Cootamundra Shire
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Cootamundra 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 ...
in the
Riverina The Riverina () is an agricultural list of regions in Australia, region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, a climate with significant seaso ...
region of
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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. The Shire was located adjacent to the
Olympic Highway Olympic Highway is a rural road in the Central West, New South Wales, central western and Riverina, south-eastern Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. It services rural communities, links Hume Highway with Mid-Western Highway, and ...
, the
Burley Griffin Way Burley Griffin Way is a New South Wales state route, is located in south eastern Australia. Named after the American architect Walter Burley Griffin, designer of the cities of Canberra and Griffith, the road links these two cities via Yass and ...
and the Main South railway line. The Shire included the town of
Cootamundra Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. I ...
and the small towns of
Stockinbingal Stockinbingal is a town in the South West Slopes and Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council local government area and on the Burley Griffin Way. At the , Stockinbingal had a ...
, Brawlin and
Wallendbeen Wallendbeen is a small town in southern New South Wales, Australia, administered by Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the , Wallendbeen and the surrounding area had a population of 305. The town's name is derived from an aboriginal word ...
and the locality of Frampton. The Shire was created on 1 April 1975 by the amalgamation of Jindalee Shire and the Municipality of Cootamundra. In 2016, it merged with the neighbouring
Gundagai Shire Gundagai Shire was a Local government in Australia, local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. On 12 May 2016, Gundagai Shire was abolished and merged with the neighbouring Cootamundra Shire to establish Cootamu ...
to form the Gundagai Council, later renamed to be Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. 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 Cootamundra Shire was Jim Slattery.


Council


Composition and election method

Cootamundra 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 to a single
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, was:


Failed amalgamation

A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that Cootamundra Shire merge with adjoining councils. The
NSW Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...
considered two proposals. The first proposed a merger between the Cootamundra and
Gundagai Gundagai is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Although a small town, Gundagai is a popular topic for writers and has become a representative icon of a typical Australian country town. Located along the Murrumbidgee River and Muniong, Honeys ...
shires to form a new council with an area of and support a population of approximately . The alternative, proposed by
Harden Shire Harden Shire was a local government area in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire included the twin towns of Harden and Murrumburrah and the small towns of Galong, Jugiong, Wombat and Kingsvale. The Shire was ...
on 28 February 2016, was for an amalgamation of the Cootamundra, Gundagai and Harden shires. The outcome of an independent review was announced in May 2016, with the result that Cootamundra merged with Gundagai Shire to form the Gundagai Council. After constant agitation from both Gundagai and Cootamundra communities, with particularly aggressive hostility from the Gundagai community, the Local Government minister, Wendy Tuckerman, determined that the council will be de-amalgamated. In September 2024 independent council elections will be held for Cootamundra and Gundagai.


References

{{Authority control Former local government areas of New South Wales Local government areas of the Riverina 1975 establishments in Australia 2016 disestablishments in Australia