How does Council work?
Councils are the closest level of government to the community, giving the community a say on matters that affect their local area.
Like all councils in New South Wales, Griffith City Council is made up of elected representatives (Councillors) and administration (Council's operational staff).
Our Council has a popularly elected Mayor, 8 dedicated Councillors and a large team of operational staff.
Local Government elections
Elected representatives are decided through Local Government elections. These elections are run by the NSW Electoral Commission every four years.
The most recent Local Government election was held on Saturday 14 September 2024. The new Council was officially sworn in on 22nd October, 2024.
For information on how Local Government elections operate in NSW, visit the NSW Electoral Commission website.
Elected representatives
Mayor
The Mayor is elected by popular vote in the community for a four-year term and is the figurehead and leader of the Council for that period.
The Mayor is an advocate for the community, whose job is to ensure the well-being of our City and its people. The Mayor represents Council in civic and ceremonial duties, acts as the principle Council spokesperson, provides guidance to Councillors and chairs the fortnightly Council meetings. The Mayor also meets Cabinet Ministers, Head of Government Departments and other Members of Parliament to discuss matters of common interest to our City.
Griffith City Council's current Mayor is Doug Curran
Councillors
Councillors are elected by residents of the Griffith Local Government Area (LGA) every four years to represent the interests of the community. Their job covers many areas, each aimed at satisfying expectations of the local community.
Councillor responsibilities include:
- approving Council expenditure
- setting goals, strategies and policies including deciding priorities for Council both in planning and execution of its work programme
- allocating resources for various functions, including watching over the efficiency, cost and effectiveness of Council
- advocating and promoting our City
- representing Council in inter-government matters
- undertaking civic duties such as receiving dignitaries and attending civic functions
Being elected representatives, Councillors are delegates and trustees not only for the people who voted for them, but also for those who did not. They pass on information about Council activities to various sectors of the community and provide input of community attitudes to Council.
Councillors are expected to show leadership in the community, in the Council, and as private citizens. They must at all times act reasonable, with equity and justice, and must submerge any self-interest. They are expected to be active and look to the future. To do all this, Councillors need to keep themselves informed of a wide range of matters, about government, administration, finance, economics and society.
View the current Griffith City Councillors.
Administration
General Manager
The General Manager is the only staff member who is appointed by the Council. Responsibilities include managing the organisational structure, ensuring Council decisions are implemented, managing day to day operations, supporting the Mayor and providing advice to Council.
Council staff
Council's operational staff have a wide range of skills and expertise to ensure the smooth running of facilities and delivery of services. They are also responsible for providing advice to Council and implementing Council decisions.
Meetings and decisions
The Mayor and Councillors attend formal Council Meetings every month to undertake Council’s decision-making process. The meetings cover a wide variety of reports on matters presented to Council and each report is determined by Councillors taking a vote.
Community members are welcome to attend Meetings. You can view dates of all Council meetings for the year via this page.
Delegations and authorisations
Under section 377 of the Local Government Act 1993, the elected Council delegates functions to the Mayor and the General Manager. The General Manager then sub-delegates some of these functions to Council staff for the purpose of performing their roles.
The General Manager has the authority, by Council resolution, to make most of the decisions and perform most of the functions required for Council to operate on a day-to-day basis.
Most delegations are listed in the Delegations Register (some delegations are separately stated in Council Resolutions or Policies). You can access the Delegations Register by completing an Informal GIPA Form(PDF, 219KB).