Cooma-Monaro Shire was a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

located in the Monaro region of southern

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. The area was named after the former

Cooma Cooma is a town in the south of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south of the national capital, Canberra, via the Monaro Highway. It is also on the Snowy Mountains Highway, connecting Bega, New South Wales, Bega with the Riverina. ...

Municipality and the former Monaro Shire, that were amalgamated to create it. The Municipality of Cooma was established in 1879, and the Monaro Shire was one of several shires established in 1906. The Monaro Shire and Cooma Municipal Council amalgamated in 1981. On 11 February 2004, Cooma-Monaro Shire absorbed a small part of the former Yarrowlumla Shire, near Michelago. A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that the Cooma-Monaro Shire merge with the

Bombala Bombala is a town in the Monaro, New South Wales, Monaro region of far southern New South Wales, Australia, in Snowy Monaro Regional Council. It is approximately south-southwest of the state capital, Sydney, and south of the town of Cooma, Ne ...

and

Snowy River The Snowy River is a major river in south-eastern Australia. It originates on the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko, Australia's highest mainland peak, draining the eastern slopes of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, before flowing through the ...

shires to form a new council with an area of and support a population of approximately . On 12 May 2016, the Cooma-Monaro Shire merged with Bombala and Snowy River shires to form the

Snowy Monaro Regional Council The Snowy Monaro Regional Council is a local government area located in the Snowy Mountains and Monaro regions of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 through a forced merger of the Bombala, Cooma-Monaro and Snow ...

. The last

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of the Cooma-Monaro Shire Council was Dean Lynch, an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

politician. Lynch was appointed as the

Administrator Administrator or admin may refer to: Job roles Computing and internet * Database administrator, a person who is responsible for the environmental aspects of a database * Forum administrator, one who oversees discussions on an Internet forum * N ...

of the merged Snowy Monaro Regional Council.

Towns and localities

The Shire developed from the village of Cooma, which was first surveyed in March 1849. It also included the small towns of Nimmitabel, Numeralla,

Bredbo Bredbo is a village on the Monaro plains of New South Wales, Australia. The village is on the Monaro Highway north of Cooma. The village is in the Snowy Monaro Regional Council and had a population of 352 at the . History Located at the jun ...

and Michelago. Other populated areas included the villages and surrounding districts of

Adaminaby Adaminaby is a small town near the Snowy Mountains north-west of Cooma, New South Wales, Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, in the Snowy Monaro Regional Council. The historic town, of 301 people at the , is a trout fishing centre and winter spo ...

, Anglers Reach, Shannons Flat, Yaouk, Old Adaminaby, Peak View, Countegany, Jerangle and Rock Flat.

Council

Composition and election method

At the time of dissolution Cooma-Monaro Shire Council was composed of nine

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

s elected proportionally as one entire

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

. All councillors were elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor was elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The last election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the council was as follows: The last Council, elected in 2012 and dissolved in 2016, in order of election, was:

References

Former local government areas of New South Wales 2016 disestablishments in Australia {{NewSouthWales-geo-stub