The de-amalgamation of Bayside Council will be on the agenda at tonight's (March 27) council meeting.
A motion was submitted by Councillors Christina Curry, Scott Morrissey, Jo Jansyn and Jennifer Muscat calls for the council to look at a business case and de-amalgamation costings.
This would include financial modelling and any boundary adjustments so that Council can consider giving residents a say on the de-amalgamation of Bayside Council, to enable the re-establishment of the City of Botany Bay and Rockdale City Councils.
They asked that a report, including a business case and de-amalgamation costings, be brought back to Council no later than the May 2024 meeting.
The cost of preparing a business case for de-amalgamation will cost between $175,000 to $250,000, according to a council report.
"This motion is in response to ongoing community concerns and expectations since the forced amalgamation of the City of Botany Bay and Rockdale City Council in 2016," the councillor said in a supporting statement.
"A business case will allow the Council to make an informed decision on the calling of a referendum at the 2024 Local Government Elections to give our community a say in the decision making."
The Local Government Act allows a council to submit to the Minister for Local Government a business case supporting a proposal to de-amalgamate. T
he Minister must then forward the business case to the NSW Local Government Boundaries Commission within 28 days.
The Local Government Amendment (De-amalgamation) Bill 2024 currently before the NSW Parliament proposes additional requirements including the holding of a constitutional referendum on the proposal, the postponement of Local Government Elections while the proposal is before the Boundaries Commission, specific requirements for inclusion in the business case, the estimated financial impacts of the de-amalgamation and how the amalgamated council will fund the de-amalgamation.
The council is also required to undertake community consultation on the proposed business case prior to submitting any business case to the Minister.
"There is significant cost in resources (financial and otherwise) in developing the business case which is currently not included in the annual budget or the operational plan adopted by Council," a report by council staff said.
"In consultation with neighbouring councils and consultants who have recently been commissioned to develop de-merger business cases, it is estimated that the preparation of the business case will cost between $175,000 to $250,000 noting that the NSW Government allocated a further $160,000 to assess the business case developed for the Inner West de-amalgamation proposal.
"Based on the experiences of other councils, the minimum time frame to develop a business case that will satisfy the Minister's requirements is four months from appointment of the successful consultancy will be required. Should Council resolve to do so, a funding source will need to be determined to meet the costs and Council resources will be diverted from other activities to undertake this process."
