2020-05-18 General Committee Agenda

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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 aceunciterthe Mayor.
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.2

GUIDING PRINCIPLES
°     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).
°     Requests by Councillors for assistance or advice relating to policy or complex matters should
      be directed to the CEO, relevant Director or Manager.
°     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     Councillors may use their discretion in how they make requests (i.e. verbally or in writing) and
      indicate their preference for how an employee responds to their request (i.e. a return phone
      call, discussion or in writing).
°     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.
°     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     To assist communications and ensure coordination, employees should ensure provision of
      assistance, advice or information to Councillors is shared with the relevant Manager/ Director.
°     If a 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)).
e     Employees must keep a record of assistance, advice or information provided to Councillors as
      they would in advising or assisting a member of the public or another authority. This is to be
      recorded in Council’s record management system.

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