Today on the Local Government News Roundup:

• Casey Council Picks a New Mayor
• Campaspe Names an Interim CEO
• Bayside Council Grants A Temporary Reprieve For Brighton Beach Bowls Club
• A $3M Oval Plan Becomes a $20M Problem for Ku-ring-gai Council
• A Council GM’s Harrassment Case Ends in a Conviction
• New CEOs appointed at Western Downs and Central Highlands Councils
• Tasmanian Local Government Reforms Locked In
• and Potential Legal Action after a South Australian Councillor’s Resignation

Plus more local government news from across Australia and beyond.

The Local Government News Roundup is supported this month by LG Innovate 2026: the national AI summit for local government, hosted by Davidson, in partnership with Amazon Web Services.

Local Government News Roundup listeners can purchase their tickets now at davidsonwp.com with the promo code “lgnews” for 15% off before the 21st of August.

The Local Government News Roundup is brought to you by the Victorian Local Governance Association, the national broadcaster on all things local government; with support from Symphony3 – simple, connected customer experiences; and Rath Engineering Development – smarter local government systems built from real on-the-ground experience.

Listen to the today’s episode:

In this episode:

Victoria

Casey City Council last night elected Cr Michelle Crowther as its new mayor.

Cr Crowther steps up from the position of deputy mayor, following Cr Stefan Koomen’s decision to resign the mayoralty to focus on his campaign for election to State Parliament.

Cr Crowther will serve out the current mayoral term, which expires in mid-November.

Her election as mayor created a vacancy in the deputy mayoralty. That was immediately filled, with the Council electing Cr Anthony Walter to the position.

Both elections were unanimous decisions of the Council.

Campaspe Shire Council has appointed experienced local government executive Craig Niemann as Interim Chief Executive Officer, the Council announced yesterday.

Mr Niemann, who previously served as Chief Executive Officer at the City of Greater Bendigo, steps into the role following the departure of Pauline Gordon to the City of Boroondara.

He will guide the organisation through the recruitment and transition process for a permanent chief executive, drawing on his recent experience advising regional Victorian councils.

The potential eviction of the 120-year-old Brighton Beach Bowls Club, under a redevelopment plan of Brighton Beach Oval Pavilion proposed by Bayside Council, has been put on hold.

The Council last night voted to defer its decision on the plan, to allow time for additional funding to be sought. A working group with key stakeholders will be established, and a potential design outcome will be developed, ahead of a further report to Council by May next year.

The deferral followed more than two hours of public speakers and councillor debate on the issue.

Media outlets including the Age and Nine News had reported on how bowls club leaders were blindsided after earlier plans suggested they would remain a tenant of the precinct.

The Outer Melbourne Councils group has urged the Victorian Government to introduce high-frequency bus services along the Cheltenham to Box Hill corridor prior to completing the Suburban Rail Loop, arguing it offers a cost-effective interim transport solution.

But the Dandenong Star Journal says Greater Dandenong Mayor Sophie Tan has abstained from the debate, maintaining that major infrastructure decisions remain a matter for the state government while advocating instead for local bus route upgrades and station improvements.

Meanwhile, now former Casey Mayor Stefan Koomen noted that while the rail project improves access to middle-suburban hubs, it will offer minimal travel time reductions to the CBD for outer south-eastern commuters.

Also in the media:

Casey Council has defended its decision not to conduct voluntary public consultations about a proposed 1.1 billion dollar data centre in Clyde North, despite acknowledging it holds the legal power to do so, according to the Cranbourne Star News.

The Western Alliance for Greenhouse Action, representing seven western Melbourne councils, is calling for a pause on fast-tracked hyperscale data centre developments across Victoria.

The councils are lobbying the state government for greater local planning input, raising concerns over unmonitored cumulative impacts on energy, water, and emissions performance, according to reporting by the Point Cook Wyndham Leader.

And The National News Network reported on how severe housing and accommodation shortages across regional Australia are forcing local councils to take direct action to secure essential staff.

Councils like Murrindindi Shire Council, which ****has begun constructing modular homes to house critical healthcare, education, and construction workers.

