Council announces appointment of General Manager to commence in January

Following an extensive recruitment process Council has appointed James Roncon to the position of General Manager on a five year performance based contract.

Mr Roncon has had over twenty three years of proven experience in senior leadership and executive management roles across public and commercial business sectors.

He has held the position of General Manager/CEO at Broken Hill City Council since April 2016. Prior to that he held Director positions with the ACT Government and was General Manager at both Cowra and Carrathool Councils.

Interim Administrator Viv May said the appointment of Mr Roncon is a big step in setting a new and prosperous path for the Council.

“As part of the process, forums were held where staff and community representatives expressed their views on the characteristics and strengths the next General Manager of Armidale Regional Council must possess. James meets those expectations,” said Mr May

Mr Roncon will commence in his role in early January and is looking forward to the challenges ahead and a move to the beautiful Armidale region.

"I've been to Armidale many times and always found it incredibly enjoyable, it's a such a picturesque part of Australia,” said Mr Roncon

"One of the main things that always struck me was Armidale's liveability; it has all the advantages of a major city without the drawbacks, it offers a really enviable lifestyle.

"I admit I was quite settled in Broken Hill, and it's an exciting time for the city with a lot of big developments and projects on the horizon.

"But when the opportunity arose to be closer to my family and take on a new challenge in a beautiful city, I couldn't say no.

"I can't wait to start the role, and look forward to serving the people of the Armidale region."

Mr May said, “Acting General Manager John Rayner has agreed to stay on in that role to ensure a smooth transition. For that I am extremely grateful.”

Interim Administrator Minute – Appointment of General Manager

The Office of Local Government has issued Guidelines for the Appointment and Oversight of General Managers which must be taken into account in any recruitment process and as is my statutory obligation these have been followed.

LGNSW Management Solutions was engaged by Council to assist in the recruitment of a General Manager. As part of the process separate community and staff forums were conducted to define the qualities expected in the General Manager for Armidale Regional Council and attached to the minute is a precis of the outcomes prepared by LGNSW.

All persons who were invited to attend the community forum were invited to put themselves forward for selection in the final interview process and 15 expressions were received. Ms Bronwyn Pearson and Mr Grant McCarroll were selected by me to participate.

Twenty-five applications were received and a short list of three candidates, who met the above criteria and who had experience in rebuilding local government organisations were selected for interview.

The interviews were facilitated by the LGNSW Management Solutions representative; with the panel comprising the Acting General Manager, the two community members and myself, and were held on Friday 30 October.

The calibre of the final applicants was very high and the panel was unanimous in its decision to recommend Mr James Roncon. Mr Roncon is presently the General Manager of Broken Hill City Council.

The Total Remuneration Package (TRP) is $350,000 per annum (including superannuation and vehicle) with a five-year performance-based contract. Should the first annual performance review be assessed as ‘More than Satisfactory’ Council will increase the TRP to $360,000.

As is the norm when recruiting Senior Staff, Council will meet removal expenses up to $10,000. Fifty percent will be payable at the time of the move and the remaining 50 percent on the completion of twelve month’s satisfactory service.

Mr Roncon has indicated that he will commence duties on 11 January 2021 and Mr Rayner has agreed to stay on in the Acting role until that time for which I am very appreciative.

While Mr Roncon will be the General Manager from 11 January 2021 there will be a hand over period of approximately one week in view of the complexities of the Armidale Regional Council’s present position.

LGNSW will now prepare in line with the Guidelines issued by the Office of Local Government the Model Contract for signature. The Contract requires that the employee and  ouncil sign a performance agreement setting out agreed performance criteria and I have asked LGNSW, Mr Roncon and the Acting General Manager to ensure this document is submitted to the December Council meeting.

I move:

a) That Mr James Roncon be appointed to the position of General Manager, on a five year performance based contract subject to final negotiations and required checks being satisfactorily completed.

b) That Ms Pearson and Mr McCarroll be thanked for giving so freely of their time and expertise in the process.

Published on 03 Nov 2020