Horsham councillors endorsed John Watson for the role. 

Mr Watson is the current chair of the Victorian Local Government Grants Commission and the former head of Local Government for Victoria. 

He has experience in all aspects of local government administration, as well as, the senior levels of the Victorian Public Service.

Mr Watson spent 26 years in the most senior Local Government roles including the former Bulla Shire’s shire secretary and chief executive, Moonee Valley and Hume City Councils’ chief executive.

This was followed by six years as the Local Government Victoria’s governance and legislation director and a further six years as the Head of Local Government for Victoria in the role of executive director. 

Related: Horsham Rural City Council gives rates strategy review the go ahead​

The Rates Strategy Advisory Committee will produce a rating policy and rates strategy review ahead of the 2019-20 Budget. 

Horsham Rural City Council’s chief executive Sunil Bhalla said appointing an independent chairman has been the first of three tasks in the council’s efforts to review its rates strategy. 

A nine-person advisory committee and a consultancy firm will be finalised this week. The council received 28 applications from ratepayers to join the committee. 

Mr Bhalla said Mr Watson’s role was to lead the review process and engagement with the committee and general community to produce a rates policy and a revised rates strategy. 

“A key outcome of which is to achieve a fair and equitable distribution of the rate burden across all members of the community,” he said.

“One of the drivers behind a review at this point in time has been the impact of the relative movements in valuations between different sectors of the community which has led to changes in the level of rates across and within the various sectors.”