The organisation which will assess whether the state's councils are "fit for the future" is seeking public comment before beginning the assessment process next month.

All councils, apart from eight Far West councils, were required to lodge submissions with the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) to demonstrate how they can become stronger and more effective under the NSW Government's Fit for the Future reforms.

Those proposals are now being uploaded on to the tribunal's website and ratepayers, community organisations and individuals have been invited to comment on councils' proposals before Friday July 31.

Wellington has lodged an "Improvement Proposal" to seek to continue as a stand-alone council.

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 extensive community consultation and she encouraged them to make their feelings known to IPART.

"This may well be the final opportunity to have a say on your council's future," she said.

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.

IPART chairman Dr Peter Boxall said the tribunal would consider any relevant issues raised during the public submission period when assessing each council's status as "fit" or "not fit".

He said councils are Fit for the Future if they:

o Have the scale and capacity to engage effectively across community, industry and government;

o Are financially sustainable;

o Effectively manage infrastructure and deliver services for communities; and

o Are efficient.

Public submissions and can be lodged online for each relevant council proposal once they have been published on the tribunal's website www.ipart.nsw.gov.au

Alternatively, you can email or post comments to:

Local Government Team

IPART

PO BOX K35

Haymarket Post Shop NSW 1240

ipart@ipart.nsw.gov.au

IPART is expected to make its recommendations to NSW Local Government Minister Paul Toole by October.