Hilltops Council’s are due to consider the positions of both Mayor and Deputy Mayor, with elections to be held for both positions on Wednesday night, with residents potentially awaking to news of a new leader for the local council.
In accordance with local government legislation, Council is required to elect both positions for a 12 month term.
The positions are currently held by Mayor Brian Ingram and Deputy Mayor Tony Wallace, both of whom have served since September 2017, with Ingram located in Young and Wallace Murringo.
A Councillor may be nominated for the position of Mayor or Deputy Mayor in writing and without notice. The nomination must be signed by two or more Councillors.
If only one Councillor is nominated, they are automatically elected, but if more than one is nominated, the Council will have to resolve the method by the which the election occurs.
The first method is a preferential ballot, where a candidate is elected if they have an absolute majority of first preference votes. If this is not the case, the candidate with the lowest votes is eliminated, and preferences are distributed until a candidate has a majority of votes.
The second is an ordinary ballot, where the candidate with the highest number of votes is elected. If more than two candidates emerge, and the person with the lowest vote is eliminated, with the process is continued until a candidate wins the highest number of votes out of two candidates.
The third is open voting, and is the same as ordinary ballot, but is completed through a show of hands rather than a secret ballot.
