Clarence Valley News

Pay rise for GM ‘obscene’ says councillor

Published

5 months ago

14 February 2024

Liam

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Pay rise for GM ‘obscene’ says councillor

By Tim Howard

Clarence Valley Council will award its general manager Laura Black a 2% pay rise – $7200 a year – if a mayoral minute to be heard at an extraordinary general meeting on Thursday is successful.

Mayor Peter Johnstone has brought forward the minute to note the Annual Performance Management report from the Performance Management Review Panel.

The panel recommended Ms Black receive a pay increase back dated to October 7 last year.

Cr Johnstone’s minute released with the business paper on Monday is a glowing endorsement of the general manager’s performance.

Over two pages he listed dozens of council’s programs and achievements as examples of the general manager’s strong leadership.

But the machinations behind the calling of this extraordinary meeting are bizarre.

It has been revealed four councillors: former mayor Ian Tiley and former deputy mayor Greg Clancy, the current deputy Jeff Smith and Bill Day, a councillor with experience on two different councils called the meeting.

They called it to deal with some matters concerning senior staff at council.

But Cr Clancy said there was a change in plans on Monday when other councillors called a rival extraordinary meeting to bring forward the mayoral minute.

“We decided for strategic reasons it was best to withdraw,” Cr Clancy said.

“The mayoral minute was going to be presented at the February 27 meeting and it seems fairly clear they brought forward their motion to undermine our motion.”

Cr Clancy said he was not sure why it was necessary to call an extraordinary meeting to deal with the mayoral minute, unless it was a tactical move.

“Extraordinary meetings are usually called to deal with business that’s urgent and can’t wait for the next monthly meeting,” he said.

“The general manager’s performance review would have been included in the February 27 meeting, so there’s no pressing reason it should have been called, unless it was designed to undermine ours.”

Cr Day was more outspoken.

He said the extraordinary meeting that would go ahead on Thursday “hijacked” the meeting first called.

“We could have held our meeting after the meeting to hear the mayoral minute, and risk our item being declared a direct negative of what had been just decided,” he said.

“We decided it best to withdraw and let them deal with the embarrassment of explaining why they had called an extraordinary meeting when one wasn’t needed.

“It’s strange politics.”

He described the move to award the general manager a pay rise in these times as “obscene”.

“The NSW Government has put a freeze on pay rises for politicians and senior staff,” he said.

“This is the only way, by a performance review, that a general manager can get an increase in remuneration.

“In a time of crazy inflation where people on fixed incomes and pensions are struggling to pay their rates, we’ve said ‘stuff you’ to pensioners, someone on $350,000 a year is not getting enough.”

The mayoral minute justified the decision increase Ms Black’s pay packet saying the Circular to Councils 23-11 from the Office of Local Government noted that the annual increments in salary that are normally awarded to general managers did not happen this year.

It said the reasons were explained in the circular, together with the statement that this was an unintended consequence of a decision made in respect to workers in state government.

The circular also explains that this consequence can be mitigated by councils by using the performance pay rise provisions in general managers contracts.

The CVC GM Performance Review panel recommended that this provision be used to increase the salary of Ms Black.

The Wage Price Index was 4% in September 2023 and the inflation rate was 5.6%. A 2% performance related pay increase would therefore suggest a drop in real terms when compared to inflation.

Mayor Johnstone said there was not escaping an extraordinary meeting on Thursday once the moves had been made.

He said under both the Local Government Act and the council’s Code of Meeting Practice once the call had been legally made the meeting had to proceed.

“I didn’t call the meetings, they were called by other councillors,” he said.

“I can’t comment on the motivations of other people.”

Cr Johnstone did not want to be drawn on the optics of giving a highly paid staff member a pay rise.

He noted that it was a process recommended in the Circular to Councils and when the review process had taken place the numbers had fallen that way.

But he said it was awkward for councils to deal with these matters because it was something that put councillors in the firing line.

For more local Clarence Valley news, click here.

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Clarence Valley News

Community group’s council audit delayed

Published

2 days ago

24 July 2024

Liam

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Community group’s council audit delayed

By Tim Howard

A community group supposedly the target of a Clarence Valley Council audit in February 2024 over the cost of its interactions with council has pointed out the audit has not been completed. The General Manager, Laura Black commented, “I anticipate it will take a couple of months.”

The secretary of Yamba Community Action Network (YambaCAN), Lynne Cairns, said this week’s council business paper included a report, Council Meeting Checklist – update on actions taken.

The report revealed staff had not completed the action, the result of a council resolution at the February 2024 council meeting.

“On page 175 of the business paper there is a note next to the item,” Ms Cairns said.

“It reads: ‘Staff responsible for collating information have been diverted to prepare and respond to legal action taken against council by an executive member of YambaCan’.”

Ms Cairns said this was incorrect as no-one on the YambaCAN executive had taken legal action against the council.

She was aware of some matters concerning the council a member of YambaCAN had taken to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

“These matters were not matters concerning YambaCAN and the member who brought them was not acting for YambaCAN,” Ms Cairns said.