Three regional Victorian councils have launched Coastal Connect, a shared cloud-based platform operating on TechnologyOne’s OneCouncil system.

Warrnambool City Council, Moyne Shire Council, and Corangamite Shire Council will pool resources across finance, assets, and records management to cut administrative workloads while maintaining separate governance structures.

According to CFOtech Australia, the project aims to standardise community service delivery and assist regional local governments in navigating ongoing skills shortages and resource constraints.

Ongoing coastal erosion at Kilcunda will force the closure of a section of the Bass Coast Rail Trail from next week.

Bass Coast Shire Council says the affected section of coast has been eroding for some time, accelerated by recent weather – washing away a further two metres of dune and bringing the trail edge significantly closer to the erosion point.

A pedestrian-only detour will be in place, while cyclists and other trail users will need to turn back at the closure point.

Warrnambool City Council has welcomed an announcement by the Victorian Government detailing plans for a new 130-place Early Learning Centre at Deakin University’s local campus, slated to open in early 2028.

The state-operated facility will replace the council’s 35-place Sherwood Park site, expanding capacity while integrating dedicated training spaces for early childhood education students.

Council management has confirmed it intends to retain all existing staff by transitioning the current team into its 11 other early learning facilities across the municipality.

The Victorian opposition, the Liberal Nationals Coalition, has promised to restore weekly kerbside collection of general waste bins and apply the existing rate cap to council waste charges if elected in November.

It’s drawn some interesting reaction. I want to talk about some of that today, and to help me pick through this is the former multiple term mayor of Glen Eira, Jim Magee,

New South Wales

From the Sydney Morning Herald:

A northern Sydney sports oval redevelopment has blown out from an expected three million dollars to more than twenty million — and the closed field is now costing ratepayers around sixty thousand dollars a month while it sits idle.

Ku-ring-gai Council shut Norman Griffiths Oval at West Pymble three years ago to replace grass with an all‑weather surface, originally expecting the job to take just a few months.

Councillors have paused the project while they wait for an independent public works report comparing natural grass and synthetic turf options, and the council is also planning a representative resident survey before any further major spending.

A push by some councillors to reverse the pause and speed up delivery was defeated, with the mayor saying the community deserves a decision based on complete information and independent advice.

A 68-year-old man has been found guilty of intimidating Tamworth Regional Council general manager Paul Bennett following a 17-year campaign involving more than 300 threatening messages.

The Northern Daily Leader reported that Andre Joseph Fritze was sentenced in the Tamworth Local Court to an 18-month Intensive Correction Order to be served in the community under supervision.

Presiding Magistrate Rosheehan O’Meagher also ordered mandatory mental health treatment and extended a five-year Apprehended Violence Order to protect Mr Bennett.

Waverley Council is considering a proposal to establish a permanent memorial at Bondi Beach in honour of the 15 victims of the December 14 terror attack.

Mayor Will Nemesh was expected to present a Mayoral Minute last night outlining a framework to form the Bondi Park Memorial Artwork Committee, which will bring together council representatives, state government officials, victim families, and local community groups.

The proposed project carries a budget of $500,000, with the special committee set to select the final public art concept and oversee its delivery in the Archer Park area.

The board of the Twyford Hall Complex in Merimbula has asked Bega Valley Shire Council to take over management of the Twyford theatre and hall, citing serious financial pressure.

The facility, which cost more than 10 million dollars and opened in April last year, is currently run under a management deed with council as trustee.

About Regional reported that the board is also seeking the return of a 37-thousand-dollar payment made to council in July, the first repayment on an interest-free council loan of 370-thousand dollars.

Council staff are recommending that request be refused, with around 330-thousand dollars still outstanding.

Councillors will consider options at its meeting today.

Snowy Valleys Council has appointed Nicole Jenkins as Chief Transition Officer to oversee its planned de-amalgamation.

Ms Jenkins will lead the transition team and develop a roadmap to re-establish two separate local government entities.

The three-year contract role aims to support sound financial management ahead of the formal proclamation target date on 1 July 2028.

