complaint was lodged by councillors in 2015, and ultimately backed by the findings of an audit of the mayor’s office.
A second individual, Willis Vilorio Sarante, was sentenced to three years in prison for his role in the embezzlement.
NZ:
Auckland Councillor Maurice Williamson has been criticised for making inappropriate comments about Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau during a council meeting.
Stuff has reported that Williamson’s comments, which were of a sexual nature, were broadcast to the meeting and online.
Councillor Julie Fairey said she was “conscious that the meeting was being live-streamed” when she heard Williamson’s comments.
She said she started making noise to block out the comments, which she described as a “vile, disgusting attack on a Māori woman.”
Fairey said she would like to see Williamson disciplined for his comments.
She said she is also concerned that Williamson was not paying attention to the meeting, which lasted for seven hours.
Williamson has apologised for his comments. The council is currently reviewing the matter.
At Gore District Council, the most featured NZ council of the past year on this podcast, a complaint of misconduct against the deputy mayor is being investigated.
The council confirmed this week that a complaint about Cr Keith Hovell had been received from a local woman after he spoke about her at a recent council meeting.
Sally McIntyre, a former Gore district councillor herself, said the deputy mayor’s comments were potentially defamatory, and she had received advice that he had breached the council’s code of conduct with his statements.
Cr Hovell had alleged that Ms McIntyre and her family had been bombarding him with emails that put the health and wellbeing of councillors and staff at risk.
According to Stuff, Ms McIntyre admits to sending seven emails over five months on a range of matters, including calls for Hovell and some councillors to resign.