Horsham Rural City Council has extended the contract of Chief Executive Officer Sunil Bhalla until April 2027.
Mr Bhalla's four-year contract extension was confirmed by Councillors at the 30 January 2023 Meeting on Monday night.
Mr Bhalla joined HRCC as CEO in April 2018 and has 30 years of Local Government experience including previous leadership roles at the City of Maribyrnong and Surf Coast Shire.
During his time as CEO, Mr Bhalla has overseen several key initiatives and service enhancements for HRCC including:
- Leading Council's response to the COVID pandemic
- Implementing staff restructure
- Establishing HRCC's involvement in the Rural Councils Corporate Collaboration Project
- The development and adoption of the Council Plan 2021-2025 and 20-year Community Vision
Under Mr Bhalla's guidance, Council has successfully secured more than $15 million in State and Federal Government investment in key infrastructure projects for the municipality including:
- Horsham Regional Livestock Exchange's roof installation
- Wimmera Agricultural and Logistics HUB
- More than $5 million in competitive Federal Government roads funding
- Riverfront Activation project and Nature Play Park
- Hamilton Street Pedestrian Bridge
- City Oval and Sawyer Park Redevelopment
- Upgrades to Horsham Aquatic Centre
- Sporting facility upgrades at Quantong and Dudley Cornell Park
- Dooen Landfill expansion
- Horsham silo art project
"I am honoured and grateful for the opportunity to continue in this position," Mr Bhalla said.
"The Horsham municipality is a very special place that has its natural environment and communities at its heart.
"It's a privilege to lead a passionate and talented group of people, and I look forward to being able to continue to grow and develop our organisation's capacity and to collectively provide even greater outcomes for our community."
QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO MAYOR ROBYN GULLINE
"As a Council, we felt it was important to retain Sunil's guidance and genuine passion for the community to lead the organisation in delivering the best outcomes for Horsham Rural City Council and its residents.
"Sunil has steered the organisation and community through the COVID-19 pandemic by developing strong partnerships with all levels of government, industry, community leaders and organisations.
"We greatly appreciate the expertise and knowledge that Sunil has brought to this organisation during his time at Council and look forward to continuing to work collaboratively and supportively as we prepare for the future ahead," Cr Gulline said.
