In October last year, Adriana Taylor was appointed Commissioner for the Huon Valley Council for a period of 12 months.
The Commissioner was appointed to restore stability and good governance to the municipality following a Board of Inquiry and the subsequent dismissal of the Huon Valley councillors.
Commissioner Taylor has worked diligently and professionally and has received strong, positive feedback from the community for her work.
Today I can announce that the Government intends to extend Commissioner Taylor’s appointment for a further 12 months.
Since her appointment, Commissioner Taylor has been working with Council staff to implement the recommendations of the Board of Inquiry report. While the Commissioner has made excellent progress, given the nature of the challenges, the implementation of some recommendations is still underway. These recommendations are vital to ensure that there is a robust and effective structure in place to support an incoming, elected Council.
The work that is being progressed relates to the development of statements of expectation to manage key relationships within Council, internal and external communication and consultation plans and processes and a comprehensive councillor induction program in preparation for a new Council. To provide a newly elected Council with the best chance to succeed it is important that the new General Manager and staff have the time to ensure that these new arrangements are embedded solidly into the culture of the Council.
The Government is confident that the governance arrangements and operations of the Council will be in a strong and stable position and that the Huon Valley community will be able to participate in local government elections scheduled for October 2018.
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