Does Wyndham council need a second deputy mayor?
Debate surrounding the possibility of a second deputy mayor divided councillors at last week’s mayoral election, and is expected to continue next month when councillor Heather Marcus plans to call for a review of the local law.
Cr Marcus believes a second deputy mayor is needed to attend events and serve the growing area. The matter is likely to be debated at the December council meeting.
Although a second deputy mayor wouldn’t result in a pay boost for any councillor elected to the position, changing the local law to allow for the provision of a second deputy mayor will cost the council an undisclosed sum.
Wyndham chief executive Kelly Grigsby said: “Amending any local law is a resource intensive process, with staff time and legal advice being the most significant costs. The promotion of community consultation opportunities is also an additional expense.”
The council refused to put a dollar figure on the amendment, saying it would be misleading to do so at this stage.
Fellow councillors Josh Gilligan and Intaj Khan appeared to be in favour of the proposed change at last week’s mayoral election.
However, councillor Kim McAliney and outgoing mayor Henry Barlow expressed disappointment at the suggestion.
“I’m disappointed that we’ve actually gone down this track,” Cr McAliney said.
“One deputy mayor has been sufficient for the history of this city, I believe it’s a waste of ratepayers’ money.”
Cr Barlow added: “The city of Melbourne has one million people – the biggest city in Victoria – and they seem to get on very, very well with one mayor and one deputy mayor.”
Meanwhile, Cr Mia Shaw called on residents to have their say on the issue.
“I am glad that the issue of two deputy mayors has been raised … I am very much looking forward to what our community has to say on this proposal and I do encourage residents to start providing feedback to their ward councillors,” Cr Shaw said.
