On the Roundup today… news from Victorian councils on topics including January 26th, level crossing removals, and climate response; a Western Australian Council abandons a staff vaccine incentive proposal after a community backlash; CEO and mayoral announcements, and advocacy updates from New South Wales; a massive funding shortfall identified this week for UK Councils.
Just some of what’s ahead on the Roundup, which is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, an independent governance organisation supporting councils and councillors to achieve the highest standards of governance;
And by Hunt & Hunt Lawyers - providing advice to help Councils achieve the best for their communities.
Links:
Surf Coast to cease celebratory 26th January events
Kingston concerns over level crossing removal plans
Frankston to partner with St Kilda Football Club
Knox adopts Climate Response Plan
Corangamite Shire launches public art project
Manjimup abandons vaccine incentive proposal
Lithgow opposed to energy from waste plan
Blue Mountains concerns over dam wall raising proposal
Port Macquarie-Hastings calls for review of COVID-19 loophole
Dubbo appoints Murray Wood as CEO
Federation Council reappoints CEO Adrian Butler
Bayside NSW Mayoral election
Parramatta Mayoral electi
Support the Roundup and get access to special episodes and regular breaking news updates by becoming a subscriber for around $5 per month. ($3 USD) Click here to subscribe now.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government; and supported by Davidson, the nationally recognised executive recruitment and business advisory service.
Links for stories referenced in the podcast can be found in the transcript, or by visiting the Roundup website.
On the Roundup today… news from Victorian councils on topics including January 26th, level crossing removals, and climate response; a Western Australian Council abandons a staff vaccine incentive proposal after a community backlash; CEO and mayoral announcements, and advocacy updates from New South Wales; a massive funding shortfall identified this week for UK Councils.
Just some of what’s ahead on the Roundup, which is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, an independent governance organisation supporting councils and councillors to achieve the highest standards of governance;
And by Hunt & Hunt Lawyers - providing advice to help Councils achieve the best for their communities.
Links:
Surf Coast to cease celebratory 26th January events
Kingston concerns over level crossing removal plans
Frankston to partner with St Kilda Football Club
Knox adopts Climate Response Plan
Corangamite Shire launches public art project
Manjimup abandons vaccine incentive proposal
Lithgow opposed to energy from waste plan
Blue Mountains concerns over dam wall raising proposal
Port Macquarie-Hastings calls for review of COVID-19 loophole
Dubbo appoints Murray Wood as CEO
Federation Council reappoints CEO Adrian Butler
Bayside NSW Mayoral election
Parramatta Mayoral electi
Support the Roundup and get access to special episodes and regular breaking news updates by becoming a subscriber for around $5 per month. ($3 USD) Click here to subscribe now.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government; and supported by Davidson, the nationally recognised executive recruitment and business advisory service.
Links for stories referenced in the podcast can be found in the transcript, or by visiting the Roundup website.
Hello, and welcome to the Local Government News Roundup for 3rd October 2021. I’m Chris Eddy.
On the Roundup today… news from Victorian councils on topics include January 26th, level crossing removals, and climate response; a Western Australian Council abandons a staff vaccine incentive proposal after a community backlash; CEO and mayoral announcements, and advocacy updates from New South Wales; a massive funding shortfall identified this week for UK Councils.
Just some of what’s ahead on the Roundup, which is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, an independent governance organisation supporting councils and councillors to achieve the highest standards of governance;
And by Hunt & Hunt Lawyers - providing advice to help Councils achieve the best for their communities.
Surf Coast Shire Council has announced a change to the way it acknowledges the 26th January, to promote healing and reconciliation for First Nations People.
The changes were adopted at the September meeting of the Council, consistent with its Reconciliation Action Plan, and to uphold the Council Plan theme of First Nations Reconciliation.
From next year, the Council will no longer participate in celebratory events on 26th January, and will fly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flags at half-mast. It will conduct a citizenship ceremony on the day, due to the federal government requirement to do so.
Kingston City Council has expressed significant concern over the lack of genuine community consultation on two proposed level crossing removals in its municipality.
The Council voted this week to write to the minister for Transport Infrastructure and the Level Crossing Removal Project to request meaningful consultation on the projects, and to make the engineering reports public.
Mayor Steve Staikos said a Council survey had found more than 76% of respondents preferring a rail under road solution, instead of the planned elevated rail solution at the sites in Parkdale and Mentone.