Lismore City Council says Simes Bridge has reopened after major flood recovery works, restoring the only road access for the Whian Whian community.

The bridge was badly damaged in the 2022 floods, with the project evolving from an emergency repair into a permanent rebuild of the western support structure, including new concrete foundations, a new abutment, and added scour protection to improve resilience in future flood events.

Council says a temporary structure allowed traffic to keep moving during construction, with only two overnight closures needed to install and remove it.

The $3.6 million project was jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Woollahra Council has unveiled a counter-proposal to the New South Wales Government’s high-density rezoning plan for Woollahra and Edgecliff, proposing a reduced target of 3,600 homes.

Mayor Sarah Dixson warned the state’s draft plan for 10,000 apartments could create high-rise wind tunnels, compromise heritage conservation, and exacerbate local traffic congestion without adequate infrastructure commitments.

The council’s alternative framework aims to balance essential housing growth with local urban design constraints, offering a model that protects heritage and tree canopy across the precinct.

Western Sydney’s mayors joined state government and industry leaders in Penrith last week to warn transport is falling behind the region’s rapid growth. They are calling for a fully connected network of roads, buses and rail to link communities with jobs, education and healthcare.

The mayors group is also urging faster progress on priorities including the north–south Sydney Metro extension and stronger bus links to stations and the Western Sydney Airport.

Port Stephens Council has detected the region’s first prohibited Frogbit outbreak, and over a 20‑day operation across 25 properties, treated 9,000 m² of water surface and removed 100+ tonnes of plant material to prevent it establishing in local waterways.

Maitland City Council was expected to consider a motion at its meeting last night calling for a statewide push for stronger penalties against drivers who vandalise local sporting fields.

Councillor Mitchell Griffin is proposing the push alongside a request for dedicated grant funding, helping councils install protective barriers, fencing, and surveillance to prevent costly damage to public infrastructure.

Queensland

Western Downs Regional Council has a new Chief Executive, with Joshua Hannan appointed following a national recruitment process.

Mr Hannan currently serves as Deputy Director-General, Local Government within the Queensland Government, and was Acting Director-General of the Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers in 2025.

He brings more than a decade of senior executive experience across transport, water, planning and regional development.

Mr Hannan starts on the fifteenth of October.

Central Highlands Regional Council has appointed Jason Hoolihan as its new permanent Chief Executive Officer, from a field of more than 70 applications.

Mr Hoolihan, currently Director Operations, has worked at council since 2015, rising through senior roles including General Manager Infrastructure and Utilities, and has also served as Acting CEO.

Mayor Cr Moriarty said the appointment reflected his management experience and technical expertise. He takes over from Acting CEO Graeme Kanofski in early September.

A legal cloud is hanging over high-rise approvals on Queensland’s Gold Coast, after a landmark Court of Appeal ruling found luxury apartment towers can’t be treated as improving housing affordability simply because they add to supply.

ABC News reports that the court found the City of Gold Coast was wrong to rely on claims a proposed luxury development would boost “housing choice and affordability” to justify exceeding regulated height limits.

Justice Shane Doyle said apartments designed for the luxury market can’t reasonably be described as improving affordability, warning that doing so would “distort” the ordinary meaning of the term.

The decision sends one disputed Bilinga project back to the Planning and Environment Court, and could prompt broader challenges to other approvals. Gold Coast councillors are set to be briefed on the ruling’s implications later this month, with a High Court appeal still an option.

Townsville City Council will receive more than four million dollars to repair beaches damaged by the 2025 North and Far North Tropical Low, after a successful application to the Coastline Rehabilitation Grant Program.

Works will target six locations, with plans for sand nourishment, dune reconstruction and revegetation.

Council says work is expected to begin at Toolakea later this year, alongside longer-term shoreline erosion management planning.

Redland City Council is appealing for help to stop repeated vandalism of bird exclusion netting at the Victoria Point ferry terminal.

Council says recent damage, including deliberate cuts and tears, likely allowed a swallow to get inside the roof space behind the netting. The bird was freed, the netting repaired, and the incident reported to Queensland Police.

