A MERGED Port Stephens-Dungog council would echo an all but forgotten past.
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It's the pearl Port Stephens Council found in the history books and highlighted in its final submission to the inquiry delegate Peter Peppin.
In 1843, a compulsory system of local government by District Councils was introduced.
These councils administered both town and rural land. At this time, the Williams and Lower Hunter River district became part of the ‘Raymond Terrace and Dungog District Council’, which covered about two million acres (900,000 hectares) of land extending from the upper Williams River to Fullerton Cove.
Councillors made up of principal landowners of the district, oversaw the establishment of the local road network which for the most part still exist today.
The Raymond Terrace and Dungog District Council operated until the establishment of the Raymond Terrace Municipal Council in 1884.
The shape of the current Port Stephens local government area was not formally established until 1895, with the creation of Port Stephens Shire.
Port Stephens Shire and Raymond Terrace Municipal Council did not become one organisation until 1937.
The information, now public, was included in a draft report councillors signed off on earlier this month.
"I was born and bred in the area but I wasn't even aware there was once a Raymond Terrace-Dungog shire," Cr Ken Jordan said.
"I hope the delegate puts us back the way we were 100 years ago."
Destination Port Stephens has also spoken entusiastically for the merger and this detail was included in the final report.
Under the merger it's anticipated the Port Stephens online booking platform would be expanded to include Dungog product and drive bookings via websites, social media and the visitor information centre.
The final report also reiterates costings from Morrison Low in favour of the Port Stephens-Dungog option.
It costs the Port Stephens-Dungog merger at $2.4 million (over nine years). This is less than a the expected $4.9 million to merge Dungog and Maitland – and a fraction of the $7.4 million Morrison Low calculates it would cost to merge Port Stephens and Newcastle.
Port Stephens Council also argues the combined $41.7 million backlog of a Dungog merger could be managed without drawing on rates revenue.
Submissions closed on Sunday. Mr Peppin is expected to finalise his report in July.
