On the weekend update from the Roundup;
Greater Geelong finally appoints a new CEO after an interrupted 10 month process; and flags a late reprieve for library funding in the Geelong budget;
A Victorian council attracts national attention for its approach to a housing issue;
Moorabool successfully prosecutes illegal waste dumpers;
Council vacancies filled in Victoria and New South Wales;
A councillor censured for misconduct;
Queensland councils found to be in breach of internal audit requirements;
And major sector reforms flagged in New Zealand.
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Transcript (with story links where available):
Hi, this is Chris Eddy, coming to you from the land of the Wadawurrung People with the latest from the Local Government News Roundup.
On the podcast today:
Greater Geelong finally appoints a new CEO after an interrupted 10 month process; and flags a late reprieve for library funding in the Geelong budget;
A Victorian council attracts national attention for its approach to a housing issue;
Moorabool successfully prosecutes illegal waste dumpers;
Council vacancies filled in Victoria and New South Wales;
A councillor censured for misconduct;
Queensland councils found to be in breach of internal audit requirements;
And major sector reforms flagged in New Zealand.
All of that and much more ahead in the latest update from the Local Government News Roundup.
Thanks for joining me for today’s podcast – brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association..
The long and winding journey that leads to the appointment of a CEO at Greater Geelong has finally reached its end.
The Council this week announced the appointment of Ali Wastie to the position.
Ms Wastie has been CEO at Bass Coast Shire Council since 2019, and last August was reappointed on a new five year contract.
She has previously held senior positions at Yarra Ranges and the City of Melbourne, and was last year appointed as the Chair of the new Alpine Resorts Victoria board.
The path to the appointment began last July when Martin Cutter announced he would be stepping down and gave three month’s notice.
His departure was brought forward by a month, and in August last year the Council’s Director of Strategy, People and Performance, Kaarina Phyland, was installed as Acting CEO.
In January of this year it was revealed that the Local Government Inspectorate had raised concerns about the city’s CEO recruitment process with the Minister for Local Government, Melissa Horne.
The process was halted, and in February, two municipal monitors – Prue Digby and Peter Dorling – were appointed for 12 months and asked to guide the CEO recruitment process.
In April, the Council received the go-ahead from the Minister to resume the process, leading to this week’s announcement.
Ms Wastie will finish up at Bass Coast on 28th July, and take up the role at Greater Geelong in late August.
Bass Coast Shire Council says it will move quickly to appoint an interim leader and begin a formal recruitment process to appoint a new leader.
You can find an updated list of Victorian Council CEO appointments on the Roundup website, with just two councils now seeking to appoint in the top position – the City of Melbourne, and of course now, Bass Coast Shire.
Greater Geelogn City Council; Bass Coast Shire Council; LG News Roundup CEO Appointment Watch
Greater Geelong library campaigners may be about to score a victory, at least in part, with the Council set to consider adjustments to its proposed budget that should see current library opening hours maintained.
Acting CEO Kaarina Phyland announced an additional $356,000 for libraries in the forthcoming financial year, bringing the total allocation to $14.3M.
She said the Geelong Regional Libraries Corporation had declined to meet with officers and the municipal monitor to collaborate on an outcome, and described GRLC’s refusal to allocate a portion of its $2M in free cash reserves towards a resolution as disappointing.
Further proposed changes to the budget include additional funding for the Kardinia Aquatic Centre and Life Saving Victoria.
Of 955 budget submissions received, the highest number related to libraries funding and the Kardinia Aquatic Centre.
The Council will vote on the changes on Tuesday night.
Mount Alexander Shire Council has voted to do away with permits for caravans and wheeled tiny homes, in a move hailed as a positive step towards easing the housing crisis.
The changes apply to properties with existing dwellings, and will mean that one temporary home per property will be allowed with no time limit of how long it can be in place.
The decision has attracted wide media attention, particularly in light of the recent controversy in Sunshine Coast, Queensland, where the council stepped in to evict residents who were living in four tiny homes on one property
The incident has highlighted the challenges for local governments around the country in attempting to balance existing planning regulations with a growing demand for innovative solutions as a nationwide housing crisis deepens.
Mount Alexander Shire Mayor Rosie Annear said while the decision won’t fix the housing crisis, the council hopes it will provide an option for people who are struggling to find a place to live.
Mt Alexander Shire Council; ABC News; The New Daily
Two men who illegally dumped household waste in Moorabool Shire have been fined $13,000 plus clean-up costs by the Ballarat Magistrates Court after a successful prosecution brought by the Council.
