Parkes Shire GM Kent Boyd to Retire After 34 Years
Parkes Shire Council General Manager Kent Boyd PSM has advised he will not seek an extension of his current contract, bringing to a close more than thirty-four years of service with council, including fifteen years as General Manager.
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Mr Boyd’s correspondence was tabled by Mayor Neil Westcott at Tuesday’s ordinary council meeting. He will take accrued leave from the end of October through to the conclusion of his contract on 2 July 2027.
Mr Boyd described the move as “an appropriate time for a planned and orderly transition” to new leadership.
Mayor Westcott said “council acknowledges the enormous contribution Kent has made to Parkes Shire,” pointing in particular to Mr Boyd’s role in establishing the Parkes Special Activation Precinct — the first such precinct in New South Wales, and a model since adopted elsewhere in the state.
Council has resolved to appoint Director Infrastructure and Sustainability Andrew Francis as Acting General Manager from Friday 30 October 2026, pending the outcome of a recruitment process. That process, guided by the Office of Local Government’s Guidelines for the Appointment and Oversight of General Managers, will involve an external recruitment consultant.