Upper Hunter Shire Council has called on the community for their input on the potential de-amalgamation of the former Merriwa local government area from the Upper Hunter Shire.
The gauge for public sentiment is in response to a resolution passed by deputy mayor Cr James Burns, at council's ordinary July meeting on July 28.
"The reason I've put this motion forward is because it's not the Councillors' job to second guess the people's wish, it's to engage with them on the issues and build strategy around the majority desire," he said.
"We're asking the people of Merriwa and wider Upper Hunter Shire if they think it's a good idea or not."
While he has a desire for a thriving shire connected through commerce and community, Cr Burns said he recognises "there are residents who believe they would be better off on their own".
"That issue needs to be investigated regardless of my sentiments, it us up to the people to tell us now," he said.
"That's our job, to listen to them. It's something that has been bubbling away for a long time and there's some resentment in the west of our Shire I'm sure."
He said by calling for community submissions council is showing its 14,500 residents they are there to listen to their concerns.
"They deserve to be heard and we want them to have the knowledge and information put in front of them so they're not shooting from the hip," he said.
"They will be able to make sound decisions and say 'this is what we want and this is why we want it."
Upper Hunter Shire Council general manager Greg McDonald said council's role is to facilitate this process and not to steer the outcome.
"If our community members express support for de-amalgamation, we will forward the findings to the Minister for Local Government and the Member for Upper Hunter.
"If the community is not in favour, we will report the findings to Council without further action," he said.
Member for Upper Hunter Dave Layzell said he understood the frustrations of the Merriwa community regarding their sense that they are not getting their fair share of services delivered by their local council.
"This is a common symptom of our local rural councils who have a vast distance to cover for services but only very few ratepayers. The reality of rural councils is very different to the metro equivalents," he said.
"However, any proper assessment of a new stand alone council would need to consider the extra costs and overhead that would be imposed on residents. The result would be that their rates would see a massive increase in rates without any corresponding increase in services.
"I would prefer to see the local community focus on ideas of creating a more proactive and productive relationship with the council and councillors. Better communication and mediation between the stakeholders would see a better result for ratepayers in the community."
Community members are encouraged to participate in the consultation process by sharing their views through an online form which is open until Friday, September 15 at 4:30pm.
