CEO justifies costs
By Brad Lester
THE chief executive officer of South Gippsland Shire Council has defended spending money restructuring the organisation for the second time in 19 months.
The CEO, Tim Tamlin, said the changes would benefit the community and confirmed council would engage a recruitment agency to find the new directors.
Council had already paid a recruitment agency to help finalise the existing directors in late 2008. Council also contributed to directors’ relocation costs.
Mr Tamlin was unsure of the cost of hiring a recruitment agency as a tender is yet to be allocated.
“This is about enhancing customer service delivery and building on internal communication with staff,” he said.
Council recently paid consultants to review the performance of the existing directors, including two whose positions would be made redundant. The Star understands the cost of doing so was several thousand dollars.
Mr Tamlin would not reveal the specific costs, but said engaging consultants to undertake the performance review was justified.
“That is internal business. I’m not prepared to disclose the costs. That has nothing to do with the restructure,” he said.
“When you are dealing with reviewing an executive officer, it is a markedly different process to what one would do for someone on a banded award.
“It is an independent way of doing it and does provide people with personal growth opportunities.”
He also supported council contributing towards the relocation costs of moving two existing directors to South Gippsland, despite those directors now having to reapply for their jobs. Mr Tamlin said such costs were part of negotiations to secure the directors’ services.
Council staff were told yesterday (Monday) of the changes.
Five positions will become redundant and three new directors’ positions will be advertised.
Council will have four directors instead of three. The new directorates will be community services, development services, engineering services and corporate services.
The positions made redundant were directors of corporate and community services, and of sustainability; and managers of social and economic development; family services; and community safety (currently vacant).
Mr Tamlin said he was left with no alternative but to make the positions redundant. He said under the Local Government Act, when positions change to a certain extent, those positions must be made redundant and readvertised.
“I don’t have the opportunity to say ‘Your job has changed and here, have a new job’,” he said.
Neither are pay rates for the new directors set.
“That is the last thing we do. In executive recruitment, these things are not settled until they have signed on the dotted line,” Mr Tamlin said.
The CEO told staff the motive for the changes was better customer service, communication and skill development to build a stronger organisation.
The CEO told staff of the transition process and the need to focus on working together to address position descriptions and team functions.
The new structure will become effective on November 1.
“I am encouraging those directors whose jobs have become redundant because of the significant change in the positions to apply for the new director roles,” Mr Tamlin said.
The CEO said change was always challenging.
“However we have a great team of people working here and I am keen to create an environment where staff can feel empowered and engaged in the future growth of the organisation,” he said.
“I’m also looking forward to building strategic project teams made up of a cross section of staff to progress projects and matters that affect the whole
organisation.
“This approach will give staff a better understanding of the impacts of their work on other departments, and our customers. I’m confident that it will be a win-win situation, with the public receiving better service and staff increasing their career skills in the process.
“Our structure needs to be resilient to respond to the needs of our community and this realignment of roles and teams that have natural affinities will make this easier.”
Council has also budgeted for upgrades to its computer systems to support teams in providing better customer service delivery.
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