Council appoints new director but remains hush on cost

An organisational restructuring that leaves the Maranoa with the highest number of directors of any Queensland region is making moves, but the cost to the ratepayer is still shrouded in mystery.

Maranoa Regional Council - Ordinary Meeting - 25 November 2020.

One of three vacant Maranoa Regional Council director positions has been filled, though the Maranoa Regional Council remains mum on the length of their tenure or how much they will earn.

According to an organisational restructure that came into effect this year, the Maranoa has the highest number of directors of any Queensland region with eight positions being created, compared to just five in nearby Toowoomba.

The directors’ role is to interface with the community directly and remove barriers for people living outside of Roma in accessing local government.

For the new appointee, that will be only be temporary, according to councillor Wendy Taylor.

“Their contract is only for three to six months, until we get a new CEO, and then we will get permanent directors,” she said.

“So, for the fact that [the restructure] was all about the community being able to talk to somebody at ground level, these people aren’t even going to get their teeth into anything in that amount of time.”

The replacement for outgoing CEO Julie Reitano, who will enter into forced annual leave from December 24 after her contract was not renewed by council, will be tasked with refilling the director roles.

Currently, five director positions have been filled, including two recent appointees in Booringa (Mitchell) and Bendemere (Jackson, Wallumbilla, Yuleba) who were also hired on temporary contracts.

The exact length of their term is unknown, as is the cost to council, Ms Taylor said.

“I don’t know how much they’re getting paid. Nobody does,”she said.

“There wasn’t ever anything that came to the table to tell us how much it was going to cost. It was just a figure plucked out of the air.

“Could be a million dollars a year. That’s all we’re ever told.”

Ms Taylor, along with councillors Johanne Hancock and Cameron O’Neil, voted earlier this year against the move.

The Western Star contacted the Maranoa Regional Council for details on the director’s appointment but did not receive a response in time for publication.