Mr Dixon was appointed to the interim position recently, however Mayor Des Hudson, said part of the hiring process included a condition that he would not apply for the full-time role. 

“That was the pretext under recruiting the interim chief executive,” he said.  

Cr Hudson said the main reason behind that move was to ensure that anyone who did apply for the interim role, then didn’t have any kind of advantage over others who applied for the full time position. 

“Clearly that comes as a double edged sword because you might have someone with great credentials (applying to be the interim chief), but that is what councillors decided going forward,” he said. 

Mr Dixon has significant experience in local government and most recently held the position of  chief executive at Maroondah City Council for four years.

He has also previously held positions as general manager at Launceston City Council in Tasmania and executive director at Hume City Council in Melbourne.  

Cr Hudson said the hunt for the next full-time chief executive was well advanced, with more than 30 people applying for the role.

“The applications have closed, there has been a number of people put in applications,” he said. 

Cr Hudson said each candidate would now undergo a phone interview before councillors began to look at final candidates for the role. 

The recruitment process follows the shock resignation of former chief executive Anthony Schinck at the end of last year. Mr Schinck moved onto a role as regional director of the Grampians region in a newly appointed leadership team for Regional Development Victoria.