Cr Ron Cummins said he had realised, at a local government workshop in Goulburn, that Upper Lachlan might not conform with Office of Local Government guidelines for the performance review committee for the general manager’s position.

Crs Richard Opie and Pam Kensit also attended that workshop and supported Cr Cummins’ query. Cr Cummins said he had contacted the OLG, who said the council might not be meeting "best practice".

Best practice, as put forward by Cr Cummins in light of OLG guidelines, would be for the general manager’s review committee to comprise the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, a councillor nominated by the council and a councillor nominated by the general manager.

The performance review committee presently comprises the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and a councillor nominated by the general manager.

General manager John Bell said he did not object to a second councillor on the committee, but the motion was defeated 5 to 4.

For the motion were: Crs Opie, Cummins, Kensit and Stafford. Against were: Crs Culhane, O'Brien, Searl, Wheelwright and McCormack.

Councillors considered an independent report by Janet Smith on a library service model for the Shire. The report was prepared following advice from Goulburn Mulwaree Council that the current Southern Tablelands Library Cooperative, which involved Upper Lachlan, Goulburn Mulwaree and Yass Valley councils, would cease on June 30 this year. Yass Valley determined they would adopt an independent library model.

Friends of the Library representative Doreen Wheelwright addressed the council at its December meeting on the benefits of the cooperative model. Mrs Wheelwright is past-president of the Friends of the Library group and spoke about the proposed changes.

“Any savings gained from a stand alone model will be absorbed with the new costs of running the current library,” she said.

“With the decrease of services including the range of books, this will see residents having to visit libraries in other areas therefore shopping in those areas.” 

Cr Opie backed the figures, saying: “Crookwell Library visitors currently have the use of 80,000 books between the Goulburn and Crookwell libraries.

“If we take away the Goulburn library, the amount of books available will drop to 28,000.”