Yass Valley Council CEO Chris Berry, at the controversial Crago Mill site, was dismissed from his post on Monday night. Photo: Supplied.
The CEO of Yass Valley Council, Chris Berry, was sacked on Monday (25 November), at an extraordinary meeting of the council.
No reason for his dismissal was made public as the meeting was held in confidence, but it is understood the motion to terminate his employment was unanimous.
However, another motion, over whether, according to his contract, he be paid the equivalent of 38 weeks’ pay was only just passed, five votes to four. Those councillors in favour of the payout, which is believed to exceed $220,000, were the Mayor, Jasmin Jones, the former mayor, Allan McGrath, Deputy Mayor Kristin Butler and councillors Cecil Burgess and David Rothwell.
Those against were councillors Adrian Cameron, David Carter, Alvaro Charry and Fleur Flanery – all of whom, except for Councillor Cameron are first-time councillors.
Asked why Mr Berry was dismissed, Mayor Jones said as it was a personnel matter, it would be inappropriate for her to comment.
Prior to Mr Berry’s dismissal, the NSW Office of Local Government (OLG) had raised concerns about whether the Yass Valley Council could repay up to $50 million in loans it had taken out to build a new council administration centre on the site of the old Crago mill in the centre of town.
Deputy secretary of the OLG, Brett Whitworth met Mr Berry and the Director of Corporate and Community, Lynette Safranek, on 2 October in Sydney to discuss YVC’s finances. Ms Safranek is no longer with the YVC, having left suddenly earlier this month. She declined to reveal the reasons for her departure.
An OLG representative is scheduled to attend the YVC meeting on 19 December.
In response to a question from About Regional about the YVC’s financial situation, Ms Jones said: “I can reassure our community that council is working closely with the Office of Local Government to build a roadmap towards financial sustainability.”
In a statement issued late on Wednesday, 28 November, Mayor Jones said YVC would start recruitment for a new CEO in early 2025.
“Legislation requires council to appoint an acting CEO immediately, therefore, I thank the Director of Planning and Environment, Ms Julie Costa, for taking on the extra responsibilities as council has appointed her acting CEO to lead the organisation,” she said.
“Ms Costa will act in that role until the matter is considered further at the ordinary meeting of council in December. A permanent CEO will be recruited early in the new year.”
With the departure of Ms Safranek and now Mr Berry, and no information on who will replace Ms Costa while she’s acting CEO, staffing shortages remain a key issue for the YVC. It also has not had a chief financial officer (CFO) since last year, with contractors brought in to cover that role, but it is understood those contracts will end soon.
Ms Jones said the CFO position had been advertised and she expected it to be “filled ready for 2025”.
Apart from the job vacancies at the top, up to 30 per cent of other YVC positions, remain unfilled. This has led, in some cases, to services like waste management being cut back.
In her statement, Ms Jones said: “Council would continue to focus on delivering quality services and infrastructure for the Yass Valley community, and improving the organisation’s financial performance.”
She said it would be “business as usual” for customers, residents and ratepayers – “and I can assure our community that there will be no interruptions to service delivery during this transition period”.
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