Perth Voice Interactive

BAYSWATER city councillors will no longer be able to kick off ambitious projects days before leaving office.

This week the council enacted a long-called for caretaker period by unanimous vote.

Resident Adam Parsonage led the push for caretaker periods and made it an election issue last year, saying councillors were tabling eleventh hour motions to promote themselves, and approving half-cocked projects.

Vincent, Perth, Stirling already have caretaker conventions.

Last year, with the council elections less than a week away, Baysy councillors committed $50,000 in a future budget to the design of the Lightning Swamp Sustainability Centre. It would could cost up to $4 million to build and $50,000 a year to run.

The caretaker period covers 37 days before an election and the new rules include;

• no decisions about the employment of a CEO. This was an issue at Vincent when an outgoing council renewed John Giorgi’s contract for five years just days before most were voted out or left office;

• no sponsorship arrangements worth more than $10,000;

• no commitments to high-cost projects;

• councillors can’t publish material that looks like it was authorised by the city; and,

• councillors can’t get media advice about election issues from staff.

by DAVID BELL