Council moves to deny rumors CEO was to be replaced

In an extraordinary statement released late today, under the heading "Council working as a cohesive team", council moved to counter unexplained suggestions Ian Bodill was to be replaced.

"Council has become aware of comments regarding Katherine Town Council recruiting for a new CEO," the statement reads.

"This is not the case, Elected members and CEO Ian Bodill can confidently inform the community of Katherine that we are working on being a cohesive, supportive team, especially now, as we will also be appointing a Mayor to replace the retiring Mayor Fay Miller at the end of the month."

There was no explanation about the basis of these claims.

Mr Bodill was recruited to fill the position after Rob Jennings left to become CEO of the Alice Springs council earlier last year.

After an exhaustive search, involving many interviews, Mr Bodill was appointed in December.

At the time, Katherine Mayor Fay Miller, who was on the selection panel said the recruitment process was "probably the longest period of recruitment I've been in".

"The parameters we had were quite specific.. It has been quite a challenge, but I am quite sure we've made the right decision."

Mr Bodill has been the chief executive in various locations across Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and most recently at Longreach Regional Council. He stepped down in May of this year after four years in the position.

Veteran administrator Allan McGill was acting CEO until Mr Bodill was able to move into the position at the end of January.

In the statement released this afternoon, council encouraged residents to participate in a third Community Consultation to occur at the Lindsay Street Complex on November 21.

"Community Consultations are a great opportunity for Community Members to discuss concerns or to raise questions about Katherine. More information regarding the consultation will be released soon."

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