Despite 37 people applying for the chief executive job, Mayor Phil Mauger said the interview panel did not make an appointment.
Now interim CEO Mary Richardson has agreed to stay in the role until June 30, 2026, but made it clear she did not want to sign a five-year term.
"The interview panel didn’t make an appointment at the end of the process and we asked Mary if she would consider putting in an application for the role,” Mauger said.
“She agreed to do so with the proviso that she didn’t want the role for the five-year term.
Richardson has been in the interim role since former council chief executive Dawn Baxendale unexpectedly stood down from her $548,548 a year role in November last year.
"Mary knows our communities and local government inside out," Mauger said.
"The councillors and I are looking forward to continuing to work with her through the next local body elections and to the end of the financial year in 2026."
Richardson has held a number of high-level roles at the city council, including general manager of citizens and community for 10 years before she stepped in as interim chief executive in November last year.
