Murrumbidgee Shire will now incorporate the entirety of Jerilderie Shire after Premier Mike Baird announced the council amalgamation on Thursday.
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The other option laid down for both shires was for Murrumbidgee to merge only with the part up to Yanco Creek.
Murrumbidgee’s name has been retained with the announcement by the NSW Government of the outcome of a four year change process for the Local Government sector.
Murrumbidgee mayor Austin Evans welcomed the news that the name Murrumbidgee would be retained as a new entity was created to incorporate the whole of both the current shire and the former Jerilderie Shire.
Cr Evans acknowledged that while not all members of the community would welcome the announcement, it was good news that millions of dollars would be made available to help create the new entity as well as deliver capital projects such as roads, pools, libraries and sporting fields within the new local government area.
“It is a time of change for all those involved in local government and an opportunity to create an entity that will continue to serve the Murrumbidgee community well into the future by building on the work that has been done in the past,” Cr Evans said.
“I look forward to working with the Councillors and community members from the former Jerilderie and Murrumbidgee Shires to ensure that the appropriate frameworks and policies are put in place to achieve the best outcomes moving forward.”
Local Government Minister Paul Toole said it would be business as usual for residents in new council areas, with services operating as normal.
Each new council will receive up to $10 million to meet the costs of merging, plus up to $15 million for investment in new community infrastructure and local communities will work with the new Councils to decide how those funds would be spent.
Cr Evans has been appointed as the administrator of the new Murrumbidgee Council with the former Jerilderie General Manager Craig Moffitt appointed as interim general manager. Murrumbidgee Shire’s current interim general manager Phil Pinyon has been appointed as deputy general manager.
Key Facts
Population: 4,047
Area (sq Km): 6,880
Number of Wards: 3
Number of councillors per ward: 3
