For Boorowa Council, the recent decision of neighbouring Harden Shire Council to amalgamate with nearby Cootamundra Shire came as somewhat of a surprise.
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Boorowa Mayor Wendy Tuckerman said she knew they were considering it as an option but had expected they would discuss their options with Boorowa Council before, rather than after, coming to a decision.
According to the mayor, Harden councillors had requested a meeting with Boorowa councillors to discuss Local Government Reform and the options available, however, this meeting didn't go as expected.
"Harden Council had very low attendance at the meeting and it was more a case of them explaining to us the decision they made rather than discussing available options with us," Cr Tuckerman said.
Boorowa Council will now consider its options at its meeting on April 27, to determine the best outcome for the Boorowa community.
"Our thinking has always been to try and get the best outcomes for the Boorowa community whilst considering the best outcomes for the region," Cr Tuckerman said.
"I believe the Harden/Cootamundra proposal has a number of shortcomings, including the fact that it does not provide the same scale and capacity as a potentially larger merger or merger of Boorowa, Harden and Young whilst it also requires merging over state-identified regional boundaries."
The NSW Government requires all councils across NSW to make a "Fit for the Future" submission by June 30.
The submission must demonstrate how councils will meet a range of criteria.
One of these criteria is to have "scale and capacity" consistent with the recommendations of the Independent Panel report commissioned by the NSW Government.
"Harden and Cootamundra combined certainly doesn't provide the same scale in terms of either land mass or population as Boorowa, Harden and Young combined," Cr Tuckerman said.
"I expect our Council to make a decision on what we believe is best at our upcoming meeting and from there we will build our case to the Government and its 'Fit for the Future' assessment panel."