Shellharbour City Council has joined Wollongong, Tweed and Port Macquarie in the growing list of coastal councils that have been dismissed for either corruption or maladministration.

Councillors will be dismissed and replaced by an administrator until 2012 following a damning inquiry into the council, Local Government Minister Paul Lynch said yesterday.

Inquiry Commissioner, Richard Colley recommended the council be sacked saying councillors did not have a proper understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

He also said that frequent acts of disorder – including one incident where a councillor invited a council officer outside to sort out an argument – had rendered the council irretrievably damaged.

Former Bega Valley Shire Council general manager, David Jesson, has been appointed administrator until 2012

“It will be the task of Mr Jesson to rebuild the fundamentals of the council and to help regain the community’s confidence in the council,” Mr Lynch said