ORANGE councillors remain unconvinced on the merits of merging with Cabonne Council as part of the Fit for the Future reforms.
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Orange City Council has found it can stand alone, but will put information on both the merger and stand alone options on public exhibition before it makes a submission on June 30.
After consultancy firm Morrison Low failed to come to a clear conclusion when it completed a merger business case, councillors expressed their own doubts about the figures.
Councillor Russell Turner questioned the criteria of scale and capacity, which will form the core part of the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal’s assessment.
Metropolitan councils have been offered incentives to increase their populations higher than 250,000, but regional councils have not been given a figure.
“Scale and capacity pops up every third or fourth line, but we don’t know what it means,” Cr Turner said.
“Cabonne thinks it has scale and capacity when it’s such a small council - we’ve got a long way to go before we have a clear enough picture to support any proposal.”
In general manager Garry Styles’ report to councillors, he recommended further investigations because councils assessed the condition of public assets, and the cost to maintain and upgrade them, differently.
The figures were also unaudited.
“This is a key risk in any merger,” the report stated.
Councillor Glenn Taylor said council needed boundary adjustments, not amalgamation.
“No one can deny we need boundary adjustment - we can put the other option up, but I’ll be surprised if there’s any support,” Cr Taylor said.
Meanwhile, councillor Ron Gander expressed concerns about Cabonne becoming fragmented if a merger occurred.
“Do we inherit Yeoval or Eugowra? We are pretty much a complete unit as a place,” he said.
Mayor John Davis said the council would not put ratepayers at risk.
Council’s reports on the Fit for the Future process are available by visiting orange.nsw.gov.au/comment and submissions can be made by emailing council@orange.nsw.gov.au.
An online forum will also be opened in the coming days.
Submissions close on June 17.