Council structure reviewed
February 21, 2008
Section: News
Helen Goltz
The future of the structure of the Shellharbour City Council is under review.
As a result of the Department of Local Government encouraging Shellharbour City Council to reconsider their numbers to help streamline operations, the council is inviting residents to have their say on the future structure of the elected council.
Council is seeking the views of the community on three options:
Three wards, each containing three councillors;
This option would result in a total membership of 10 (including the mayor, who is elected separately by popular vote).Five wards, each containing two councillors;
This option would result in a total membership of 11 (including the mayor, who is elected separately by popular vote).Six wards, each containing two councillors;
This option would leave council with its current membership of 13 (including the mayor, who is elected separately by popular vote).
Shellharbour City Council Mayor David Hamilton invited residents to submit their preferred option.
“This will enable council to decide on the next step,” Councillor Hamilton said.
Shellharbour Council general manager Brian Weir said residents needed to consider if reducing the number of councillors would be to their benefit.
“It may reduce overall costs but increase the responsibility of councillors,” Mr Weir said.
The council estimates that reducing the size of the council would bring cost savings through councillor fees and operating expenses, however, wards would become larger and each councillor would have more constituents.
The council maintained that retaining 12 councillors could provide for a better level of democratic representation, due to the lower ratio of constituents per councillor.
Submissions addressed to the general manager, can be mailed or emailed to council until noon on Friday, April 4, before the council decides on one preferred option.
If the option involves structural change, it may be the subject of a constitutional referendum, which would be held in conjunction with the local government elections scheduled for September 2008.