Tasmania

The Tasmanian Parliament has passed the Local Government Amendment (Targeted Reform) Bill 2026, introducing significant structural changes ahead of the October elections.

The legislation reduces the total number of elected members across the state by 50, standardising urban councils at nine members and all remaining councils at seven.

The reforms also establish formalised four-yearly reviews of council representation and elected member allowances to modernise governance standards across the sector.

Hobart City Council has rejected a North Hobart councillor’s do-it-yourself attempt to soften new LED bollard lights some residents say are too bright.

According to Pulse Tasmania, Councillor Ryan Posselt filmed himself installing makeshift filters made from cellophane and paper plates, saying the lights were “super bright” and “super white”, and that he wanted to act rather than wait for an official fix.

But the council says the lighting is designed to provide a safe, welcoming and accessible environment, and meets the needs of a modern public space. It says the DIY covers were only put on briefly for the video and removed straight after.

Cr Posselt says the shift to white and blue-spectrum LEDs can affect people and wildlife, and is backing calls for tougher enforcement of glare and light-spill standards.

Airbnb has reportedly lodged a formal complaint with the Tasmanian Ombudsman over Hobart City Council’s treatment of short-stay accommodation hosts.

Pulse Tasmania reported that the company is targeting two council decisions: a differential rate introduced in 2023 that doubled the standard residential rate for short-stay properties, and a council vote in April this year to lift a change-of-use permit fee by more than 1,000 per cent — from 435 dollars to 5,000.

Airbnb claims the measures were introduced without proper evidence, cost analysis or legal advice, and says affected residents and businesses were not adequately consulted.

Acting Lord Mayor Zelinda Sherlock says the council is aware of the complaint and will cooperate fully with any Ombudsman process, but has not yet received a copy.

Launceston councillor Andrew Palmer has announced he will run for deputy mayor after current Deputy Mayor Hugh McKenzie confirmed he’s stepping down following 15 years in local government.

Mayor Matthew Garwood has confirmed he’ll seek another term in October’s election, and fellow councillor Alan Harris has also nominated for the deputy role, reports Pulse Tasmania.

Kingborough Council and the Channel Museum are collecting community stories, photos and artefacts from the 1967 Tasmanian bushfires for a 60th‑anniversary commemorative exhibition.

The exhibition is set to run at the Kingborough Community Hub from 5th February 2027.

South Australia

Former Burnside councillor Jane Davey has publicly addressed her sudden resignation, following a ruling by the state’s independent Behavioural Standards Panel, which cited a sustained pattern of poor conduct that fell well below expected standards for local government representatives.

Ms Davey revealed to The Messenger that she intends to seek legal advice and potentially challenge the decision in the Supreme Court.

The City of Burnside says it was Ms Davey’s decision to resign before she was due to apologise at the 18 August council meeting.

The CEO said council must still consider the Panel’s report and act on directions including censure, a public apology, a $1,500 reimbursement, a three‑month suspension, and a complaint to SACAT.

The Barossa Council has sent redevelopment plans for the Angaston Women’s Memorial Rest Room back for redesign, following community backlash over proposals to replace female-only facilities with unisex toilets.

According to The Messenger, Mayor Bim Lange has acknowledged the oversight, reassuring residents that the final design will preserve the historic WWII tribute while maintaining dedicated space for women and families.

A full report on the heritage site’s future was set come before councillors at last night’s council meeting.

Councils in South Australia are calling for tougher rules around e-bikes and personal mobility devices like e-scooters, warning of rising safety concerns on shared paths and in busy public spaces.

The Local Government Association says councils are increasingly hearing reports of illegal or modified devices, unsafe riding behaviour and gaps in enforcement and infrastructure.

It’s urging the State Government to adopt a national e-bike standard, strengthen enforcement powers, improve crash and behaviour data, invest in safer active-transport networks, and tackle lithium battery waste risks.

Councils also want the ability to restrict e-bikes and e-scooters in specific locations where safety or accessibility is an issue.

