Gunnedah Shire Council has celebrated success at the 2021 NSW Local Government Excellence Awards, held in Sydney on June 3. The annual awards celebrate outstanding achievements and promote innovation and continuous improvement within NSW local government.
Council Payroll and Accounting Officer Kayla Smith was nominated in the Professional Development category and was awarded Dux of the Finance in Local Government One Week Intensive Course.
Gunnedah Shire Mayor Cr Jamie Chaffey congratulated Kayla on her achievement.
“This achievement is testament to Kayla’s talent and commitment to her work at Gunnedah Shire Council,” Cr Chaffey said.
“This is reflective of the great culture and opportunities for career growth we have here in local government.”
Kayla was born in Gunnedah and first started at Council in 2016 as a Customer Service Trainee. She has since progressed to roles in Council’s Finance team as a Financial Accountant and her current position of Payroll and Accounting Officer.
Kayla said working in local government had opened up opportunities to develop both professionally and personally.
“The Finance in Local Government course was a fantastic opportunity to build my skills and connect with finance professionals from Council’s across NSW,” Ms Smith said.
“I am supported by a great team of people here at Council and I’m excited to see where my career in finance will take me.”
Gunnedah Shire Library was also represented at the awards ceremony, having been nominated in the category of Special Project Initiative – Population under 100,000 for their work in championing the Panorama Booklet project.
Caption: Gunnedah Shire Council payroll officer Kayla Smith received her award from Lyndy Philpot, Chair of the Finance Professionals Member Network Executive.
