Senior Nillumbik Council officers axed in “organisational restructure process”

A BROOM has swept through a council in Melbourne’s north, with four senior council officers sacked.

NILLUMBIK Council has sacked four senior council ­officers.

Infrastructure services general manager Conal Creedon, corporate services general manager Andrew Port, sustainability and environment executive officer Patrick Vaughan and information technology manager Trish Spiteri were axed by chief executive Mark Stoermer, a council source told the Diamond Valley Leader.

Nillumbik Council infrastructure services general manager Conal Creedon Picture: Josie Hayden

Mr Stoermer, who has been at the helm fulltime for less than a month, is responsible for the structure of council staffing.

In a statement to the Leader, Mr Stoermer said an “organisational restructure process” would occur to ensure the council’s policy and project priorities were delivered.

But he would not confirm whether the restructure included redundancies.

Nillumbik Council chief executive Mark Stoermer. Picture: Stuart Milligan

“I’m proposing a contemporary and innovative new structure that has not been seen before in local government,” he wrote. “There are some exciting opportunities for staff to take on new challenges and opportunities that have not previously existed.

“I am confident that this change to the way we work will result in us becoming a thriving, customer and ­future-focused organisation with a workforce that is ­continuously learning, growing and building capacity.”

Mr Stoermer was appointed acting chief executive in February before he took on the position permanently in April.

Nillumbik Council’s 2017-2018 draft budget and its 2017-2021 council plan are expected to be available for public submissions this week.