“The recruitment process for a new general manager of MidCoast Council, and the appointment of an acting general manager, will now be discussed at the council meeting scheduled for January 24 after the failure of a quorum at this afternoon's extraordinary meeting.

“On December 20 2017 councillors discussed when they would be available for the first meeting of council in 2018. The majority of councillors advised that the first available date in January they could meet would be January 24, 2018.

“Today’s extraordinary meeting was called as two councillors requested the meeting. Under council’s Code of Meeting Practice, a meeting must be called within 14 days of the lodgement of such a request.

“As there was not a majority of councillors in attendance, mayor David West declared a quorum had not been reached, and under the Code of Meeting Practice, the meeting could not proceed.

“As a result, Mayor West adjourned the meeting and the Agenda item from today will be listed for discussion on January 24 at 10am in Forster.”

The process and timetable to recruit a new general manager of MidCoast Council is still up in the air when there were not enough councillors to proceed with an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday, January 16.

The meeting required the majority of the 11 councillors – six – to be present for the issue to be addressed, however only Crs Kathryn Bell, Peter Epov, deputy mayor Katheryn Smith and mayor David West were in attendance.

Mayor David West adjourned the meeting for 30 minutes after noting the apologies of the remaining seven councillors for their absence from the meeting.

Cr Epov requested leave to question the apologies, asking the mayor “Is it your view that they don’t need to explain their absence?”

Mayor West said council had agreed at the December 20 ordinary meeting that its next meeting would be held on January 24 at 10am, and that no explanation was necessary for absence from an extraordinary meeting as the apologies had been accepted.

About 30 residents attended.  

Mayor David West adjourned the issue until the meeting on January 24, stating that it would be dealt with on that day.

The January 16 extraordinary meeting was requested by Crs Epov and Bell to: 

1. To formally accept the resignation of the general manager Mr Glenn Handford. 

2. To appoint an acting general manager. 

3. To determine the process and timetable to recruit a new general manager.

4. To discuss and determine any other relevant business in relation to recruitment of a new general manager.”