President Manning said he will chair the next council meeting on Tuesday March 25 and wants to remain president to oversee the appointment of a new shire CEO.

CEO job applicants

A report on job applicants was presented to councillors on March 3 after the council engaged national recruitment agency Beilby Downing Teal to advertise the $158,000-$260,000 job on a four-year contract.

President Manning said he also wanted to oversee the council’s response to any recommendations that may arise from the State Government inquiry.

He listed the two items as “unfinished business” when he resigned from the council last October to recontest his seat under new rules which for the first time allowed all electors to vote for all candidates.

President Manning said publicly before the poll that he was selling his home and unlikely to serve a full term if re-elected.

Inquiry report pending

The WA Local Government Department says the investigators’ report is still being examined by the State Solicitors Office to consider any prosecutions that may arise.

It is understood Mr Scott did not re-apply for his current $243,000-a-year job after failing twice last year to convince the council to let him stay for another three to five years when his contract expires on July 22.

Mr Scott took three weeks’ sick leave at short notice before a council meeting on February 25 but did not inform President Manning of his absence after attending a morning briefing with President Manning and Deputy President Rosemary Madacsi.

His automated email says “I am out of the office until Monday March 16”.

New elections needed

A new election for a council vacancy must be held within four months of President Manning’s resignation.

It also means the other eight councillors must elect a new president at the first council meeting after President Manning resigns.

This can be done at the scheduled Tuesday April 28 monthly council meeting or if an earlier special meeting is called.

Unlike council elections that involve all voters, Toodyay’s president and deputy are elected by a secret ballot of councillors who must be in the chamber when the vote is called.

When eight councillors (Cr Paula Greenway was absent on approved leave) tried to elect a new president last October, it resulted in a 4-4 deadlock between former deputy shire president Therese Chitty and Cr Rosemary Madacsi.

Cr Madacsi was re-elected to the council last year after serving four years from 2011 until she lost her seat in 2015 to former North Ward Cr Eric Twine.

Cr Ben Bell – who won the most votes in last October’s shire elections – was the first to announce in October that he would run for president but withdrew a day before the new council’s first secret ballot.

The stand-off between Crs Chitty and Madacsi resulted in both withdrawing their nominations to enable Cr Manning to be elected president unopposed a week later.

Cr Madacsi – who polled the second-highest number of votes in last October’s shire elections – was then elected deputy with five votes, followed by Cr Chitty (two) and Cr Bell (one).

Madacsi to nominate for President

Deputy President Madacsi says she will again nominate for president when Cr Manning resigns next month.

She will need the support of least four other councillors (including at least one of her former opponents) to gain an absolute majority of five votes as required by law on the normally nine-member council.

If she loses to any challenger, she will remain deputy to whoever else is elected president.

Crs Chitty and Bell told The Herald last month that they would not run again for president though both voted against Cr Madacsi when she nominated for president last October.

Former shire president Brian Rayner also said he wouldn’t run again, though it is understood that he too voted against Cr Madacsi last year.

Rayner may run for deputy

Cr Rayner said he might nominate next month for deputy president, depending on who is elected president.

He was shire president for two years until last October after not needing to contest an election in 2017 when he stood for council unopposed in the now-abolished North Ward.

Cr Rayner has never faced an election by all voters under new rules adopted last year.

Audit Committee Chair Beth Ruthven, who – like Cr Madacsi – was elected by all Toodyay voters five months ago, said she would not nominate to be president but declined to comment on the deputy’s role.

Three other councillors – veteran Paula Greenway and newcomers Phil Hart and Susan Pearce – appear unlikely to be contenders.

Cr Greenway – who has also never faced an election by all Toodyay voters – ran unsuccessfully against Cr Chitty for deputy in 2015 after the previous council re-elected former Cr David Dow unopposed as president until his election defeat in 2017.

Recent council voting patterns suggest there is no obvious factional split to oppose Cr Madacsi’s new presidential bid.

However, last October’s stand-off when four current councillors voted against her becoming president suggests fresh behind-the-scenes jockeying may be underway.

If another challenger emerges and the council is again deadlocked in a new 4-4 split that cannot be resolved, the presidency will be decided by a lottery draw.

Marathon meeting

The actual amount of money or percentage that would be saved was not revealed or discussed at last month’s marathon council meeting which started at 4pm and ended at 10.15pm after a half-hour dinner break.

The Herald estimates the total saving to be about $3360 – a 2.2 per cent cut on the total of $171,000 budgeted this year to pay the nine-member council.

Councillors earlier voted 5-4 to defeat a motion by Cr Rayner, seconded by Cr Paula Greenway and supported by Crs Ben Bell and Therese Chitty to cut allowances and fees to 50 per cent of the maximum State rate – a saving of about $36,000 a year.

Pay rise recommended

This followed a shire administration recommendation to increase councillors’ payments to 80 per cent of the maximum State rate – costing a further $13,700 a year – “to reflect what appeared from discussion to be the common view” behind closed doors at last month’s council strategic forum.

“I don’t understand why we want more money,” Cr Bell said.’

“If you want to annoy people, that’s the way to do it.

“If you think this council had a bad reputation before the last election, see what people say after they read this in The Herald,” Cr Bell said.

Deputy President Madacsi said good representation on council required recognition that not everyone had the means to absorb the wage losses and extra costs associated with being an elected member.

‘Exclusive’ warning

“If we’re not careful, we will make the council exclusive only to those who can afford it and retirees,” she said.

Cr Chitty said she agreed that increasing councillors’ fees and allowances was “not a good look”.

“I think we need to take a pay cut and save money in the budget ‒ I will vote for 50 per cent,” she said.

Shire President Bill Manning said he didn’t think councillors should be giving themselves a pay rise but 50 per cent of the State maximum rate was “too drastic a cut”.

“If we cut it to 70 per cent, that brings us pretty much in line with other similar councils,” he said.

‘Right reasons’

Cr Rayner said if councillors adopted 50 per cent “it would show we’re in this for the right reasons, not the wrong reasons.

Cr Ruthven said she didn’t think Toodyay councillors were overpaid compared with other councils

“It’s an important job like teachers – if you don’t pay enough, what do you get?” she said.

Cr Greenway disagreed, saying “We are supposed to lead our community and now is the time it is needed”.

“Being financially reimbursed is not part of being a councillor,” Cr Greenway said.

Cr Susan Pearce said “wages are not a part of it – it’s recognition of what we do.”

Toodyay councillors currently get paid $1080 a month to attend meetings, President Manning gets $3366 and Deputy President Madacsi gets $1503, which is about 80 per cent of the State maximum rate.

They are also entitled to claim payments for internet, phones, travel and other expenses, budgeted this year to total $21,600.