He said 1150 residents responded to the survey, and is urging LXRP to investigate the rail under road solution as an option.
Frankston City Council is progressing plans for a community healthy futures hub at Seaford, in partnership with the St Kilda Football Club.
Under the proposal, a facility at Belvedere Reserve in Seaford would be leased to the club for the development and use as a community health and wellbeing hub.
Mayor Kris Bolam said a condition of the arrangement would be that the site is used for sport, health and wellbeing, with specific benefits for vulnerable groups in the city.
The proposal is subject to a community consultation process, with residents invited to provide input by the 1st November.
Briefly:
Ballot packs for the South Gippsland Shire Council election are in the mail this week.
The Electoral Commissioner, Warwick Gately, is encouraging people to complete and return their ballot material as soon as possible.
Ballot papers must be in the mail or hand delivered to the Election Manager by 6pm on Friday 22nd October.
The Municipal Association of Victoria has cancelled the next State Council meeting, which was planned for Friday 12th November, citing the increasing number of COVID-19 cases and ongoing uncertainty regarding restriction.
The next State Council will be held in May 2022.
Knox City Council has adopted a Climate Response Plan, with 56 actions to achieve zero greenhouse emissions by 2040. A total of $33 million is expected to be invested to implement the actions over that period.
Mayor Lisa Cooper said strengthening targets was important to drive urgent action and align with the latest climate science and recommendations from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Corangamite Shire Council in western Victoria has issued an invitation to artists across the country to share their ideas for a new attraction that will celebrate the history and character of Skipton.
Cr Nick Cole said the Skipton area has long been a productive area for wool, lamb, grain and cattle, and more recently canola. He said that history coupled with the area’s beautiful natural environment are characteristics that can inspire a piece of art for the enjoyment of townspeople and visitors.
The Council envisages a signature public artwork that will be an attraction to visitors once regional travel reopens. Expressions of interest close on Friday 15th October.
The Roundup continues in a moment with more news from around the country.
But first, a word about our valued sponsors, Hunt & Hunt Lawyers.
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The CEO of the Shire of Manjimup in Western Australia has reportedly received death threats over a proposal to pay cash incentives to staff in return for getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
The ABC reports that the council this week voted to abandon the proposal due to a strong backlash from the community, with staff and councillors also the targets of verbal abuse.
Shire President Paul Omodei said they had made an error in judgement, and apologised to the ratepayers of Manjimup.
Lithgow City Council has formally voted to oppose a plan by the NSW Government on the concept of converting waste to energy.
The government plan lists Lithgow as one of four locations where energy from waste activities can occur, and rules out current proposals in metropolitan Sydney.
Lithgow Mayor Cr Ray Thompson said the council was blindsided by the proposal, with no consultation having occurred with the council or the community.
He said that no modelling has yet been seen of the cumulative and long term health and environmental impacts of energy from waste facilities, and reports of economic growth benefits have not been accompanied by any detail.
The mayor of Blue Mountains Council, Cr Mark Greenhill, has condemned the release of the environmental impact statement for the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall.
Cr Greenhill says it could mean the end of the World Heritage listing for the Blue Mountains.
He says the government's decision to allow the exhibition of the EIS to proceed was despite four years of opposition of traditional owners, UNESCO, expert consultants and even the Deputy Premier.
The Council has previously formally opposed the proposal, noting the potential for serious and irreparable damage to Gundungurra Country.
Cr Greenhill said if the raising of the dam wall occurs, part of the World Heritage Area will be lost forever. He has encouraged people to join a campaign to stop the raising of the wall. Details at www.giveadam.org.au
The Mayor and CEO of Port Macquarie-Hastings Council have called on the NSW Government to review a COVID 19 travel exemption that allows Greater Sydney residents to visit regional areas to inspect property.
They’ve highlighted the case of a Sydney resident flying into Port Macquarie and visiting at least 20 venues while infectious with COVID-19, leading to a lockdown in the second week of school holidays.
Mayor Peta Pinson said the community has done the right thing in complying with restrictions, with no locally transmitted cases in more than a year - and now that’s been undone by the actions of one person from outside the area.
The Mayor described the permit system as a loophole that needs to be closed to protect communities.
Dubbo Regional Council has announced the appointment of Murray Wood as its permanent CEO, effective from Monday 4th October.
