Wattle Range Council chief executive Ben Gower has again passed his annual performance with “flying colours”.

First appointed in 2016, his contract requires him to undergo a yearly assessment.

A confidential report about the process was prepared for the council, considered at the June monthly meeting and is now released to the public.

Membership of the performance review committee consisted of the Mayor Des Noll, Deputy Mayor Councillor Moira Neagle and councillors John Drew and Peter Dunnicliff.

The performance review was carried out by consultant Rebecca Hunt from a specialist Adelaide-based human resources firm during the months of April and May.

All elected council members, four staff and Mr Gower were given the opportunity to provide comments and scoring against five key accountabilities.

According to a staff report, the scoring was consistent and the commentary that was provided was constructive and positive.

“Overall, participants have appreciated the chief executive’s strong collaborative leadership through the challenging 12 months, they feel he is an effective communicator that is committed to Wattle Range Council and the region,” stated the staff report.

“After analysis of the survey responses, the performance review committee was satisfied that Mr Gower is highly competent and a high achiever.

“The committee congratulated Mr Gower on an excellent year of leadership.”

It recommended that Mr Gower receive a 2.5% pay rise and this was endorsed at the June monthly council meeting.