City of Onkaparinga Mayor Moira Were says South Australia’s review of e-bikes and e-scooters is a chance to improve community safety while still supporting low-emission transport choices.

The mayor is calling for stronger state regulation and enforcement, and for councils to have the power to restrict or exclude e-bikes and personal mobility devices in areas where they pose unacceptable risks.

Western Australia

The City of Bunbury has sworn in Michelle Steck as a councillor, filling the vacancy created due to the recent sad passing of deputy mayor Tresslyn Smith.

Under the Local Government Act, the role goes to the next highest‑polling unelected candidate, reflecting the preferences already cast by voters. Ms Steck is a former councillor who returns after going out of office last October.

Councillors will now determine the new Deputy Mayor at the next Ordinary Council Meeting.

International

NZ:

An investigation into Gore District Councillor Donna Bruce’s use of a slur during a council workshop has cost ratepayers $8,200 plus GST, according to a council report released this week.

The complaint was raised by fellow councillor Robert McKenzie after Bruce referred to a staff presentation as “gay”, leading to an inquiry by law firm Anderson Lloyd which concluded the breach was not serious or significant.

The finding comes as the council confirms spending more than $22,000 on code of conduct complaints over the past two years, as reported by RNZ.

A former council manager and two associates have pleaded not guilty to obtaining more than 12 million dollars fraudulently from Auckland Council and Kāpiti Coast District Council.

According to RNZ, New Zealand’s Serious Fraud Office alleges a council infrastructure employee manipulated procurement processes to direct contracts to an engineering firm co-controlled by the group.

The Kāpiti Coast District Council confirmed the charges followed an internal investigation referred to authorities in 2023, with the defendants next due in court in September.

Rotorua Lakes Council is spending more than $319,000 a year to store, insure and maintain a $21 million-plus art collection, much of it unseen since the Rotorua Museum closed in 2016.

According to 1News, the mayor says the museum’s planned reopening in 2028 should allow more of the works to be displayed, though the project still faces an exhibition budget shortfall of up to $8 million.

The government has stepped in to ease tensions between Gisborne District Council and the forestry sector over slash and sediment rules, appointing former Bay of Plenty Regional Council chair Doug Leeder as an independent facilitator.

Forestry Minister Todd McClay says the council’s approach has raised concerns about workable compliance and investment uncertainty, while industry and iwi leaders have welcomed the move as a practical way to tackle land-use and environmental issues, reports RNZ News.

UK:

Hundreds of Glasgow City Council workers could see their wages cut—some by up to £10,000 a year—under a proposed settlement aimed at ending the city’s long-running equal pay dispute.

The council says most staff would be better off overall, with pay protection for those hit hardest, as councillors prepare to vote on the plan later this week, reports BBC News.

Calls are growing for a regional mayor to cover Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, with business and education leaders warning the area is missing out on devolved powers and funding enjoyed by mayoral authorities elsewhere.

BBC News reports that Leicester city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby now expects a strategic mayoral authority will be created, as campaigners press the government for a clear timetable.

USA:

Atlanta City Council has approved a new Data Centre Task Force to study the impacts of potential data centre development, including effects on the electric grid, water supply, noise, taxes, and consumer utility costs.

The 23-member group will hold six public meetings and two public hearings, then deliver an initial report to Mayor Andre Dickens within 150 days, followed by a final report 30 days later.

USA Today reports that the move comes as communities across Georgia debate rapid data centre expansion driven by big tech, amid rising concerns over environmental and public health impacts.

ITALY:

Italian nuns in the Ligurian town of Spotorno are fighting council plans to force their long‑running beach club into a public tender, after authorities reclassified part of the shoreline as a “free equipped beach” to meet EU concession rules.

The Sisters of Charity of Santa Maria say they’ve managed the resort since 1946 and use the proceeds to fund local charitable work, including an infant school, but warn the new model would be far less profitable.

The mayor says the nuns must compete “like everyone else”, with the tender expected in the autumn ahead of a 2027 deadline for Italy to put private beach concessions out to bid.