Mr Wood has been in the role on an interim basis since June. He worked for the Council in senior roles over 15 years until 2018, before moving to a role with the state government department of Regional NSW.
Meanwhile, Federation Council has reappointed its General Manager Adrian Butler on a new five year deal. Mr Butler’s contract was due to expire next June. The Council has unanimously voted to secure Mr Butler’s services on a new contract, effective 1st October this year.
The new Lord Mayor of Parramatta is Cr Steven Issa, elected last week to the position, along with Cr Michelle Garrard as Deputy Lord Mayor. Cr Issa has been Deputy Lord Mayor twice during his nine years on the Council.
A former long term mayor has returned to the role at Bayside Council in New South Wales. Cr Bill Saravinovski has been elected Mayor unopposed for the interim period leading up to elections in December. Cr Michael Nagi was elected unopposed as Deputy Mayor.
And Cr Michael Regan has been re-elected to the mayoralty at Northern Beaches Council. He has held the mayoral role for three terms since 2017. He was also a two term mayor of the former Warringah Council from 2008 to 2016.
The Commonwealth and Queensland Governments have established a $20 million fund to strengthen key infrastructure to better withstand natural disasters.
The funding will be available in 47 local government areas impacted in the 2020-21 disaster season.
Federal Minister Bridget McKenzie said the fund is being established to make damaged public infrastructure more resilient to future disasters.
The betterment fund will be administered by the QRA. Eligible local councils and state agencies are requested to apply for betterment funding along with their restoration funding submissions to QRA.
The Roundup continues in a moment with the international spotlight falling on the UK and the US..
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association.
The VLGA is partnering with Local Government Victoria and FinPro to bring you a live online panel event, discussing the use of debt as a financial resource for Councils.
Our panel will discuss responsible financial management that includes debt, and how Councils and communities can be part of the decision making process around debt.
Panellists will include the Minister for Local Government, the Hon Shaun Leane; Victoria’s Auditor-General Andrew Greaves, local government financial sustainability consultant John Comrie, and CEO of Central Goldfields Shire Council, Lucy Roffey.
It will be my pleasure to facilitate this discussion on Thursday 21st October at 10.00am.
Register now to join us.. visit vlga.org.au/events for registrations and more information.
Now some stories of interest under our international spotlight….
Firstly to the UK, where the Local Government Association has this week warned of extra cost pressures on Councils of nearly £8B by 2024/25 just to keep vital local services running at current levels.
The warning comes in the LGA’s submission to a Treasury Spending Review, and refers to increasing pressures on councils over the next three years which it says cannot be met by council tax income alone.
The submission calls for a multi-year settlement for council to provide sufficient additional government funding and certainty to meet growing cost pressures and existing challenges.
Without additional support, the LGA projects council tax income would need to rise by 25 percent over the next three years.
In Dallas, Texas, the mayor Eric Johnson is following through on a campaign promise to crack down on corruption by reforming the city’s ethics code.
CBS reports that the mayor has unveiled a number of recommendations, including the creation of an Office of the Inspector General, and an ethics reform task force.
This comes after a former mayor and a former council member were embroiled in federal corruption charges.
Currently the city has no agency able to investigate allegations of wrongdoing made in ethics complaints.
A city council committee is expected to vote on the mayor’s proposals by the end of the year.
Now to Portland, Oregon - the last major US city to operate under a commission form of government, but perhaps but for not too much longer.
KPTV.com reports that there are moves to consider a change to the form of government that has been in place since 1913.
Under the current system, each City Councillors is responsible for managing three bureaus, such as water, housing and transportation. The mayor of the day oversees the remaining nine bureaus, including police and emergency management.
Two more common forms of government are under consideration - the strong mayor system, and the city manager model.
A Charter Commission made up of 20 residents appointed by the Council is currently meeting and considering whether it’s time to let go of the current system. It is expected to report back on its recommendations by next June.
And that’s it for this edition of the roundup. Visit www.lgnewsroundup.com for more on each episode, including show notes, links to the stories referenced and extra features.
The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the home of VLGA Connect - an ever growing library of interviews, updates and panel discussions on YouTube and podcast
And by Hunt and Hunt Lawyers - providing advice to help Councils achieve the best for their communities.
Join me next time for more local government news. Until then, thanks for listening and bye for now.