Clarence Valley Council has commenced its search for a new general manager. At last week’s council meeting, councillors unanimously endorsed Jim Simmons’s mayoral minute to appoint a selection committee (panel) consisting of the mayor, deputy mayor Jason Kingsley and Cr Karen Toms. The panel has the delegated authority to “seek expressions of interest and appoint a suitably qualified recruitment firm to assist the committee with the end-to-end process of the recruitment of the general manager,” councillors resolved. A maximum of $35,000 has been made “available to engage the services of a recruitment firm/consultant and to cover the associated recruitment costs”. The mayor wrote in his minute that “it is important to note that in my view, the final interviews will involve all councillors in a closed session of the council”. The Director General’s guidelines (2011), issued pursuant to section 23A of the Local Government Act 1993, state that the “the recruitment process must be open and transparent, but the confidentiality of individual applicants must be maintained. A failure to maintain appropriate confidentiality may constitute a breach of the Act and/or Privacy legislation. “…The selection panel is responsible for preparing a report to the council’s governing body that: outlines the selection process; recommends the most meritorious applicant with reasons; recommends an eligibility list if appropriate; and, recommends that no appointment is made if the outcome of interviews is that there are no suitable applicants. “This report should be confidential and reported to a closed meeting of council. “The council’s governing body must by resolution approve the position of the general manager being offered to the successful candidate before that position is actually offered to that candidate.” A time limit for the appointment of a new general manager was not discussed at the meeting.