Outgoing West Wimmera Shire chief executive David Leahy says his departure won't affect the council's ability to help people during the coronavirus pandemic.
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On Tuesday, Mr Leahy announced he would finish in his role at the end of November, after just under five years at the helm.
Mr Leahy said he was "not at liberty to say" the new council he would work for as a director, as it had not yet announced the appointment to its staff.
"I weighed up what the impact was going to be on me to be perfectly frank," he said. "I've made a decision for me and my family. People move in their jobs."
Mr Leahy said he wasn't sure if the timing of his departure would affect the new councillors, who are set to be declared before November 14.
"There are a group of dedicated staff that have been working through all the various issues of the pandemic and options to reopen. The council is particularly well funded at the moment with extended funds, and the staff body have very quickly put in place some a series of actions to ensure there is investment and employment sustainability which I think will hold the organisation in good stead."
Mr Leahy thanked the people that had supported him. He said appointing an acting chief executive would be one of the first orders of business for the new council.
Local government consultant Ruth McGowan said it could cost small councils between $20,000 and $50,000 to appoint a chief executive.
"There are two costs," she said. "The first is the cost of physically recruiting someone, because you can't use your own human resources staff because of the conflict of interest.
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"The second cost is an opportunity cost: While appointing a chief executive and bringing them up to speed a council's productivity levels can come down, and it can take 12 to 18 months from them to go back up."
At the 2020 Local Government Election, all five people that served on the most recent West Wimmera Shire Council nominated for re-election. Only one non-incumbent, Tim Meyer, threw their hat in the ring, meaning at least four councillors will be re-elected.
Ms McGowan said two thirds of Victorian council chief executives had left their roles in the past four years. "What I call CEO churn is becoming more common in Victoria," she said.
"In one way, it's good you've got experienced councillors that are going to recruit and appoint a new CEO because they know what they are looking for," she said.
Only one of the West Wimmera Shire's six candidates, Bruce Meyer, was on the council when Mr Leahy was appointed.
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