GUNNEDAH mayor Owen Hasler says council's decision to approach a neighbouring shire about the possibility of merging is not an admission its days as a stand-alone entity are numbered.
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The shire's councillors last week resolved to "participate in merger discussions" with Liverpool Plains Shire Council (LPSC) in light of the NSW government's $250 million incentive package.
Cr Hasler stressed that the talks, if LPSC agreed to partake, would merely examine what an amalgamation between the two shires would mean financially and socially under the Fit for the Future model.
"We quite clearly believe we will be able to present a case for a stand-alone council based on our very strong financial position going forward," he said.
"But we felt it was appropriate to have those discussions now rather than in 10 years' time, or whenever it may be in the future, if some of these councils aren't sustainable going forward.
"It's very early days, but all we're saying is we're willing to have those discussions, rather than putting our head in the sand."
LPSC mayor Andrew Hope said the Fit for the Future policy, announced by the Baird government in September, required all councils to look at the possibility of mergers.
However, he said that while the council would be open to sharing more resources with Gunnedah, it was committed to proving its sustainability to the government.
NSW Premier Mike Baird told the annual Local Government NSW conference yesterday that many of the state's councils needed to put their "pride into the back seat" and consider merging.
With two-thirds of the state's 152 councils operating in the red last year, he said the Fit for the Future reform was a "once-in-a-generation opportunity to think bold" and reassess "19th century boundaries".
"We know that the status quo is not sustainable. Losing a million dollars a day is not something we can ask the community to bear," he said.
"How can we use this process to deliver better services and more infrastructure for our community?"