General News
16 August, 2024
'Groundhog Day' for new monitor
Horsham Rural City Council elections will go ahead under the watch of a second government monitor in two years - despite an extraordinary call from state MP Emma Kealy to dismiss council and appoint an administrator.
Minister for Local Government Melissa Horne has announced the appointment following “governance concerns” raised about council, and its failure to meet the statutory deadlines for adoption of a budget, a move “unprecedented in recent years”.
Steven Kingshott begins his 10-month appointment on September 2 - exactly one week before nominations open for candidates to declare standing for election in October.
But Ms Kealy said she was disappointed the Minister had not gone further to address long-standing “systemic issues”.
"I think the Minister has gone soft on this," she said. "I'm skeptical."
"There's no light at the end of the tunnel."
HRCC was in June reported to the Chief Municipal Inspector after being warned of the consequences of failing to submit its budget by the June 30 legislated deadline.
The budget was formally adopted on July 22.
At the same meeting, HRCC released the findings of its annual Community Satisfaction Survey, revealing its standing in the community had slipped to a new low.
Days later, on July 30, three sitting councillors - Claudia Haenel, Ian Ross and David Bowe - called into question the budget process, and issued a damning statement calling the budget delay “a failure by our leaders”.
Their complaints came two years after another municipal monitor spent six months working with councillors and staff on governance issues.
Ms Kealy said she wanted to see council dismissed and the October elections postponed to allow an administrator “to work through operational issues and give council an opportunity to regain the trust and respect of the community before new councillors are elected”.
“Community concerns have escalated in recent months following ongoing issues including councillor complaints, bullying allegations, and Local Government Victoria announcing last week it had referred the council to the Chief Municipal Officer,” she said.
“The complaints are broad. A lot of it’s been well reported in the media."
Ms Kealy raised her concerns with the Minister a fortnight ago, and again this week, urging an administrator be appointed to “clean up” the council after years of underperformance which had eroded public trust and confidence.
“The community expects to be led by people they can trust and respect,” she told The Horsham Times.
“Let’s get what ratepayers deserve, and get somebody in and clean it up and give a new council a fresh opportunity and a fresh start.
"We can’t continue to do the same thing and expect a different result.”
But only hours later the Minister announced Mr Kingshott’s appointment.
“It would be fair to say that the first time a monitor was appointed in July 2022, there was limited success in improving the functionality of Horsham Rural City Council," Ms Kealy said.
“Today’s announcement must feel a little like Groundhog Day for Horsham Rural City residents."
Ms Kealy argued that a monitor could only "influence" council, whereas an administrator had significantly more power, could make decisions and review the employment of personnel.
“It’s clear that things have escalated to a point where significant change is needed within the council to ensure it is delivering for its community, and an administrator would allow for a complete reset," she said.
“I am pleased and thankful the Minister has taken steps to address community concerns, but it remains to be seen whether a second monitor will be enough to address the challenges that have plagued council for some time.”
Mr Kingshott most recently served as a monitor to Glenelg Shire Council. He also has worked in risk management at companies including ExxonMobil.
New reforms to the Local Government Act were brought in some weeks ago to strengthen the Minister’s powers when addressing council governance - including mandatory training for elected representatives and a uniform councillor code of conduct.
Horsham Rural City Council declined to comment in regard to Ms Kealy's call for council to be sacked. However, mayor Robyn Gulline said she welcomed the appointment of a monitor.
"We are all eager to ensure the best outcome for HRCC and appreciate any guidance that assists us in achieving this," she said.
CEO Sunil Bhalla said council’s day to day operations would not change.