Last week it was announced Councillor Peter Kearney would move a motion asking the council to consider starting the process to become a city. 

Cr Kearney said action to acquire city status for the area should start now. 

“The Local Government Act states the criteria a municipality must meet before city status. So if a municipality can meet those criteria, I believe that seeking city status is a smart move,” he said. 

An area must have a population of about 20,000 for at least five years prior to the motion, have at least 60 per cent living in an urban area and an elector poll to determine if the community supports the idea.  

“Currently we meet the first two criteria for becoming a city. To meet the third will require us to hold an elector poll,” Cr Kearney said. 

“The current population of the West Tamar is 23,721 … that indicates steady growth with the effects of the Legana development just starting to kick in, it meets the five-year criteria.”

Cr Kearney will move two motions at the meeting. 

The first asks the council to request the Local Government Minister Peter Gutwein to consider the council as a municipal area. 

The second asks the council to hold an elector poll at the local government elections in October to see if the region supports the city proposal.

In a survey conducted by The Examiner more than 60 per cent of respondents said they did not think the region should become a city. 

More than 300 people had voted in the survey as of 11.30am on Tuesday. 

The meeting will be held at 1pm at the Windsor Community Complex. 

Also on the agenda is what motions the council plan to put forward at the Local Government Association of Tasmania meeting.

See the full agenda here: