Mayor Bob Kirk intends to contest another council term next year.
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His comments came after councillors decided at their recent meeting to continue with a nine-member team after the 2020 election.
Under the NSW Local Government Act they have the option of having "at least five but no more than 15 councillors," but must gain approval at a constitutional referendum before changing the number.
Goulburn Mulwaree councillors decided to maintain the status quo. The item at Tuesday night's meeting provoked no discussion.
Cr Kirk said afterwards that the current number worked "very well" and had done so for a long time.
"If we had five and two were absent, we could have three people making decisions. Is that representative?" he asked.
Three councillors were absent from Tuesday night's forum. Crs Sam Rowland and Alf Walker requested leaves of absence, the former due to work commitments in Sydney. Cr Walker is in Goleniow, Poland, with the Lieder Theatre. He is also hoping to meet with a Goleniow councillor about formalising a Friendship agreement with that city, acting on a recent Goulburn Mulwaree resolution. Cr Margaret O'Neill was ill.
But the meeting still had a majority present.
Cr Kirk, who was elected in 2008, said he always thought three terms would be sufficient.
"I never anticipated being Mayor," he said.
"Now I am and I'm comfortable with the role. I think generally the council is going quite well, though I anticipate there will be some changes at the next election."
Cr Kirk said he was buoyed by the amount of infrastructure building both by the council and the private sector. While some shops were closing, he believed Goulburn was better off than many other centres and was receiving strong government support for projects.
I think generally the council is going quite well, though I anticipate there will be some changes at the next election.
- Mayor Bob Kirk
In addition, the council was well down the track planning for growth with its Housing Strategy. A second draft, taking further community input into account, will soon be placed on public exhibition. It forecasts an extra 3500 homes for Goulburn and Marulan to 2036.
"There is a common progressive theme and we've been able to make decisions in a cohesive manner. I'm comfortable with where we're heading," the mayor said.
Cr Kirk was elected to the top job again last year for a two-year term. Mayoral elections won't be held again until after the 2020 election.
Deputy Mayor Peter Walker will also recontest the poll. He told The Post he had unfinished business.
"The Performing Arts Centre (PAC) needs to be completed and, with the loans remaining at $6.3 million, I'll back it to the hilt," he said.
Cr Walker also cited completion of the Riverside park at Marys Mount and the hockey facility at Carr Confoy as his highest priorities.
Cr Denzil Sturgiss said he would not standing again. He has served 20 years in local government, firstly with Mulwaree Shire and then from 2004, Goulburn Mulwaree Council.
Several new faces are expected in the line-up. Chris Gordon, who has campaigned for the PAC's construction, has signalled his intentions.
Election cost hikes
Meantime, councils are up in arms over a possible increase in election costs.
The government asked the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal to review the amount the Electoral Commission could charge councils.
A draft report recommends the fees be "cost reflective," ensuring that the EC can compete "on a level playing field with private providers."
But Local Government NSW president Linda Scott says this will mean the EC can increase its charges by up to 62 per cent.
"Councils in NSW are supporting their communities through drought in our regions alongside unprecedented population growth in our cities," Cr Scott said.
"For larger councils, this rise is equal to hundreds of thousands of dollars - in one case more than $1 million.
"IPART says increasing the amount charged by the NSW Electoral Commission (NSWEC) to run council elections will save money for the taxpayer - however the reality is communities will simply receive fewer government services and less critical infrastructure as prices rise."
She said smaller rural councils would pay an average $14.37 per elector, while large metropolitan councils would only pay $9.54.
IPART's final report is with the Minister.
Goulburn Mulwaree Council general manager Warwick Bennett said he was trying to secure indicative costs from the EC.
The 2016 poll cost $175,000 but he expected it to be more in 2020, given inflation and other factors. The council puts aside $50,000 annually towards the cost.
"The outcome has been disappointing," Mr Bennett said of the IPART report.
"There's just not a really good viable alternative and that will always remain while ever there is a manual process. The quicker we can get use of technology into the system, the better."
Mr Bennett was involved in establishing electronic voting during his time in New Zealand. He said while Goulburn Mulwaree waited more than a week in 2016 to discover the final election results, in New Zealand the outcome was known within three hours of voting close.
"I cannot understand why we go on to a website, put all our credit card and bank details on there, are not worried about it, but then get really upset about moves to vote online. It's bizarre," he said.
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