In recent meetings, officers have expressed reservations about policies adopted by the council (often with a four to three majority, with the mayor on the minority, losing side and the deputy mayor on the majority, winning side).

Councillors make policy and it is for officers to implement policy. But officers have indicated recently that some new policies are too vague, and so difficult to implement, or that spending hasn’t been allocated. 

In June, for example, Anna Watt, the director of corporate services, said (concerning the policy for a youth centre): “I remind Council that it has not allocated any funds in the 2018/19 Operational Budget, nor in the 10 year Long Term Financial Plan, for the establishment and funding of a youth centre.”

But the council general manager, Hein Basson, writes in a report to this week’s meeting: “It is indeed a difficult period of time for staff to provide their professional comments relating to the establishment of a youth centre to Council, as they ran the risk of these comments being viewed as attempts to stall or hamper the progress with this particular project.

“This is not the case.

“It is part and parcel of the duties of Council’s senior management staff to provide the decision-making body with their professional opinions and advice; based on their specialised knowledge, skills, and industry experience – without fear or favour.”

He was speaking about the current plan to apply for a grant from the state’s Cultural Fund to do up the old shire council building as a youth centre.

He said: “There is no question that the NSW Government’s Regional Cultural Fund provides for an opportunity for Council to put in an application for grant funding.

“However, as with any grant funding, there are strings attached. In this particular instance, one of those strings stipulates that the building’s primary use should be for arts and culture”.

He implies that Glen Innes wouldn’t get the grant if the building didn’t have a committed cultural use.

“I am not convinced that Council currently finds itself in a good position to make such a commitment, considering that it has not had the opportunity to evaluate the feedback and recommendations of the newly established Youth Advisory Committee regarding a list of items that has been referred to it by Council.

“Therefore, it may be prudent of Council to consider its present position, and discuss whether the time is right to lodge the mentioned grant application.”