With deadlines looming for decisions about what shires will be grouped together to form Joint Organisations, Nambucca Shire’s long held assumption of being part of a JO with Coffs Harbour City Council has hit a speed bump.
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On March 20 Clarence Valley Council resolved its preference to be in a JO from Richmond Valley in the north to Nambucca in the south.
Two days later, Coffs Harbour City councillors registered their preference to be part of a JO covering Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour and Bellingen Shire.
In his report tabled at last week’s council meeting, the General Manager, Michael Coulter, wrote the potential issue was that neither resolution incorporated Kempsey or Port Macquarie/Hastings Council and the Office of Local Government says JOs cannot be less than three councils.
“Given the resolutions of the other two councils, a simplistic solution would be to group Nambucca Shire with Kempsey and PortMacquarie/Hastings and then Clarence Valley with Coffs Harbour and Bellingen,” Mr Coulter said.
“This solution would not be in this council's interests.”
Following some discussion the council voted to inform the Minister for Local Government that for the reason of ‘ensuring the alignment of community of interest’, it did not support the Nambucca Local Government area being included in a Joint Organisation which does not include the Coffs Harbour Local Government area.
After the meeting the mayor, Rhonda Hoban, told the Guardian News that given the idea of the Joint Organisation was to be a body that acted on more regional issues, it made sense to be comprised of councils that had common interests.
“The Base Hospital, the airport and the university campus at Coffs Harbour are all used by shire residents,” Cr Hoban said.
“It is logical plus we already have a number of long term arrangements with Coffs Harbour and Bellingen, the most significant one being the Coffs Coast Waste agreement.”