Today on the Local Government News Roundup:
- Campaspe CEO quits for a role in the city
- A council warning that data centres could derail housing plans
- A controversial paid parking plan scrapped by a Sydney council
- More councillors under scrutiny in a new ICAC public inquiry
- An eleventh hour call to ditch a costly by-election
- A new CEO for Charters Towers, and a WA shire council
- A council’s principled stand on event sponsorship reversed
- The UK peak body’s CEO resigns
And more local government news from around Australia and beyond.
Listen to this episode now:
Victoria
Campaspe Shire Council CEO Pauline Gordon has resigned after nearly four years in the role, accepting a senior position with the City of Boroondara.
Mayor Cr Daniel Mackrell thanked Ms Gordon for her leadership through the 2022 and 2024 flood events, COVID-19, and a range of significant infrastructure and community projects.
Ms Gordon’s last day is the 26th of August. Council will now begin the formal process to appoint a new Chief Executive Officer.
The City of Greater Geelong has warned that local councils risk becoming ‘spectators’ as state-approved data centres consume land originally earmarked for residential growth.
The Geelong Advertiser reported that the warning comes as data centre operator NextDC acquires a one-hundred-and-seventy-hectare site in Lovely Banks.
Geelong council is calling on the Victorian Government to urgently release its data centre strategy and ensure local government retains a seat at the planning table to safeguard long-term regional housing supply.
The Borough of Queenscliffe is launching a review of its aged care services, to determine whether council should keep providing in-home support through the Commonwealth Home Support Program, or transition clients to other providers.
Council says there are no immediate changes and current care will continue as usual.
A final decision is expected in late 2026, with residents encouraged to provide feedback by phone or email through council.
Hobsons Bay Council has adopted a back-to-basics budget for 2026–27, with a rates rise below the state’s rate cap.
The plan forecasts a five-point-seven million dollar operating surplus, and will pay down more than two-point-five million dollars in debt.
Nearly sixty million dollars is set aside for capital works. Residential rates will rise by an average one-point-eight-four per cent.
Also among a number of councils adopting their budgets this week is Glen Eira City Council, which has approval for a one year variation to the rate cap.
An increase of five per cent will generate an additional $3 million in revenue for the council’s $240M budget.
Regional roads and financial sustainability are front of mind for the mayor of the Rural City of Wangaratta, and this week on VLGA Connect, Councillor Irene Grant doesn’t hold back on either front.
On roads, Wangaratta has put its name to data identifying the Great Alpine Road as Victoria’s most hazardous highway — and Cr Grant says the funding ask from the Regional Cities Group reflects the true scale of the problem.
“We’ve asked the government to commit to two billion dollars to attend to the maintenance of roads across the regional centres in Victoria — and we’re already told that two billion dollars is simply going to be a drop in the ocean.”
And with a new CEO flagging around three million dollars in savings needed, Cr Grant is equally direct about what cost shifting is doing to councils like hers.
“For us, cost shifting means something in the realm of almost two million dollars. So that’s had a big impact on us — it’s costing us significant money.”
That full conversation with Wangaratta Mayor Councillor Irene Grant is coming up on VLGA Connect – look out for on Friday on YouTube and in your podcast playlist.
NSW
Randwick City Council has voted to reject a controversial paid beach parking proposal following intense community opposition.
The Daily Telegraph reported on a tense Tuesday night council meeting, where two thirds of the fifteen member council voted against the recommended plan, which aimed to generate up to three point six million dollars annually for coastal infrastructure.
The decision leaves the council seeking alternative funding streams to cover a twenty-three million dollar beach maintenance deficit.
While some believed the plan would shift the financial burden away from local ratepayers, opponents were support by a petition with over eleven thousand signatures.
The decision means parking will remain free for visitors at several of Sydney’s popular beaches, including Coogee and Maroubra.
The New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption has announced a public inquiry as part of its Operation Rosny investigation.
