Wingecarribee Council administrator Viv May’s plans to fix council

The government-appointed administrator of an embattled council says he means business and is ready to whip the organisation into shape after years of turmoil. These are the changes to come.

Key staff changes, the overhaul of planning processes and uniting the Southern Highlands’ villages are high on the agenda for the newly-appointed Wingecarribee Council’s interim administrator Viv May.

After years of infighting and turmoil at the council, Mr May is already making big changes to improve the organisation after he was appointed last month.

He told The Bowral News he had a clear plan on how he wants to improve the way the council operates and the kinds of people he wants at the organisation.

Viv May is an experienced administrator who has managed four previous suspended councils. He recently revitalised Armidale Council.

“I think it’s important that people know I mean business,” he said.

“I believe I can fix the administration.”

Mr May was appointed as interim administrator on March 12 when the Wingecarribee councillors were sensationally suspended for three months by Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock.

After less than a month in the region, Mr May has already made his mark by undertaking a number of reviews across the council, from finances to planning.

“I haven’t arrived with bandaids,” he said.

“This has got to be a clean fix.”

GENERAL MANAGER

Mr May said his first priority is appointing a general manager, which he said will happen “within weeks.”

He has previously stated the appointment will be the most important decision of his administration which will affect the way the organisation is run.

“A general manager is the glue that holds it all together: the staff, the administration, the executive, but importantly, the community,” he said.

He is currently inundated with applications for both the community representative role, which will be filled in the next week, and the GM role but refused staff assistance.

“There will be no staff from this organisation involved in the selection process,” he said.

“I want to do it myself so the community can have confidence.”

Wingecarribee Shire senior council staff members Mark Pepping and Barry Paull resigned on Wednesday after announcement by Interim Administrator Viv May.

This comes after the shock resignation of longstanding senior staff members Mark Pepping and Barry Paull, the latter of whom had been Acting General Manager until recently. Mr May said change must happen within the council for it to move forward.

“There’s a view among the staff of ‘am I next?’ but people need not worry about that kind of thing,” he said.

“But also there shouldn’t be hiding places either.”

PLANNING

Mr May said he planned to simplify the operations of the council in a number of ways, including reducing the responsibilities of the councillors with the installation of a local planning panel to deal with the development applications and planning issues usually directed to council.

The planning panel is awaiting approval from the NSW Minister for Planning Rob Stokes, but the interim independent advisory planning assessment panel met for the first time on Wednesday.

The first inaugural meeting of the Interim Independent Advisory Planning Assessment Panel on April 7 2021.

Mr May labelled the council a “black hole” for planning and said the panel was necessary to depoliticise developments.

“Leave it to the professionals and let the councillors develop bigger plans,” he said.

He plans to suggest implementing a specific directorate to the incoming general manager which would allow specific strategic projects such as the Moss Vale bypass to be evaluated by experts.

“This is a real growth area,” he said.

“When a new general manager arrives, I no doubt will be helping to influence a structure that responds to the demands of a place like Wingecarribee that are special.”

The interim administrator has also enlisted independent consultants to assess functions of council. Malcolm Ryan will be assessing the planning process in council and meeting with anyone who wishes to discuss their experiences.

Viv May walking with a local resident during his time as administrator at Cumberland Council in 2017. He endeavours to meet with residents in every village in the Wingecarribee Shire.

Meanwhile, Bob Finch will be the consultant evaluating the special rate variation, the Environment Levy and the council’s capacity to complete works to which it has committed.

“My view is that the council has some very ambitious projects for its revenue plan,” Mr May said.

VILLAGE CO-ORDINATOR

Mr May said he wanted to meet with each of the 48 villages in the Southern Highlands to hear their concerns and unite the towns. He said there was a perception among many of the smaller communities of the Southern Highlands they have been forgotten.

“The Wingecarribee empire is not just about Mittagong, Bowral, and Moss Vale,” he said.

Mr May said he will meet with the community before being briefed on relevant projects, so he doesn’t bring any bias into the discussions.

“I haven’t been briefed on a few matters because I don’t want to be bamboozled by the staff view,” he said.

The dates of these consultations will be announced this week, but Mr May has already met with the Balmoral Village Association.

Balmoral Village Association President Elizabeth Atkin was impressed by the interim administrator’s approach. Picture: Tim Hunter.

President of Balmoral Village Association, Elizabeth Atkin, said Mr May’s idea to personally visit each community showed an understanding of past oversights.

“I think it’s a terrific idea,” she said.

“I fully endorse his intention to make contact with all the villages so he can get an overview of the needs of the villages.”

To this end, Mr May indicated he is consulting with Acting General Manager Les McMahon on the possible appointment of a Village Coordinator for the council. The Co-ordinator would liaise with different villages and assist them in navigating the council system.

“There’s a clear message to me that they don’t know who to talk to at council,” Mr May said.

Ms Atkin agreed it was difficult to find out which council staff to approach about issues and said a Village Coordinator would be welcome. She was impressed with the performance and vision of the Interim Administrator.

“With the limited amount of time he has, he may not be able to make any significant changes but he’s working to get the council into a position to handle their responsibilities better.”

Mr May acknowledges the limited time he’s been given. Although he doubts whether he can do the task in the allocated three months, he said there’s a lot of change happening in council.

“It’s like an iceberg. There’s what the community is seeing and there’s lots happening under the water as well,” he said.

“People have to trust me.”