Council at the crossroads

Warrnambool City Council is again in turmoil. Just sixteen months after a clean sweep of councillors that was heralded as a fresh start - the circuit breaker the council needed after four years of controversies and personal politicking - the new council is already at the crossroads.

This week mayor Richard Ziegeler resigned from the top job after just five months. To outsiders it was a shock, no mayor in the previous 44 years had failed to see out a 12-month term in the post.

But tensions had emerged between councillors in recent times, so perhaps it wasn't such a surprise.

The seven elected to represent the city's best interests campaigned on unity, transparency and openness. Yet the city needs to find a new mayor.

There were lots of positives about seven fresh faces being elected but veteran council watchers warned there were pitfalls - inexperience, a lack of understanding of procedures and governance.

To date, this council is showing why some previous experience was needed.

Understandably this council needed time to find its collective feet, navigate its way through inductions and get up to speed with inner workings and the issues. Its start was not helped with instability in the administration as three different people filled the role of chief executive officer.

Councillors were not responsible for the CEO situation but they have been found wonting on key issues at public meetings.

They last year unanimously voted to keep themselves at the top pay bracket. Cr Ben Blain at the time said councillors were starting to feel there was more to the role than what they first thought.

They campaigned on vowing to be open but in May last year Cr Blain took aim when councillors voted in new governance rules that missed an opportunity to allow citizens to address councillors at public meetings.

"Open and transparent. That was the catchcry. And it seems that I think we've forgotten it a bit," Cr Blain said then.

"This could have been a big step forward for Warrnambool."

Then in June last year, on a 5-2 vote, a rates hike and "astronomical" car parking fee rises were passed. Cr Ziegeler at the time said the debt and financial pressures on the council was the legacy of previous councils.

"Some of the greatest critics of a rate rise have been responsible for some of those debts that we're faced with and dealing with," he said.

Cr Blain said he didn't see any point in blaming anyone else for the council's finances.

"We are the new council, we are the ones driving the bus," he said.

"It's what we signed up for. The blame game has to stop and we are responsible for our own decisions.

"This budget under a new council could have been a budget supporting the community but in my view it's a budget where council's supporting council."

More recently councillors said they were confused and decided to defer voting on a proposed new KFC outlet in the city's north.

Cr Debbie Arnott, who has stepped up to be acting mayor, has already ruled herself out of running for the job when a vote is held in coming weeks. So too has Cr Otha Akoch. So just who will be mayor?

Those running for council can't just expect to be a councillor, they have to expect they could be mayor, which, with a purse of $96,470 and rising, carries significant responsibilities.

This council has to get the appointment right. The mayor needs to be a strong leader, a good communicator with not only councillors and staff but the community and stakeholders like the media. This council's actions need to speak louder than words. The community wants to see leadership, vision, action. This council, when its term expires in October 2024, can't be remembered for its inexperience and missed opportunities, it can and needs to change, fast, and deliver on its promises. That is, after all, why the seven were elected.

Housing continues to be a major talking point. Warrnambool's Midfield Meats wants to beef up its operations and return to having a second shift but where do its workers live? The company has revealed its intention to create a workers' village on vacant land in Merrivale that would not only house workers but also ease the pressure on the city's market.

Heatherlie Homes hit a hurdle this week when it was revealed its plan for units on a vacant CBD site for the aged are on hold until a VCAT hearing later in the year.

Nonetheless, investment in the city is booming with new figures revealing surging building activity, driving the city council to develop an new economic development plan.

But finding workers, as previously documented, remains difficult, resulting in a flurry of overseas workers being hired under the region's migrant program.

The campaign to save Port Fairy's pool is ramping up as the community committee behind the facility desperately tries to secure public liability insurance.

This week we revealed about 150 kangaroos had been shot on private land near Tower Hill wildlife reserve, reigniting calls for fences to be erected to keep the marsupials in the reserve and away from neighbouring properties and busy roads.

Dennington's Neville Dance, a long-time builder and outdoor enthusiast, this week spoke about a frightening cancer scare that could happen to anyone. He had some good advice for all of us - check it out here.

Moyne Shire's battles with windfarm developers have been well documented in recent years, now neighbouring Corangamite Shire councillors are exasperated with their own renewable energy fights. Councillors maintain they support renewables but for the second time in recent months they have taken aim at developers behind a solar project, this time at Cobden. It came as we revealed the controversial solar farm at Bookaar was heading back to the planning umpire.

South-west police were busy this week with their biggest operation in history targeting guns and drugs.

A rally in Warrnambool this week highlighted the need for better access to trains for people with disabilities.

Morgan Hancock's image above of the yarn-bombed penguin statues in Warrnambool's Liebig Street was my favourite pic of the week. It was a heartwarming show of support for Ukraine.

This week, don't miss our sports team's footy and netball season previews. There's been plenty of player and coach movements over the summer, so make sure you check out our special features that will start flowing online on Monday afternoon.

Check out some of the other stories that made headlines this week, below.

Until next week,

Greg Best, Editor, The Standard