COMMUNITY leaders have made calls for City of Ballarat’s top job to be publicly advertised as the end of the current contract draws closer.
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In July last year, Anthony Schinck, who had held the position of chief executive officer for five years, was reappointed for another two-year term, beginning in January.
The council did not advertise the position at the end of Mr Schinck’s last contract and The Courier revealed at the time that it planned to choose a new CEO when he left in January 2016.
However, Ballarat mayor John Philips said this week councillors had not yet decided on the fate of Mr Schinck’s contract and flagged the possibility it could be extended, if he had the support of councillors.
“We will decide how we will go forward closer to the end date of the contract,” Cr Philips said.
“When that times comes, we will be looking carefully at performance reviews that date back a long way and we will be considering more recent performance reviews. Everything will be taken into account.
“At this stage there is still more than a year to go before that contract ends and we have plenty of time before we have to make that decision.”
Cr Philips said as per the council’s protocol, the person in the position of chief executive officer was subject to at least two reviews throughout the year which measured performance based on key performance indicators and the statutory requirements of the position.
All councillors sat on the panel which reviewed the CEO’s performance.
The Courier requested detailed information from the City of Ballarat on the key performance indicators that the chief executive officer is reviewed against, but was told by council spokesperson Marcus Power that agreements within the contract were confidential.
Ballarat Resident and Ratepayers Association president Denis Bateman said it was paramount prior to the contract ending that the position was publicly advertised.
“The council needs to start thinking about this now,” Mr Bateman said.
“To get a suitable candidate and the best possible person for the job, in a commercial sense they need to advertise it at least six months in advance.”
Mr Bateman stressed more transparency was needed when employing an officer of such high responsibility.
“The council has been negligent in the past and more transparency is needed so it runs in accordance with the Local Government Act,” Mr Bateman said.
His views were echoed by former mayor John Barnes, who said the council’s financial reporting had been “abysmal” in recent years.
Mr Barnes said there was an urgent need for more transparency and elected councillors to play a larger role in democratic decision-making.
melissa.cunningham@fairfaxmedia.com.au