Moving away from the traditional model of directors and departments acting separately from each other, the new structure means four ‘sector managers’ will oversee the city with general manager Alan Eldridge who will also oversee governance.

The changes, adopted by the previous council in July and rolled out in October, followed the state government’s ‘Fit for the Future’ process, which not only put councils on notice about efficiency and cost-savings but also paved the way for controversial mergers.

“What it means is that we’ve got to change our thinking and the way we do business,” Mr Eldridge said.

“The business culture has changed… we need to adopt a ‘can do’ attitude within the rules (and) work with a common vision and goals. We’re here to help, we’re here to work with you.”

Finding the right people to lead council’s four new sectors – governance, community, financial and commercial – required an extensive recruitment process.

Former community services director Janice Summerhayes and project manager Caroline Angel were appointed community sector manager and commercial operations manager respectively. Chief financial officer Natalie Te Pohe and commercial development manager Paul Somerville were “some of the best of the best”, according to Mr Eldridge, who was thrilled they had come on board.

“To build the best regional city, you need the best people and I am confident the team we have assembled will lead Wagga into future,” Mr Eldridge said.

“Natalie Te Pohe has worked in Western Australian councils, the Queensland mining industry and the South Australian Government, while Paul Somerville holds both a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Melbourne University and an MBA from Monash University and has worked for large companies such as BHP.

“The new structure takes a more collaborative approach to our operations than the previous directorate model, it’s also less bureaucratic and makes accountability and planning a priority across council.”

Former directors James Bolton and Craig Richardson will remain in the short-term.