The mayor of a north-west Victorian council says it was "totally impractical" for the council's unvaccinated chief executive to continue in his role.
Swan Hill CEO John McLinden tendered his resignation on Tuesday night following reports he did not intend to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
All essential workers in Victoria are required to be vaccinated to work on-site, and the council last week granted Mr McLinden permission to work from home, with several councillors saying it was only a short-term solution.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews however warned Mr McLinden he would be working from home for the foreseeable future, with rules around mandatory vaccination unlikely to change any time soon.
Council mayor Bill Moar told the ABC working from home made Mr McLinden's position "untenable and totally impractical".
"We have a very diverse range of things to do here and areas to cover, and he needs to be across the municipality at all times, visiting everywhere," Cr Moar said.
Cr Moar said Mr McLinden was a "magnificent" CEO for his five and a half years with the shire, and council was "very sad" to accept his resignation.
'Personal decision'
Mr McLinden told the ABC it was a "personal decision" not to be vaccinated, and did not provide any further detail.
The average salary for a CEO at a Victorian council is $295,000, according to a 2019 report from the Local Government Inspectorate.
Mr McLinden's last day of work with the Council will be Friday, November 5.
The latest data shows more than 95 per cent of residents over the age of 15 in Swan Hill are at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19, with 86.9 per cent fully vaccinated.
The region recorded nine new cases on Tuesday, taking the number of active cases in the municipality to 67.
Swan Hill District Health CEO Peter Abraham said the vast majority of cases were young and unvaccinated.
CEOs 'aren't falling from trees'
Swan Hill will now look for Mr McLinden's replacement in a crowded market, with the neighbouring Mildura and Buloke shires also searching for new CEOs.
Mildura has not had a permanent CEO since May.
"It won't be an easy process. It could be quite an extended process."
Cr Moar said the vaccination status of the next CEO will likely form part of their contract.
