The local government year begins in the Clarence Valley at the end of February each year with the holding of an Ordinary Monthly Meeting.
In 2024 this first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 27 February.
So it came as something of a surprise when the current Clarence Valley Mayor briefed a local newspaper thus.....
ClarenceValley Independent, 14 February 2024:
An extraordinary meeting of Clarence Valley Council has been called for tomorrow, Thursday, February 15, where councillors are set to discuss the Performance Review of General Manager, Laura Black.
Clarence Valley Council Mayor, Peter Johnstone provided the CV Independent with embargoed details about the meeting to meet our print deadline, prior to the meeting agenda being made public.
Cr Johnstone said he will be putting forward a motion that council:
Note the Annual Performance Management report from the Performance Management Review Panel.
Endorse the recommendation from the Performance Management Review Panel to award the General Manager a 2 per-cent pay rise under paragraph 8.3 of the Standard Contract of Employment for General Managers of Local Councils in New South Wales with the increase backdated to October 7, 2023.
Based on the General Manager’s current salary of $342,696.93, Cr Johnstone said the amount of the pay rise will be about $7200.
In accordance with the Code of Meeting Practice the extraordinary meeting will be livestreamed on council’s website, but it may go into a confidential session if required, which will not be broadcast.
Clarence Valley Council awarded General Manager Laura
Black a 2 per cent pay rise backdated to 7 October 2023 following a split vote of 5 to 4 at an extraordinary meeting of council on 15 February 2024. With those 'For' being Mayor Johnstone & Crs. Whaites, Novak, Toms, Pickering and those 'Against' being Deputy Mayor Smith & Crs. Tiley, Clancy, Day.
The pay rise was an obvious workaround of the NSW Government freeze on annual pay rises for politicians and senior staff, which included local government general managers.
Ms Black's salary before the pay rise was endorsed by council was $342,696.93. With the rise her annual salary is likely to be in excess of 349,550, with an additional backdated windfall of almost $3,000.
A rescission motion lodged against the decision to award the General Manager a pay rise will be heard at the Ordinary General Meeting on 27 February.
The Northern Rivers Times reported that an extraordinary meeting had already been called for 15 February when the Mayor appears to have announced a second extraordinary meeting:
IMAGE: Northern Rivers Times, 14 February 2024
One can only speculate what the phrase "some matters concerning senior staff" actually means and whether it might have been intended to include the general manger on issues unrelated to the annual salary.
Reportedly in an interview on Loving Life FM 103.1 on the morning of Friday 16 February, Mayor Peter Johnstone appeared to disavow the fact that he had called another extraordinary meeting separate in nature from the original extraordinary meeting (later withdrawn) which intended to discuss matters concerning council staff.
Given that on the day there was also a tussle to keep the meeting's motion debate in the Chamber in closed session and forever away from public scrutiny, this matter is likely to fester and affect the collegiate atmosphere expected of the third tier of government.
In this writer's opinion Peter Johnstone was never a wise choice for mayor and this is not the first time his actions have borne out that view.
The mayor holds office until the next NSW local government elections on 24 September 2024.
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