Leeton Shire Council opts to join new Joint Organisation

1 Mar 2018 10:50 PM -

Leeton Shire Council will inform the NSW Minister for Local Government that it will join a new Joint Organisation comprising Wagga Wagga City Council, Narrandera Shire Council, Snowy Valleys Council and any other Council in the Riverina Murray Planning region that resolves to join the new Joint Organisation.

General Manager Jackie Kruger stated in her report to Council that The Local Government Amendment (Regional Joint Organisations) Act 2017 that commenced on 15 December 2017 allows councils to voluntarily join a Joint Organisation (JO) provided that the JO includes no less than 3 Councils and the JO footprint is ‘nestled’ within the relevant NSW planning region.

“The principal functions of JOs will be strategic planning and priority setting, intergovernmental collaboration, and regional leadership and advocacy. It is understood that regional priorities established and supported by JOs are likely to receive State Government support and funding.”

Mayor Paul Maytom is comfortable to give these new partnerships a go stating that, regionally, Leeton’s greatest priorities are water security, freight efficiencies, education/training and health.

“It’s for these reasons that Council is looking to collaborate with others who have a similar focus and share common issues.”

“When you look at the stats Leeton, Tumut, Wagga (and Griffith) are endowed with significant manufacturing and freight activity that is still in growth phase - it makes good sense to collaborate as a group of Councils on related infrastructure priorities for the region. Secondly, water policy, whether state or federally driven, needs a collective response from all Council areas being supplied from the Murrumbidgee River. Taking a holistic approach right from the source, Burrinjuck Dam, is essential. Lastly, we are increasingly looking to redirect freight from road to rail and the reality is the railway line goes east before it heads south.”

Other Councils associated with the Murrumbidgee River and Wagga are invited to join Leeton, Wagga and Narrandera Councils who have now all formally resolved to embark on the new ‘east west’ configuration for strategic planning and advocacy purposes.

At this stage Griffith has resolved to be in a different JO but Mayor Paul Maytom said Leeton Council will continue to work very closely with them.

“Leeton and Griffith are committed to continuing a constructive and productive working relationship regardless of JO boundaries. We are in many ways ‘joined at the hip’ and acknowledge Griffith as our main centre to our west.”

General Manager Jackie Kruger said that JOs will be enshrined in law and that the Minister for Local Government will no doubt get back to Councils in late March to tidy any anomalies that may exist as a result of the separate resolutions from Councils across the Riverina Murray Planning region.

“It would be fair to say that at this point Leeton is not certain whether we will land up being a JO of 3 or 4 Councils or a JO of 10. Whatever the final number, what is important is the chance to co-plan with State Government along our new ‘east west’ configuration that includes the Riverina’s life giving Murrumbidgee River. That makes a lot of sense!”