Council to Elect a New Mayor

Published on 19 November 2024

Council will meet on Wednesday to elect its new Mayor and consider the office of Deputy Mayor.

Councillors have the option of electing the roles for one or two years.

CEO Anne Howard said the election was an important decision for the seven Councillors.

“In the past two years our Councillors have elected to operate with a Mayor and leave the Deputy Mayor role vacant. The Deputy Mayor stands in for the Mayor if they are unavailable to chair meetings or attend key events,” Ms Howard said.

The new Councillors were sworn in last week and commenced their term with three days of induction. Local Government reforms have identified compulsory elements that all Councillors must be informed of in their first four months in the role, with ongoing professional development annually.

“The new Council has been very enthusiastic about getting to know their role and the workings of Local Government. We are continuing induction this week by connecting with other Councils in the south-west, we will see the Mayoral election on Wednesday, and spending much of Thursday together on a bus looking at different parts of the Shire,” Ms Howard said.

“We have an extensive program we are sharing with Councillors that will help them set the strategic direction for the next four years.

“Work on the foundations for the Council Plan will start in a few weeks, a major piece of work requiring input from the community, Councillors and staff. The Council Plan has a four-year focus and identifies the major objectives for the organisation to work towards.”

The Mayoral Election meeting is open to the public and will be held at COPACC at 4pm on Wednesday. It can also be viewed on Council’s Youtube channel.