City of Busselton fails to reach decision on CEO performance review committee following administrative error

An administrative error has caused a major headache for the City of Busselton, with the council undecided on the future of an important committee. Mayor Phill Cronin and Crs Kate Cox and Jodie Richards were appointed to the CEO performance review committee at the council’s first meeting in October last year, but former councillor Sue Riccelli was incorrectly put down as being appointed instead of Cr Richards. When Ms Riccelli resigned from the council in February, Cr Richards and newcomer Cr Val Kaigg were appointed to the committee, meaning the committee’s terms of reference need to be updated to allow four councillors to be part of the group. City staff recommended the move when councillors met on Wednesday June 19, but it was opposed 5-1 after Cr Andrew Macnish sought to have the city disband the committee and for a report to come to the council early next year for a new committee which all councillors would be able to be members of. He said as the sole person employed by councillors, they all had a responsibility to chief executive Tony Nottle. “It would only honour that relationship if all councillors be motivated and show interest in what probably would be, I would think three, maybe four meetings, in a period between February and June,” Cr Macnish said. Cr Richards also argued for all councillors to be on the committee, describing her situation as a learning experience. “It highlighted to me that without being on that committee and without being a part of those discussions, it made it difficult to get all the information required to make a decision on the very important topic of supporting our sole employee that the council employs, and it’s important we get those decisions right,” she said. While the vote was supported 4-3, it failed to receive the absolute majority needed to pass the decision. Cr Kaigg then moved to have herself removed from the CEO performance review committee and for the current terms of reference to be retained. “I believe that the current term of reference for one mayor and two council members with one deputy should remain in place, at least until the conclusion of the term, being October 2025,” she said. However, the vote again failed to resolve the issue after it was supported 4-3, and the meeting moved on to the next agenda item.