Maitland councillors vote to merge with Dungog despite being against it

All except three councillors, Labor’s Ben Whiting, Robert Aitchison and Loretta Baker, have voted to nominate Dungog as Maitland’s preferred merger partner.

Despite venting their anger at the situation on Monday night, most Maitland councillors voted in favour of the move that would help the state government’s wish for the joint ­venture become a reality.

Meanwhile, Dungog councillors  voted against a merger in a defiant last stand against the government, as ­councils’ last say on the sweeping Fit For The Future reforms draws to a close this week.

Given the government clearly wants Maitland City and Dungog Shire to merge, Monday’s vote means that it would take an unprecedented backflip from the state for the joint venture not to be announced when the final decision is handed down in December.

“I recognise the future of Maitland and Dungog is basically a foregone conclusion,” Cr Ken Wethered said.

“But this will be a financial struggle. The first thing we need to do is stick our hand out and say to the state government: ‘Where’s the money?’” 

Before he voted against the move for a merger, Cr Whiting appealed to councillors to do what was best for the people who elected them – Maitland residents.

“As a wise head said today, this is a costly exercise, not a cost-saving ­exercise,” he said.

“I have to ask the question, is this in the best interest of the people who elected me? The answer is, it clearly isn’t.”

A letter from Local Government Minister Paul Toole to all mayors last week, which contained a thinly veiled threat of dismissal for non-compliant councils, appeared to have made ­councillors rethink their ­official anti-merger stance.

While all councillors remained firmly against a merger on Monday, most were willing to bend to the state’s will in the hope that they would be allowed to stay in office and have a say about the new council’s future.

Cr Philip Penfold said it was important that the city’s elected representatives remained in office.

“The state government is threatening to remove a ­democratically elected ­government. Our hand is being forced,” he said.

Maitland council’s motion also called for extra funding from the state to pay for the proposed amalgamation. 

In his report to councillors, general manager David Evans noted that the merger would have a net cost of $9.3 million and would mean Dungog Shire residents’ rates would double over the first four years of the new council.

He also noted that lean staffing levels at the councils meant a merger would not likely lead to a saving from reduced staff numbers.

It was no surprise that the cash-strapped Dungog Shire was labelled unfit for the future by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal last month.

But the inclusion of Maitland in the unfit category sparked outrage among ­community leaders.