“I’m concerned this is some disinformation that somehow YambaCAN is responsible for delaying council’s investigation of its actions.

“YambaCAN is requesting an apology from council for the incorrect information in the business paper.”

The resolution read: that the general manager advises, by way of a report the:

1. allocation of resources required to respond to GIPAs submitted by YambaCan since January 2022.

2. allocation of resources required to respond to RFI (Request for Information) submitted by YambaCan since January 2022.

3. any cost implications of delays to delivering the Yamba Community Precinct project since January 2022.

The matter was passed 5-4, but debate was fiery.

Cr Karen Toms brought it as a notice of motion to alert the public to the costs the group’s GIPA requests and requests for information were incurring.

But other councillors said these costs were part of council operating openly and transparently.

Cr Greg Clancy was concerned the motion focused on just one group when council records showed it was responsible for a fraction of the requests.

“As seen in the listing of GIPA applications on council’s website, there are 22 GIPA applications and only six of these refer to YambaCAN,” he told the February meeting.

He also revealed YambaCAN had lodged a request for information, however were informed that there were 290 requests for information previously lodged by others that were waiting to be processed.

Ms Cairns was concerned that with the council going into caretaker mode on August 16, ahead of the September local government elections, council could not effectively decide on the matter.

There will be report on the outcome of this matter and other matters at council in next week’s edition of The Northern Rivers Times.

For more Yamba news, click here.

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Clarence Valley News

Clarence Valley Country Muster

Published

1 week ago

17 July 2024

Liam

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Clarence Valley Country Muster

If you are missing the country sounds from Tamworth, fret not, as the Clarence Valley Country Muster is just around the corner.

Expanded from two days to four, the event will start on July 25^th and go to July 28^th at 11 Coulters Lane, Ulmarra, near Grafton.

You will enjoy artists such as Jade Hurley, John, Lloyd, Jack Watson, Lindsay Waddington and Jamie Davis.

Special guest artists, Paul Ricketts, Winner of the Thornton Young Award and Nay McAplin, Winner of the Walk Ups in July, will also make an appearance.

Your comperes for the main stage will be Terry Gordon OAM and Ken ‘Chainsaw’ Lindsay.

And bring those nerves with you, as from 10.30am on Thursday, aspiring artists can take their turn on the microphone, with John Lloyd hosting the walk-ups.

All acts will be vying for a gig at next July’s event.

Now is the time to grab a group of friends or family members and book your spot by heading to their website www.cvcmuster.com.au or calling Wendy Gordon on 0432 741947.

Gates open for early arrival at the muster site on Tuesday, July 23.

For $120 per person, you can enjoy a full week of camping, camaraderie and entertainment at one of the best value-for-money festivals in the Clarence Valley.

Check out is Tuesday, July 30.

If you have a fire pit, bring it along as wood will be supplied.

There will be songs around the campfire, best dressed Christmas and party games and a big finale on the Sunday.

For more local Clarence Valley news, click here.

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Clarence Valley News

NSW BUDGET: NOTHING FOR RICHMOND AND CLARENCE VALLEYS COST OF LIVING CRISIS, BUT SOME WINS

Published

4 weeks ago

27 June 2024

Liam

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NSW BUDGET: NOTHING FOR RICHMOND AND CLARENCE VALLEYS COST OF LIVING CRISIS, BUT SOME WINS

The NSW Labor Government’s 18 June Budget does nothing to alleviate the growing cost of living problems in the Richmond and Clarence Valleys, although there is some good news for the region, according to Clarence Nationals MP Richie Williamson.

“Everywhere I go, every local I talk to, they all say the same thing: we’re struggling with rising costs – why isn’t the Government helping?” Mr Williamson said.

Mr Williamson said that he was all for working cooperatively with the Government, but there was mounting evidence Sydney Labor is “out of town, out of touch and the budget is out of control”.

“Calls to reinstate the $250 fuel card for regional seniors, students and apprentices have fallen on deaf ears, but Sydney seniors now enjoy $2-a-day Gold Passes on Sydney’s massive and massively subsidised public transport system as well as toll relief for Sydneysiders,” Mr Williamson said.

“Calls to save the Ulmarra ferry from Labor’s axe met a similar fate, at the same time as Labor is buying a fleet of new ferries for Sydney and took over another Sydney ferry service that has lower patronage than Ulmarra to Southgate.”

Mr Williamson did acknowledge the Government’s ongoing funding of the previous Liberals and Nationals Government’s Grafton Base Hospital rebuild, the allocation of $6.2m in the fight against White Spot disease in local rivers as well as a “welcome” $90m boost for the Resilient Homes Program, following the 2022 floods.

“These are crumbs compared to what Labor is lavishing on its Sydney heartland,” Mr Williamson cautioned.

“The Richmond and Clarence Valleys provide the timber for Sydney homes, the beef for Sydney dinners as well as the sugar and milk for Sydney cappuccinos.

“That needs to be acknowledged and we deserve our fair share,” Mr Williamson concluded.”

For more Richmond Valley news, click here.

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