2020-05-12 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA    12 MAY 2020




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SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                       12 MAY 2020

           The Mayor may give a direction to the CEO,' however it must not be inconsistent with a resolution, or a
           document adopted by resolution, of the local government. Contravention of the provision could result in
           disciplinary action being taken against a councillor.

           Councillors may, subject to any limits prescribed under a regulation, ask the CEO to provide information
           that the local government has access to, relating to the local government.”

           GUIDING PRINCIPLES

           e  Councillors should use their judgement in directing their request to the appropriate level.
              Conversely, it is expected that council employees should also use their judgement to advise
              Councillors if it would be more appropriate for the Councillor's request to be dealt with by another
              staff member including a more senior staff member (particularly where the request for advice or
              information does not fall within the employee’s level of expertise or experience).
           e  Requests by Councillors for assistance or advice relating to policy or complex matters should be
              directed to the CEO, relevant Director or Manager.

           e  For matters other than requests regarding policy or complex matters, advice or information sought
              from a council employee should be within the employee’s scope of responsibility or knowledge and be
              made without any direction or pressure as to the conclusion or recommendation of the employee’s
              advice.

           e  The timeframe for the delivery of the request should be reasonable having regard to the complexity of
              the request and the workload of the employee at the time of the request.

           e  Requests by councillors will be responded to as soon as reasonably possible, or in a timeframe not
              exceeding 10 working days of receipt of the request. If the request involves a complicated issue;
              requires significant time or resources to research; or necessitates a report to Council, the employee
              will respectfully inform the councillor and the relevant Manager/Director who will escalate the reason
              for the delay to the CEO. If the CEO believes that is not practicable to comply with the councillor’s
              request within ten 10 working days-within 20 working days after receiving the request, the CEO must
              advise the councillor of that belief and the reasons for the belief within 10 business days of the CEO
              receiving the request (S170A (9)(10)).

           e  Any Councillor who is unsure about how and when they may approach a council employee should
              seek advice from the CEO. Similarly, any council employee who is unsure about the appropriateness
              of a request from a Councillor should seek advice from their Manager, Director or the CEO. Any
              conflicts arising between Councillors and council employees resulting from their interactions are to be
              brought to the attention of the CEO.
           e  Toassist communications and ensure coordination, employees should ensure provision of assistance,
              advice or information to councillors is shared with the relevant Manager/Director.
           e  Ifa Councillor asks for assistance, advice or information outside of these guidelines, or attempts to
              direct or influence an employee about the way in which his or her duties are to be performed, the
              employee must report this in a timely manner to their Manager, Director or the Chief Executive Officer
              (CEO). It is important to note that a request has no effect if it does not comply with the local
              government’s acceptable request guidelines, unless the request is made by a Mayor, or the
              chairperson of a committee makes a request that relates to their role as a chairperson (S170A (6)).

       1 Local Government Act 2009 (QLD) s 170(1).
       2 Local Government Act 2009 (QLD) s 170A(2).
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