Cootamundra Shire

Cootamundra Shire New South Wales
Location in New South Wales
Coordinates	34°39′S 148°02′E / 34.650°S 148.033°ECoordinates: 34°39′S 148°02′E / 34.650°S 148.033°E
Population	7,620 (2012)[1]
• Density	5.000/km^2 (12.950/sq mi)
Area	1,524 km^2 (588.4 sq mi)
Mayor	Jim Slattery
Council seat	Cootamundra[2]
Region	South West Slopes
State electorate(s)	Cootamundra
Federal Division(s)	Hume
Website	Cootamundra Shire
LGAs around Cootamundra Shire: Temora Young Young Temora Cootamundra Shire Harden Junee Gundagai Gundagai

Cootamundra Shire is a local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Olympic Way, the Burley Griffin Way and the Main South railway line. The Shire includes the town of Cootamundra and the small towns of Stockinbingal, Brawlin and Wallendbeen and the locality of Frampton.

The mayor of Cootamundra Shire is Jim Slattery.^[3]

Council

Current composition and election method

Cootamundra Shire Council is composed of nine councillors elected proportionally to a single ward. All councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor is elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the Council. The most recent election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the Council is as follows:^[3]

Party		Councillors
	Independents and Unaligned	9
	Total	9

The current Council, elected in 2012, is:^[3]

Councillor		Party	Notes
	Doug Phillips	Unaligned
	Craig Stewart	Unaligned
	Dennis Palmer	Unaligned
	Stephen Doidge	Unaligned
	Jim Slattery	Unaligned	Mayor
	Paul Braybrooks	Unaligned
	Rosalind Wight	Unaligned
	Mary Donnelly	Independent
	Rod Chalmers	Unaligned

Proposed amalgamation

A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that Cootamundra Shire merge with adjoining councils. The NSW Government considered two proposals. The first proposed a merger between the Cootamundra and Gundagai shires to form a new council with an area of 3,981 square kilometres (1,537 sq mi) and support a population of approximately 11,500.^[4] The alternative, proposed by Harden Shire on 28 February 2016, was for an amalgamation of the Cootamundra, Gundagai and Harden shires.^[5] The outcome of an independent review is expected to be completed by mid–2016.

References

1. "3218.0 - Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2012". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 30 August 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2014. Estimated resident population (ERP) at 30 June 2012.
2. "Cootamundra Shire". Cootamundra Shire Council. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
3. "Councillors". Cootamundra Shire Council. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
4. "Merger proposal: Cootamundra Council, Gundagai Shire Council" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. January 2016. p. 7. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
5. Harden Shire Council (28 February 2016). "Fit For Future: Alternate Merger Proposal - Harden Shire Council" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. Retrieved 8 March 2016.