Staffing structure changes as Dardanup Shire Council prepares for future

The expected approval of structural plans for Wanju and Waterloo has led Dardanup Shire Council to restructure its organisation to include a third directorate.

The council voted behind closed doors at its most recent meeting to support the new structure as recommended in a confidential report prepared by chief executive Andre Schonfeldt.

Shire president Mick Bennett said the council was “getting organised for the future” by creating the sustainable development director position.

“We see ourselves having a fairly hectic 10 to 15 years coming in front of us given what is planned and happening in the region,” he said.

“We just need to be ready for that instead of being behind the eight ball in 12 months time.

“The person that comes in will need to get grips with everything in our organisation and really hit the ground running.”

The council started advertising for the position last week.

The position will be one of two senior executive roles that reports directly to the chief executive and is expected to attract a salary between $150,000 and $170,000 on a performance-based contract.

The person will be responsible for development services, emergency management and law enforcement, recreation and community matters faced by the council.

Cr Bennett said he was hopeful approval for the Wanju and Waterloo plans would be granted within the next six months.

“Through those initiatives there will be a lot more planning and development issues for us,” he said.

“As it was we were probably a bit light on in that department.

“We’re making sure we’re getting the right people in place to handle that moving forward.”