It could be a month before we find out who will replace Peter Hulin who resigned from the Warrnambool City Council this week.
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The Victorian Electoral Commission has been notified by the council of the "extraordinary vacancy" on council.
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And because there is more than six months until the October 24 local government elections, the position will need to be filled.
The resignation will trigger a countback where only Mr Hulin's preferences will be redistributed, unlike a normal election where preferences of all losing candidates are redistributed.
Within the next two weeks, the VEC returning officer will publish a public notice and write to each eligible candidate to notify them when the countback will occur, which will be at least 14 days after the public notice is published.
The council's chief executive officer Peter Schnieder said it was complying with its obligations under the Local Government Act, including informing the Local Government Minister and the Victorian Electoral Commission of the resignation.
In response to some of Mr Hulin's claims about the lack of detail in council reports, Mr Schneider said they were compiled "professionally" and contained an "appropriate level of information" on which councillors could make decisions.
"Prior to reports going to open council meetings, councillors have an opportunity to request additional information, should it be required," he said.
In response to claims about a toxic environment, Mr Schneider said the council had processes in place to address any concerns that staff may have about workplace behaviour.