Council resolved to “submit a strong submission on the Proposed Joint Organisation (JO) Model stating that individual Councils like ours have to retain their right to set their budget and rates and remain autonomous” at their last council meeting.

Mayor Ray Donald expressed his concern about the proposed JO model. 

“I’d like you to support our council making a submission,” he said to the other council.s

“JOs are mandatory, [the state government], insists councils join.” 

General manager Derek Francis said he is concerned the boundary of the JO could make council worse off.

Council is currently apart of the Orana Regional Organisations of Council (OROC). Cr Donald suspects the OROC will be divided and hopes Nyngan remains on the eastern side of the divide. 

“As far as boundaries go Bourke, Brewarrina, Cobar and Walgett will be a western JO and the rest [of the councils] will be another JO,” Cr Donald said. 

“We should get on the front foot on a boundary that centres around Dubbo.” 

In the information the minister for local government, Paul Toole said JOs will change the way that councils and state government work together on regional planning and help to provide better services, infrastructure, resource sharing in the hope to lower costs and reduce red tape.

“We are now ready to finalise the model and recognise through legislation the role that Joint Organisations will play in regional planning collaboration, leadership and advocacy,” he said. 

Minister Toole expects JOs to be ready for roll-out next year. The government will be allocating $300,000 to each JO as seed funding.  He accepted submissions about JOs until Friday, July 15.