Town Centre DCP approved
Kiama jeweler off to Milan p3
Harold West turns 100 p3
CWA celebrates 100 too p9
KHS wins University Shield
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24 SEPT 2022
Council fights fires on a multiple fronts
A marathon two session meeting of Kiama Council has heard just how close it is to government intervention. Mayor Neil Reilly revealed that the Office of Local Government had contacted the CEO and made clear it was at top of mind for them to install a Financial Advisor. This is usually a precursor to the Office issuing performance improvement orders, the first step towards administration. In a passionate speech,
he appealed to councillors to make urgent decisions to show that they were listening to words of the Minister of Local Government in her letters to them. He quoted advice from Council’s Audit Risk & Improvement Committee (ARIC), “We believe this to be your first and final warning. You have one opportunity to satisfy the minister that council can manage its affairs. This is the most serious warning a council can re-
ceive, and your response will be critical. We believe that if the minister feels compels to act, it will be in all likelihood setting aside council and installing an administrator.” And Council’s Finance Advisory Committee, “The correspondence from the Minister for Local Government needs to be treated as very serious and our final warning. Kiama Municipal Council needs to go back to its core business running the LGA and this necessitates
Passing of the Queen and proclaimation of the King The death of Queen Elizabeth II after a seventy year reign has been marked locally with lowered flags, condolence books from our local members and a minute’s silence at the September Council Meeting. While the Queen never visited Kiama, she will always be remembered by those who lived only under her as Queen. Now that the official period of mourning is over, the flags again fly at full mast and Australia has a new king, Charles III. The much loved Wattle painting by William Dargie
selling Blue Haven.” However, when the Meeting agreed to moving the discussion of Blue Haven out of confidential into the public meeting, the Mayor’s motion to call for expressions of interest to explore the sale of either all or parts of its Blue Haven operations was lost 5:4 (Reilly, Croxford, Brown and Steel for). Instead, Deputy Mayor Imogen Draisma’s motion was passed on the same division, but that has now been rescinded (see below). In brief, it: • noted the need to improve cashflow, and restore cash reserves to the order of $30-40 million by exploring all divestment opportunities, including the sale of Havilah Place (the old Blue Haven aged care home) and the Barney Street Quarry (leased to Burnetts on Barney) • raised the spectre of service reductions and cost efficiencies, paid parking for visitors and a special rate variation • looked to continue the work on the sell/keep/ lease options for Blue Haven • looked to investigate options to use sale revenue to generate income • saw the need to engage in community consultation and reassure residents of
Blue Haven that the quality of care and standard of service will be maintained • foreshadowed further expenditure cuts at the Quarterly Budget Review. The decision to put Council’s other land holding on Akuna Steet out to public tender as a priority is not unexpected, particularly now that the Town Centre DCP (see page 2) gives guidance on what can be built on the virgin site. However the rescission motion (which means the matter will be debated again at the October Meeting) was lodged by the Mayor and Councillors Croxford and Steel because of concerns about the impact on Burnetts on Barney. The decision to put that site out for public tender shocked Elizabeth Burnett, whose family have leased the property for ten years and developed into a thriving landscaping and gardening hub. They had recently made a formal approach to Council as tenants to negotiate the purchase of the site to secure the future of their business. “That councillors decided to seek to sell the Burnetts on Barney site without even the courtesy of giving us notice is a sign that some councillors aren’t committed to keeping local businesses like ours, employing 25 people
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Council self-reports to ICAC
Kiama Council is to selfreport to the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption on possible matters of maladministration, as a precautionary measure. Details of the self-reporting are few, with the resolution made at the September Meeting only saying that it will be “detailing concerns of the possibility of corrupt conduct” arising from the forensic audit assessment that was reported in April the year (conducted by specialist firm Forsyths and known as the Forsyths Report). The Minutes of the confidential meeting say that “while no conclusions could be drawn from the investigation that fraud or corruption did in fact take place, matters were identified that required further investigation to rule out the possibility of fraud and corruption”. They also say legal advice obtained by Council “identify areas that require further investigation before the possibility that fraud or corrupt conduct can be ruled out”. They note the legal advice that “No proof of corrupt conduct is required, and in
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