The court case, which began in September last year, concluded with the judge ruling in favour of Council.
The court fined one of the men $5000 and $5000 in legal fees and the other $8000 and $440 legal fees.
Both were ordered to pay clean-up costs of $12,284, and both men recorded convictions.
Council discovered a large amount of household goods and rubbish dumped on the side of Reservoir Rd, Coimadai in January 2022.
Evidence from the rubbish led Council to two residents from a neighbouring shire who claimed to have paid a rubbish removal service to clean up and dispose of a large amount of rubbish from their home. An investigation proved this to be the case.
Indigo Shire Council in the state’s north east is seeking a National Heritage Listing of the historic Beechworth Administrative Precinct.
Mayor Sophie Price said this week that the Australian Heritage Council is conducting further comprehensive research, consulting with site owners and undertaking community engagement on the proposal.
If successful, Mayor Price said the listing would see the Beechworth Administrative Precinct listed alongside the Sydney Opera House and Fremantle Prison as a place of outstanding heritage significance to the nation.
The Council anticipates annual visitation to the precinct alone could increase from the current 27,000 to 100,000, and generate an additional $20M into the local economy.
Source: Indigo Shire Council
Now in today’s Victorian Briefs:
Robert Minty has been elected as a councillor for the Borough of Queenscliffe Council, after the Victorian Electoral Commission conducted a countback of votes at 1 pm on Monday 19 June.
The extraordinary vacancy arose due to the resignation of Councillor Fleur Hewitt.
Cr Minty was sworn in on Wednesday morning and now returns to the council on which he previously served from 2019 through to the elections in October 2020.
A developing mental health crisis in Maribyrnong City has led to a call for a government enquiry into the psycho social impacts of COVID 19 and lock down measures.
The Council has acknowledged some alarming statistics on the long term health conditions of residents and mental health issues in young people, and called on the government to provide additional funding for psychological and material support.
Over the past two years here on the Roundup, we’ve regularly reported on council decisions relating to the delivery of aged care services.
This week the Weekly Times has taken a look at the current state of play for councils in regional Victoria, revealing that soon just 13 regional councils will remain offering in-home aged care services.
Ten are due to leave by the end of this month, following on from 12 in the last financial year.
One regional council is bucking the trend – the Borough of Queenscliffe, which has allocated additional funds to continue providing the service to its community, which has the oldest median age in the state.
You can find that story in the June 21 edition of the Weekly Times.
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Now for some of the stories making local government news from around Australia this week.
There were reports out of Tasmania this week that forced amalgamations of councils are looking more likely, after Local Government Minister Nic Street declined to rule them out in Parliament.
According to the Advocate, Minister Street was asked to confirm there would be no job losses, especially in smaller rural towns.
He said the arms length review process may result in directions around amalgamations, or changes to council boundaries and numbers, and that he has no intention of interfering with the process.
A number of mayors, particularly of smaller councils, have expressed concerns in recent weeks about being subsumed into larger so-called super-councils.
A range of options are currently out for consultation, with a final report expected to be handed down by the Local Government board later this year.
The Advocate, 22-6-23
A Councillor at Lismore City Council has been censured for failure to comply with the council’s code of conduct.
The matter was heard in a confidential session of the council after which it announced the outcome.
Councillor Big Rob has been found to have committed misconduct by failing to comply with standards prescribed in the code.
The Lismore City News reported that the censure vote was not unanimous, with four councillors voting against.
A rescission motion looking to overturn a previous decision to censure Cr Rob on a separate matter was reported to have been lost.
Lismore City Council; Lismore City News
Queensland’s Auditor-General has recommended the state government to provide more support for effective internal audit functions at councils in the state.
Brendan Worrall’s latest report has found 14 councils in breach of requirements to have an internal audit function in place, and a further 16 do not have an audit committee.
The Courier Mail reports that staff turnover and vacancies are a main cause for the failings.
The state’s peak body says the report clearly shows the challenges that councils are facing to provide services.
The Department of Local Government said the seven recommendations will either be supported, or supported in principle.
Courier Mail, 23-6-23
Byron Shire in New South Wales has recorded the highest number of rough sleepers in the state, according to the annual NSW Street Count.
The count, which was carried out in February 2023, found that 300 people were sleeping rough in the area, up from 198 in 2021 and 138 in 2022.
