Major department changes at City Hall as structures shift significantly

City Hall’s boss Kaarina Phyland has explained staff changes outlined in its draft budget which includes a focus on a department already under siege.

Acting City of Greater Geelong chief executive officer Kaarina Phyland

As the City of Greater Geelong maintains a “laser focus” on streamlining its operation, its acting boss says significant staff changes in the community life department are not due to wholesale staff cuts.

The under-siege community life department, already slated for 19 job cuts, will shed more than 70 part-time roles in 2023-24, according to council’s draft budget.

Part-time staff within the department are due to drop from 358 this financial year to 285 in 2023-24, but full-time equivalent roles are expected to stay largely the same hitting 294 next financial year.

Staff costs in the department, responsible for council’s for output on social housing, aging, home care and social support, are due to fall by $5.79m in 2023-24 to $67.66m.

Acting chief executive Kaarina Phyland said the drop in staff numbers in the department was due to a transfer of staff to another department.

How Geelong council proposes to spend its money in 2023-24.

“The reduction in the community life directorate, now named the community service delivery directorate, is largely because roles in this directorate have transferred to the customer, community and economy directorate, where they will be better placed to provide outcomes for the community,” Ms Phyland said.

“We will continue to look for efficiencies across our cost base to remain financially sustainable and deliver value to our community.

“The majority of changes in staffing numbers as listed in the proposed budget are based on department movements that have happened throughout the past year as we aligned to our new directorates, which were finalised on May 1.”

Ms Phyland previously told the Geelong Advertiser council had started a process to find $4.5m of savings in 2023-24.

This week she said: “The city has established a small internal efficiency team, as we understand the community expects us to have a continuous laser focus on improving our effectiveness and efficiency in how we deliver for our community.”

Questions are being asked internally at council about why it plans to more than double the size of its strategy, people and performance department from 84 full-time-equivalent staff in 2022-23 to 228 in 2023-24.

The Addy has been told these staff are not directly involved in service delivery.

Ms Phyland, the director of the strategy, people and performance department until August last year, said it had changed significantly in recent months.

“The strategy, people and performance directorate has changed significantly to include additional departments, including finance, legal and IT, and is now named the strategy, governance and corporate directorate. Our human resources department resourcing will remain steady.”

The size of the chief executive’s department is due to halve to 16 full-time equivalent roles in 2023-24.

Overall council staff will rise from 1827 full time equivalent this year to 1849 in 2023-24.

Originally published as Major department changes at City Hall as structures shift significantly