Wellington Council has signed off on a plan to continue to stand-alone in the future.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The council this week formally adopted a submission to be lodged with the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) as part of the state government's Fit for the Future reforms for local councils.
Wellington has lodged an "Improvement Proposal" with IPART, which was appointed by the government to assess whether councils meet its Fit for the Future requirements.
In doing so, the council rejected an option to merge with Dubbo City Council.
General manager Karen Roberts said Wellington Council's preference to stand alone reflected the majority of residents' opinions after two rounds of community consultation meetings around the shire in April and June.
No public submissions were received after the draft submission was placed on public exhibition and meetings were held at Geurie, Gollan, Wellington and Stuart Town during the first week of June.
Wellington's submission, prepared with the assistance of independent consultants Morrison Low, shows the council will meet the government's "scale and capacity" requirements provided it undertakes a range of improvements.
These include ensuring enough money is spent on assets, balancing the budget and improving efficiency over time.
All of the state's 152 councils were required to submit Fit for the Future proposals to IPART by June 30.
After assessing whether councils are "fit" or "unfit", IPART is expected to make its recommendations to Local Government Minister Paul Toole in October.
