At Walcha Council’s ordinary March meeting it decided to address the Fit for the Future program as a stand alone entity and not pursue a voluntary merger as the preferred option.

Council also decided to undertake a community engagement program including an initial survey to ascertain residents’ views on Councils position to stand alone.

More than 300 people responded to the survey and the results indicate strong rate payer support for Council’s decision. Only 16 per cent of respondents supported the recommendation that Walcha Council merge with Uralla Shire.

Sixty-six per cent were in favour of a reduction in the current number of councillors with an average of five councillors suggested, while 61 per cent were in favour of eliminating the ward system.

Fifty-eight per cent of respondents agreed Council should meet monthly and 57 per cent of them would not be willing to pay increased rates to assist Council improve its infrastructure.

Councils that wish to maintain their existing structure need to have scale and capacity broadly consistent with the recommendations of the Independent Local Government Review Panel. 

To maintain its current structure Walcha Council will need to assess its current and forecast performance against the Fit for the Future benchmarks, and develop strategies and actions to improve its performance against a range of criteria.

This includes looking at sustainability, infrastructure and services and efficiency.

To propose a Rural Council model Walcha Council will need to take a slightly different approach. As Council is already involved in the Joint Organisation Pilot process, it can work with that group to identify and model potential resource sharing options as well as consider existing regional arrangements and how these may be further developed or enhanced. The Rural Council proposal could include options for sharing expertise or co-developing plans however, Council would continue to work directly with the community to identify local priorities and appropriate levels of service and how implementing the Rural Council option may help them to better deliver the community’s priorities and needs.

Preparing a Fit for the Future Proposal will help Walcha Council to create a new long term financial plan to ensure Council is operating sustainably and moving towards the state government’s benchmarks.

Through completing the process, Council will also develop an action plan that will inform their delivery program and provide input to the operational plan.

Preparing the proposal gives Walcha Council an opportunity to have a look at its planning, talk to the community about the challenges and opportunities facing the council, and develop more realistic plans where appropriate.

Walcha Council urges as many individuals and community groups as possible to attend the public meeting from 6pm, on Thursday, May 28 at the Bowling Club. They would also be willing to meet separately with any community groups regarding Fit for the Future.