On March 1, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the federal government would buy out NSW and Victoria’s shares of the iconic scheme, clearing the way for an expansion dubbed “Snowy 2.0”.

The NSW Government’s $4.15 billion windfall from the sale was promised to rural and regional areas by Premier Gladys Berejiklian last month, but councillor Conkey said councils were better placed to decide on how that money should be spent.

“We want a say on where we can spend the money, I’d like to see all local government areas to be able to… (the funds) should be given to councils and ratepayers to determine where they should be spent,” Cr Conkey said. “The other thing I’d like to see happen is a clause in the sale contract with the federal government that it should never ever be sold to private enterprise. It’s a community asset and should remain in community hands.”

Wagga residents had long complained about the state of the city’s roads, but council always maintained there wasn’t enough money to fix them all at once.

“At the moment we do have a maintenance backlog and we don’t have enough money to fix it all,” Cr Conkey said. “Part of the reason is the state government is putting the squeeze on local government in general (and) Wagga’s done extremely well out of state funding so I’m not complaining there but we’d like a say in how this new money is spent.”

Member for Wagga Daryl Maguire said every council would love to get a bucket of money to spend, but the state government had priorities as well.

“We want a better outcome and a bigger bang for our buck than just filling potholes,” Mr Maguire said. “Council’s have budgets and we assist where we can, but this is the time for the big picture for NSW that benefits everyone, not just reducing a backlog. In time, councils will be engaged along with the community and others about their priorities so we can get that bang for our buck.”

Rather than fixing roads, Mr Maguire suggested investing in projects like the Riverina Intermodal Freight and Logistics hub or upgrading Glenfield Road might be more efficient ways to use the money.

“This is a chance for reflection and to think about ways to pave a bright future,” Mr Maguire said.