Byron Shire Mayor Michael Lyon has called for urgent and immediate assertive outreach services and supportive housing options to address the challenges facing the area’s vulnerable population.
The second highest number of rough sleepers was recorded in the City of Sydney, with 277 rough sleepers.
Queensland’s Ipswich City Council has received the decision on three appeals related to landfill sites from three waste companies. Two of the applications were refused, and the third was deemed to be refused.
After a 44 day hearing, the court dismissed two appeals and allowed the third, which was approved subject to conditions.
Mayor Teresa Harding said the outcome was mostly good news, albeit tinged with some disappointment.
She said it is extremely frustrating that the community continues to suffer odour and amenity impacts, and the council wastes millions of dollars fighting these matters in court.
Briefly:
Former councillor Steve Ring will return to Lithgow City Council after the completion of a countback by the NSW Electoral Commission.
The countback was required after the resignation last month of Deanna Goodsell after six years in the council.
Mr Ring was first elected to the council in 2016, and was unsuccessful at the last election.
Campbelltown City Council in Adelaide is considering establishing a cool refuge area for residents during heatwaves.
The council has formed a Working Group, and is working with 12 volunteers from diverse backgrounds who are providing their perspectives and ideas on the potential facility.
A community survey is also being conducted as another input into the council’s consideration of the proposal.
More on that story from the ABC.
Snowy Monaro Regional Council has appointed McArthur Recruitment to lead its CEO recruitment process.
The appointment follows a Council decision earlier this year not to offer its current CEO Peter Bascomb a further contract. Since that time, two members of the senior executive team have resigned, and recruitment for the positions will likely be delayed until the new CEO is appointed.
Now for today’s International Spotlight:
The Gore District Council’s chief executive, Stephen Parry, and elected members have agreed to work together and put their differences aside.
The fractured relationship between Mayor Ben Bell and Parry has caused ongoing issues for the council.
Last week, all but Bell voted not to receive a petition calling for Parry’s resignation.
In May, the mayor was facing a vote of no confidence from councillors who subsequently backed down.
Elected members, including the mayor, have apologised for the detrimental impact on Parry’s reputation and wellbeing, acknowledging errors had been made.
According to a report from Radio New Zealand, the apology has been accepted by Parry, and councillors and the mayor have offered their unreserved confidence in Parry and his management team.
The council has confirmed they will not comment further on the council’s working relationships and will focus on the community and council business.
An independent panel in New Zealand has recommended sweeping reforms to local government, including empowering local communities to build local solutions, reforming The Local Government Act, and establishing a new Crown entity to manage the relationship between central and local government.
Consolidation of the number of councils, from the current 78, and the sharing of functions across councils are also canvassed in the report.
Dr Andy Asquith from the Curtin Institute of Public Policy is a keen observer of the NZ local government scene, and says council amalgamations are not likely to proceed:
(grab)
The panel has recommended increasing councillors’ pay, moving to four-year terms, and lowering the voting age to 16 to increase voter turnout.
You can hear my full conversation with Dr Asquith in a bonus episode of the Roundup available in your podcast queue now.
To the US, where the mayor of Baker City, Oregon, Matt Diaz, has drawn criticism after posting an offensive meme on social media that rearranged four pride flags to form a swastika.
Diaz has defended himself, stating that the post was intended to illustrate how the “woke” ideology is being forced on American society.
He denied being a Nazi sympathiser and said that he holds no hate for those who have different lifestyles, religions, or sexual preferences.
A former mayor and other community members are organising a town hall to discuss the offensive act, which occurred during Pride month.
Diaz was selected as mayor by city council members after the previous mayor was voted out of office.
More on that story from Oregon Live
And from England comes the mysterious case of the disappearing Council Facebook page.
Last week, Dorset Council announced that its Facebook page had disappeared without warning or explanation, and it had made numerous attempts to contact Facebook’s parent firm Meta about the problem.
The council said its Facebook page was an important communications and engagement channel, with over 33,000 followers at the time of its disappearance; and it called for patience and understanding from members of the public.
Thankfully, the BBC has now reported that patience has been rewarded, and the Facebook page has been restored after more than a week offline.
Meta confirmed to the council that the page should not have been taken down, and apologised for the inconvenience.
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That’s the latest from the Roundup for the 24th June 2023.
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The Local Government News Roundup is recorded in the city of Greater Geelong, Victoria, on the land of the Wadawurrung People of the Kulin Nation.
I’ll be back soon with more of the latest local government news. Until next time, thanks for listening, and bye for now.