Tingha is expected to be an official part of the Inverell shire by Christmas, Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall has said.
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The joint proposal for the boundary change, from Inverell Shire Council and Armidale Regional Council (ARC), has been referred to Office of Local Government chief executive Tim Hurst.
Mr Marshall said the referral bypassed the Boundaries Commission, a process that would have taken another six to eight months but would “now be very much a truncated process” .
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The push for the boundary change began two years ago, when mroe than 100 Tingha residents signed a petition created by the Tingha Citizens Association.
Despite a majority vote of a disputed area indicating Tingha’s preference for Inverell in 2017, the amalgamation of Guyra with the ARC delayed the decision as the boundary could not be changed six months either side of a council election.
The new ARC then called for a second survey of all Tingha residents this July, in which 67 per cent said they wanted to join Inverell.
“I want to assure everyone of Tingha and the surrounding areas that the end is nigh, and we are almost there,” Mr Marshall said.
“It’s great news for the Tingha community,” Inverell mayor Paul Harmon said.
He thanked Mr Marshall for ensuring residents’ voices were heard and Armidale mayor Simon Murray for honouring the survey.
“There’s a lot of work behind the scenes that our council staff now are engaging with and talking to the Armidale staff to make that transition as seamless as possible,” he said.
Cr Murray described it as a “sad day for Armidale Regional Council”, but said they would adapt to the change.
On accusations that ARC dragged its feet on the boundary decision, Cr Murray said rumours of residents unhappy with the transfer had sparked the second survey to “clarify once and for all” how the whole community felt.
“They’ve decided what they want to do and it’s imperative that we let the community have their say,” he said.
“While I’m sad for Tingha going to Inverell, I’m also very glad that this process has finally come to an end.
“At least this creates certainty now for people to move forward.”
Mr Marshall hoped for a speedy resolution, and said if the move did go ahead, the rates shift would be seamless for the community.