Ahead of the second Dungog merger meeting tonight, the New South Wales Government have been accused of misleading Councillors about the availability of funding should a voluntary merger with Port Stephens be agreed.
The Deputy Premier has reportedly told Dungog Councillors that he will advocate within Cabinet for the funding.
However, a written answer to the Shadow Minister for Local Government has advised that the funding is not available to councils that did not merge as part of the "Fit for the Future" process, and that the allocated funding has now been returned to Treasury.
Shadow Minister for the Hunter Kate Washington said Councillors are being made to make a decision void of information.
"The State Government has not provided information that they need in order to make a responsible decision and I do not see the rush in getting this through tonight.
"I do not envy the position that the Dungog Councillors have been placed in. They have been starved of resources by the State Government. It has left them vulnerable to predators and they are now in a situation where they are trying to determine what is really in the best interest of their community," Ms Washington said.
Ms Washington also alluded to the fact that if Dungog and Port Stephens did merge, $15 million in State Government funding would not put a dent in Dungogs' $40 million infrastructure backlog.
Dungog Councillors recently voted against merging with Port Stephens in a 5-4 vote. However, the issue will come back to Council on tonight after the resignation of the Deputy Mayor Tony Mackenzie.
The resignation of Mr McKenzie who voted against the motion to merge, leaves open the possibility of a 4-4 vote at tonight's meeting, which in the event of a tied vote amongst councillors, the ruling will be given to Mayor Harold Johnson who initially supported the motion.
 |
| Source: Dungog Chronicle. |
