The news on Thursday that West Tamar and George Town councils are exploring the potential of a greater Tamar Valley Council is exciting for the North. It shows that both municipal areas are thinking about the future of their regions and the constituents that live there.
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The proposal is something Local Government minister Peter Gutwein has been pushing and no doubt he would be pleased to see movement in the North on the issue.
Last year, a KPMG report detailed a strong case for amalgamations. The independent assessment detailed $7.6 million a year in savings if a South East Council was formed. The ‘super council’ would be made up of the Clarence, Tasman, Sorell and Glamorgan-Spring Bay municipalities.
Another report by SGS Economics and Planning into the feasibility of amalgamations showed savings of more that $390 million over 20 years if Clarence, Glenorchy, Hobart and Kingborough councils were to merge.
It is great timing for West Tamar mayor Christina Holmdahl and George Town mayor Bridget Archer to discuss the proposal, with KPMG having just started a Northern feasibility study into resource sharing. It also shows the mayors are willing to be on the front foot and work with the state government rather than be forced to amalgamate.
However, the move does bring up the issue of whether municipal boundaries should be readjusted. Just a year ago, Launceston mayor Albert van Zetten said the city council was keen to pursue amalgamations with the West Tamar Council, but the City of Launceston has been left out of this discussion.
While at face value adding Launceston’s population of 67,000 to a greater Tamar Council with about 30,000 people might seem to serve only city dwellers, the reality is the council has continually subsidised community infrastructure for non-ratepayers.
It adds a complexity to the proposal given that the boundaries for both municipalities lie so close to the heart of Launceston.
Dorset mayor Greg Howard also raised the issue of boundary adjustments in March last year when he proposed that Lilydale become part of his municipality instead of the City of Launceston. Similarly, the Meander Valley’s suburb of Prospect could quite easily fit into the City of Launceston’s municipality.
The KPMG report into Northern Tasmania is greatly needed to provide clarity.