Among the allegations is a specific charge against two Strathfield councillors — Cr Sharangan Maheswaran and Cr Karen Pensabene — who are alleged to have engaged in conduct toward fellow Cr Matthew Blackmore that could involve the dishonest exercise of their official functions, a breach of public trust, and possible blackmail.
The allegations also concern people associated with the Liberal Party (NSW Division), the CEO of Catholic Schools NSW Dallas McInerney, property developer Jean Nassif, and hotelier Michael O’Hara.
The inquiry is expected to run for eight weeks, commencing 27th July.
Kiama Municipal Council has unanimously voted to ask the NSW Minister for Local Government to allow it to operate with eight councillors until 2028, rather than hold a by-election.
The by-election — scheduled for 22 August following the resignation of Cr Mike Cains — is estimated to cost around two hundred thousand dollars.
Mayor Cameron McDonald says the council, which remains under a NSW Government Performance Improvement Order, cannot afford that hit on its current budget. The Minister’s decision is awaited.
An environmental row has peaked on the New South Wales South Coast, with a controversial subdivision at Mossy Point receiving the green light from Eurobodalla Shire Council.
2EC reported that Mayor Matt Hatcher was forced to call for order multiple times during a tense debate over the fourteen-lot proposal, which local ecologists warn will heavily clear high-value zones and impact threatened species.
A motion to block the development failed on a four-all deadlock, and the Mayor used his casting vote to push the original application through.
Tamworth Regional Council has voted to begin the process of selling Ray Walsh House, including the adjoining car park on its north and western side.
Ray Walsh House is a Brutalist-style building on Peel Street, purchased by Tamworth City Council in the 1990s.
It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1977, and for some time served as the headquarters of Tamworth Regional Council — it’s regarded as one of the city’s most recognisable civic landmarks.
Councillors approved the sale by five votes to three, following a Town Hall community information session and a submission period throughout May.
An Expression of Interest process will now be run to appoint a sales agent, with General Manager Paul Bennett to report back to Council before any sale proceeds.
A second car park on the south and eastern side of the building will be offered as an option to any future purchaser.
Queensland
In Queensland, Charters Towers Regional Council has appointed Michelle Clarke as its new Chief Executive Officer. Council resolved the appointment at a Special Meeting on twenty-fourth June.
Mrs Clarke brings multi-council CEO experience, having previously led both Richmond and Balonne Shire Councils in New South Wales and Queensland.
Mayor Liz Schmidt said her financial, governance and regional knowledge would support a smooth transition. Mrs Clarke commences the role on twenty-fourth August.
Blackall-Tambo Regional Council has welcomed a decision by the Queensland Redistribution Commission to reject proposed changes to the region’s state electoral boundaries.
The Commission had earlier proposed splitting the Blackall-Tambo region across separate electorates, prompting Council to run a community survey and lodge formal submissions.
The region will remain within the Gregory electorate.
Mayor Andrew Martin credited the result to coordinated advocacy from the community, neighbouring councils, regional mayors, and local state representatives.
Somerset Regional Council has adopted a 100-million-dollar budget for the 2026–27 financial year, delivering a six per cent increase to general rates to fund key infrastructure.
The budget includes a projected 4.1-million-dollar operating deficit, driven by grant timing differences and a new corporate management system.
Mayor Jason Wendt says the difficult decisions have been made, focusing on long-term stewardship, noting that Somerset remains one of the few South East Queensland councils operating with no debt or overdraft facility. More from the Sentinel News.
The state’s Electoral Commission has officially declared Nathan Gordon Brotherton elected to Winton Shire Council‘s Division One, following a by-election last month.
South Australia
Two South Australian councils are celebrating their roles in next January’s Santos Tour Down Under.
The City of Charles Sturt will host the men’s Stage One start from Henley Square on the nineteenth of January, with around twenty-five thousand spectators having attended this year’s event at the same location.
Meanwhile, the City of Norwood Payneham and Saint Peters will host the start of the final stage on Sunday the twenty-fourth of January — a first in the race’s history — with both the men’s and women’s pelotons tackling an identical one-hundred-and-thirty-six-kilometre route from Norwood to Stirling.
