Shoalhaven councillors fear administration after ‘ill formed’ motion

A recently elected cohort of councillors has expressed concerns of administration over a number of issues plaguing a south coast council, from proposed rate rises, to a recent amended motion which ties their CEO’s hands.

Shoalhaven councillors [left to right] Matthew Norris, Gillian Boyd and Ben Krikstolaitis.

A recently elected cohort of councillors has expressed concerns of administration over a number of issues plaguing a south coast council, from proposed rate rises, to a recent amended motion which ties their CEO’s hands.

The amended motion - recently voted on by Shoalhaven Council - will allow the Shoalhaven community submit their feedback on a proposed special rate variation for the coastal region.

A spokeswoman for Shoalhaven Council said the community will have the opportunity to give feedback on multiple proposed rate variations, including 12 per cent and eight per cent.

The proposed rate rises emerged as a potential way to bring the council out of an inherited financial disaster.

In November 2023, an independent economics group found the coastal council to be financially unsustainable and suggested millions of dollars would be lost across the next decade if changes weren’t made.

Shoalhaven Council chambers.

However, the amended motion was voted against by all three Labor councillors Matthew Norris, Gillian Boyd and Ben Krikstolaitis, who said the 28 day community feedback phase was not enough time for Shoalhaven Council CEO, Robyn Stevens, to complete a full council restructure.

In a statement to the media, the three Labor councillors said it was not clear what was being asked in the amended motion.

They said rushing a full staff restructure was high risk.

The trio of councillors also urged all councillors to know the facts before voting on such motions, stating that if council continued to rush into “ill formed” decisions, they could “be under administration very quickly”.

Mr Norris slammed the amended motion as “deliberately vague”.

“It will be used to tie the CEO’s hands with an undeliverable timeline,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ms Boyd said she was concerned at the prospect of a move that could destabilize the effectiveness of council staff.

“We have been elected to make decisions that are in the best interests of our community, now and into the future,” she said.

Shoalhaven Council mayor, Patricia White.

Newly elected Mayor Patricia White previously told this publication of her intent to avoid administration, including the creation of a financial advisory body to council.

She said it was important to fix the financial crisis facing the Shoalhaven to avoid staff losses and project cancellations.

“Last term, we closed down 90 projects to try and save some money,” she said.

“That can’t happen again.”

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