A motion to assist forcibly merged councils whose finances have suffered since amalgamation was lost at Wednesday's Armidale Regional Council meeting.
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Crs Dorothy Robinson and Debra O'Brien wanted the Local Government NSW Annual Conference, state councils' biggest policy-making event, to note financial information provided by an anti-merger campaign group, and to financially help amalgamated councils meet important commitments to their Delivery Programs.
"We're looking to recognise the difficulties we're facing and have faced post-amalgamation, and during the drought, and stand up for our community," Cr O'Brien said.
The decision was lost 5 votes for to 5 against, with mayor Simon Murray casting the tie-breaker vote. The motion, he believed, was too similar to one rejected in June.
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Then, the councillors moved to lobby the NSW government to provide additional funds to cover the cost of forced amalgamation, so there would be no need to cut important sustainability and other initiatives, or abandon adherence to quadruple bottom line principles.
"To me, I don't feel comfortable in a council that's rejected a motion to then put it forward to NSW Local Government Association," Cr Murray said. "Our council already made a position on it, so that's why I cast that way."
Crs Robinson and O'Brien made their case based on "Council Amalgamations, a sea of red ink", published by Save Our Councils Coalition in March. It claimed that merged councils - including Armidale Regional Council, with a projected deficit of $3.8 million - were tens of millions of dollars behind the former stand-alone councils' results. (LINK)
The SOCC report, Cr Murray argued at the time, was misleading. Council had reduced the deficit by $3.3 million by March. Nor did the report show the benefits Guyra residents enjoy, or how council's financial position would continue to improve.
Cr Margaret O'Connor supported the motion. The report, she thought, demonstrated that the estimate of the merger costs was inadequate; state government gave councils only $5 million.
"It's now apparent that when you put two councils that were in difficulty together, you're going to have difficulty," Cr O'Connor said.
"It's not saying anything particular about this council. What it says is that as a group of merged councils, we're asking LGNSW to talk with the state government about why that is, and if any additional assistance is available."
Cr Diane Gray opposed the motion. "We have already received significant financial assistance through the amalgamation fund, et cetera," she said.
"It does, to me, appear that this could look as if we don't know how to manage our money, given the money that the state government's already given us."