A "DISAPPOINTING and stupid outcome" is how former Palerang Mayor Pete Harrison has greeted the proclamation about the creation of a new Queanbeyan-Palerang regional council.
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Cr Harrison said the Local Government Council Amalgamations proclamation made at 12.30pm yesterday effectively dismissed Palerang Shire Council and merged into the larger entity.
The whole of the former Palerang Shire is being merged with Queanbeyan City Council.
It states that former Queanbeyan Mayor Tim Overall is to be the new administrator. The interim general manager of the new council will be Peter Tegart and the new deputy general manager will be Peter Bascomb.The new council will comprise 11 councillors to be elected at the first election.
"I am disappointed with this decision," Cr Harrison said. "It is a stupid outcome.
"We went through the whole process, made all the relevant submissions, presented to the State Government and to the delegate and still this happens.
"Analysis by independent consultants all points to this merger being a financial disaster and a service-level disaster for Palerang residents.
"They are tripling the cost of councillor's wages. In Palerang they were getting $10,000 per year. Under the new council, they will be getting $30,000 per year.
"It is the same amount of money for a council that has 25 per cent of its capacity. It doesn't do anything for Palerang. It may be better for Queanbeyan, but it is not better for us."
Cr Harrison said the new council would not be getting $30 million from the State Government to help the transition, but a one-off payment of $10 million.
"It is not viable, it is some pocket money to spend, that's all," he said. "[Queanbeyan] will have control of the council so they will be able to control the spending."
He thought the proclamation would come as a surprise to his councillor colleagues, though there had been some resignation in the council that it was a political process.
"By the time we put our submissions in it was obvious to us that merging was a bad thing to do," he said.
"Effectively our analysis indicates we will be in excess of $1 million per year worse off under this.
"Both councils are already efficient and below the average staffing levels, so there will be no savings to be made from further staff reductions."
Cr Harrison said while the whole of Palerang was being merged, there was a possibility of further boundary adjustments.
"Later boundary adjustments are not out of the question," he said.
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