Redland City Council has slashed the number of portfolios governing services from 10 to six.
The major overhaul, agreed to by six councillors, was designed to make council more efficient and give each of the city’s three general managers two portfolios to oversee.
Under the new structure, which takes effect as of the next full council meeting, Cr Mark Edwards (Div 5) will chair the Office of the CEO portfolio which includes internal audits, financial services, rates, legal services and human resources.
Mayor Karen Williams will oversee the Organisational Services portfolio, which includes community engagement, communications, corporate governance, priority development areas and indigenous relations.
City Planning and Assessment will be Cr Julie Talty’s (Div6) portfolio and will include economic development, strategic planning, plumbing services, development assessment and planning scheme reviews.
Division 4 councillor Lance Hewlett will oversee Community Services, the Environment and Regulations, which will include customer services, the art gallery, libraries, animal management and local laws.
The Infrastructure Operations portfolio will be chaired by Division 9’s Cr Paul Gleeson. The portfolio will include water, wastewater, roads, drainage, transport and traffic, marine infrastructure, parks, sporting facilities and public halls.
Deputy mayor Alan Beard (Div 8) will head up the portfolio governing Emergency Management, which will include disaster prevention and management.
Five councillors missed out on portfolios including Cr Kim Hardman, who did not wish to take on duties of a portfolio, Craig Ogilvie, Murray Elliott, Paul Bishop and Wendy Boglary.
Cr Boglary abstained from voting claiming due process was not followed and the new structure would not result in good governance.
Her request to rotate portfolio positions to safeguard against preferential treatment for some councillors, was knocked on the head.
“All councillors are elected and should have equal opportunities to speak and get information,” Cr Boglary said.
“This is just dividing the council as the mayor is only giving her team the power of knowledge and strong public profiles.”
Cr Boglary said she was extremely disappointed in losing her portfolio and said her formal applications for a portfolio were ignored.
Previously, council has denied a streamlining of committees and portfolios was a step towards cutting back the number of electoral divisions in the city from 10 to six.
Under the Local Government Act (2009) a council’s divisions cannot be restructured without state government consent.