It marks the first time a UCI WorldTour race has run men’s and women’s stages over the same distance, on the same course, on the same day.
Meanwhile, Adelaide Hills Council has reversed its decision to lobby the state government over the Tour Down Under’s corporate sponsorship.
Adelaide Now reports that councillors voted to rescind a motion urging a shift away from fossil fuel giant Santos. The council will instead write to the Premier to respectfully encourage sustainability criteria for future state-supported events.
Western Australia
The Shire of Woodanilling has announced the appointment of Signe Balodis as its new Chief Executive Officer.
Moving from her current role as Director of Council Services at the East Arnhem Regional Council in the Northern Territory, Ms Balodis will officially commence in the shire on the twenty-fourth of August.
The City of Greater Geraldton has selected a new operator for its hire e-scooter scheme, with council voting this week to enter into a Deed of Agreement with Ario, replacing the current operator, Beam Mobility.
The one-year agreement includes a possible two-year extension, subject to council approval.
The decision followed an Expression of Interest process that attracted two submissions, with Ario selected partly on the strength of its advanced safety features, including pedestrian detection and helmet-use monitoring.
A 14-day public submission period will be held before the agreement is finalised.
The Shire of Sandstone has released a discussion paper reviewing its elected member numbers.
The council is seeking community feedback on whether to reduce its current six positions down to five to avoid tied votes, or retain the status quo.
Public submissions close on the thirteenth of August.
International
NZ:
The Western Bay of Plenty District Council is narrowing its focus on local government reform, voting to advance just two potential merger options ahead of the Government’s looming fast-track deadline.
Councillors have dropped three of five potential pathways, choosing instead to explore either a single, region-wide mega-council for the entire Bay of Plenty, or a smaller sub-regional authority combined with Tauranga City.
The move follows recent public feedback showing nearly three-quarters of local residents support or are open to amalgamation. A definitive vote on whether to formally submit the proposal will take place on July 30th.
Meanwhile, the council has confirmed a rates increase of 5.1 per cent for the year ahead, following what it calls a series of deliberate and measured decisions to manage costs while maintaining essential services.
Selwyn District Council, in the South Island’s central Canterbury region, ****has locked in its leadership for the road ahead. Acting Chief Executive Steve Gibling has officially been appointed to the role permanently, effective this week.
Mayor Lydia Gliddon says Gibling’s steady hand over the last seven months proved he is the right fit to navigate what he calls the “biggest reform of local government since the 1980s.”
Gibling says his immediate focus is set on balancing major upcoming central government structural reforms with local community planning. More from Star News.
UK:
Joanna Killian has resigned as chief executive of the UK Local Government Association, confirming she won’t return after a period of ill health, and since taking unexpected leave in January.
The LGA says its focus remains on supporting staff and pushing ahead with a major change programme, including plans to cut more than ten per cent of its workforce.
Interim chief executive, Jenny Rowlands, will stay on while recruitment begins for a permanent replacement.
USA:
In the US, A civil grand jury report has criticised a Californian council.
The report cites internal dysfunction and behaviour that has eroded public trust in Stockton City Council.
The ‘Governance in Turmoil’ report notes the friction has led to a loss of qualified municipal staff.
As reported by KCRA News, the administration has ninety days to implement recommended policy reforms.
Also in California, Governor Gavin Newsom’s office has signed a statewide deal with Anthropic giving state agencies discounted access to the Claude AI assistant, alongside free workforce training.
The offer will extend to Californian cities and counties, with the Department of Motor Vehicles and Department of Health Care Services already piloting use. (Source: CBS Sacramento)
CANADA:
Ontario’s Windsor City Council is warning of a nearly five-and-a-half million dollar shortfall in its 2026 operating budget — after approving a zero per cent tax increase.
Most of the pressure comes from Transit Windsor, forecasting a $5.1 million deficit, with lower revenue and higher operating costs.
The city says it may need to dip into its budget stabilisation reserve — but the report warns using it could exhaust the fund. CTV News has more on that story.