Wagga City Council leadership set for shake-up as mayoral elections loom

Councillors will gather to select leaders for the final 12 months before local government elections, and while mayor Dallas Tout's position looks set to be uncontested at the Monday night meeting, there could be a new face in the deputy role.

Councillor Amelia Parkins confirmed ahead of the vote she would be throwing her hat into the ring for the deputy mayor position, and could go uncontested as current deputy Jenny McKinnon flagged she would throw her support behind Cr Parkins if she stood.

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Elected to council in 2021, in the short time she has been there Cr Parkins has come to the conclusion that more thought needs to go into council decisions.

"I'm hoping to bring more of a bigger picture, a strategic lens that will set us up for success moving into the future," she said.

"The whole term I've been concerned about the council making reactive decisions without having the broader framework to guide them."

Cr Parkins reiterated she didn't want this to be a criticism of the council or its staff.

"We all know the council has lots of resourcing issues. I just think this is an opportunity for me to bring a different approach over the next 12 months," she said.

As for the mayoral position, Cr Parkins said Dallas Tout has provided a good environment for people to feel safe expressing their opinions and hopes this will continue whoever is voted in for the coming year.

Cr McKinnon said she has "really loved" serving in as the city's deputy mayor but indicated she was happy to support Cr Parkins at the vote.

"I think Amelia is a terrific candidate, so if she goes ahead and puts her hand up, I'll be very happy to support her," Cr McKinnon said.

She also threw her support behind the serving mayor saying he was doing a "great job."

Cr Michael Henderson agreed, saying he has been a "good leader" since he rose to the position following the departure of Greg Conkey from council.

Despite the clear support for Cr Tout over the coming 12 months, some believe there is room for improvement.

Cr Richard Foley said while he is "happy" with the current mayor, he believes Cr Tout must be "more forceful on the Inland Rail project and other major matters for the city."

"We need to get more on the front foot on the need for an infrastructure plan for the 21st century for this city."

Cr Dan Hayes backed Amelia Parkins for deputy, but also expressed mixed thoughts on the vote, indicating a desire for a bit more advocacy on projects like the Wagga Ambulance Station and the state of the city's roads.

In response to the concerns, the mayor said he has made efforts to raise concerns over Inland Rail, highlighting a delegation to the state infrastructure and transport minister Catherine King at the recent Australian Local Government Association conference.

"While there, [Cr Hayes] and I met with senior staff from minister for infrastructure Catherine King to discuss Inland Rail," Cr Tout said.

The mayor said he frequently talks with state and federal members Joe McGirr and Michael McCormack, as well as attending meetings and advocating with the NSW Country Mayors Association.

However, he said he was open to "ramping up" advocacy on "critical issues."

Meanwhile, Cr Tim Koschel has backed Cr Tout for mayor while also calling for a gender balance in leadership.

"My strong position is that we should have a female in [at least one of] the leadership positions," Cr Koschel said.

Crs Rod Kendall and Georgie Davies would not be drawn on who they would support in Monday night's vote.

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