Shire of York appropriately handled misconduct allegations, CCC finds
Updated
The corruption watchdog has found the way in which the Shire of York, in Western Australia's Wheatbelt, handled a series of misconduct allegations was appropriate.
The shire was suspended for six months in January following ongoing concerns about its ability to provide good governance.
A series of specific misconduct allegations were made against the shire, before it was suspended.
The Corruption and Crime Commission said in light of evidence provided to it by the shire, it found the shire had handled the allegations appropriately.
Business consultant and former South Perth mayor, James Best, was appointed as the shire's commissioner, to oversee councillors and staff undertake training in leadership, governance and meeting procedures.
Mr Best said the issues had been dealt with.
"I'm happy that we've dealt with them appropriately," he said.
"The York community can be confident that the governance of the shire is being managed appropriately."
Mr Best said he was unable to outline the details of the misconduct allegation, except that they were concerning governance and administrative practices.
Mr Best said the business practices have been improved and policies updated.
"There's a much greater level of understanding of the various roles, whether you're ... an elected member of the council or staff in the administration," he said.
Number of councillors increased; workload reduced
During the shire's suspension, the number of councillors was increased from six to seven, meaning the shire president no longer had the casting vote and the councillors' workloads was reduced."Six councillors I think were struggling with the volume of work, seven just makes it a little easier for the elected members to get around the community," Mr Best said.
The suspended councillors are scheduled to return to office on July 6.
Mr Simpson said he was aware of the conclusion of the CCC investigation, adding in a statement that "upon their return to office, the department will put in place a mentoring and monitoring panel to provide ongoing assistance to council for a six-month period".
In 2004, former WA government minister Gavan Troy was appointed commissioner of the shire following the collapse of the council after four members resigned in a week.
The resignations come after years of unrest between councillors, which led to division in the local community.
The shire is undertaking a program designed to strengthen social and economic ties across the district.
Mr Best said despite the shire's history he was confident it had "a brighter future" and the upcoming local government election would be a "robust one".
"I think now it's up to the community to step up and work together with the council," he said.
"If they can all come together to have that conversation about where York's future is ... we'll look back and say that was a good opportunity to reset the relationship between the council and the community and we're now fine, we've got our purpose.
"Then York's on the map for the right reasons."
Editor's note (17/6/2015): This story was originally published stating that the Shire of York had been cleared of allegations of misconduct by the CCC. The story should have stated that the CCC review determined that the process the shire undertook to handle allegations of misconduct was appropriate.
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