Super Council Merger

[Queen Anne]

I just wanted to add my name to the list of people who are enthusiastic about this idea.
I am in shock that it is being floated and am looking forward to hearing more.
Cheers, Caroline

[Will Derwent]

As far as Anne's concern about a strong residential voting block against the interests of business - I don't see that it would really happen. Increasing the voting block from people who work in the city but do not live there would strengthen pro-business lobbies. I think Michael Harbison hit the nail on the head when he inferred that it would dilute the ACC resident voting power (which obviously opposes a lot of measures that people who live outside the CBD would favour).

But just because it is a half decent idea doesn't mean that it will happen. And the logic of mergers leads to the obvious conclusion of a Brisbane super council. Perhaps we should be talking about an open merger policy, where any council that wants to merge with the ACC is possible, not just west torrens.

If larger councils can increase economies of scale and improve governance on transport routes, then surely merging with councils adjoining on all sides would improve the governance of our road connections and perhaps even lead to the implementation of a half decent transport plan.

[Wayno]

Surely only a total of 4-6 councils are required to cover all suburbia?

[urban]

Yep sounds like a good idea

Next on the agenda should be Walkerville, Unley and St Peters, Norwood & Payneman councils.

an unley/burnside/mitcham merge would be preferable.

The larger councils ability to deliver major projects and undertake large scale reforms is significantly greater than the small councils. Compare the many recent projects of Onkaparinga, Playford and Charles Sturt with the meagre output and petty infighting from Burnside, NP&SP and Walkerville.

[talrok]

AtD I am sure people who live 15kms away work in the city, as do people who live 30kms away work in the city .. but are we then to combine say the Elizabeth Council? (or that area's council) into the Adelaide City one as well .. we may as well just have one council for the Adelaide Metro area spanning 80kms.

I am not saying I am agains this, but just think it strange that the city be merged with suburs. I am peeved off that nothing seems to get approved in the city and we have been stagnant in the past few years, but maybe a reshuffle of members/voting powers etc for the ACC are needed and this council is kept separate as it has been from all 'suburban' councils.

Who know?? I guess thats why I don't work in Government!

[urban]

Poor example Talrok as Elizabeth like Nourlunga is actually a satellite city of Adelaide. There are really 4 components to what is generally called Adelaide. Adelaide Hills, Adelaide Plains (roughly Pt Adelaide to Seacombe and back up to the hills), Northern areas (Elizabeth, salisbury etc.), Southern areas (Onkaparinga council). There are strong advantages to treating them as distinct parts of an interlocking whole..

[Shuz]

Urban's mention of the four 'distinct' geographical entities of Adelaide, is exactly how the council system should be set up.
In a previous post also, someone said that merging councils reduces number of planners/consultants etc required to oversee development etc, but wouldn't the governance of a larger area only increase the workload of these people, causing more delays as they try to keep up with projects?

[Norman]

I think we should follow Brisbane's set-up of one big Mega Council.

[Tyler_Durden]

It seems odd to me that the city would merge with just one council and incorporate the city and suburbs to just one side of the city. I don't want to comment on the merits of expanding the city council because I don't know enough about the positives and negatives, but I reckon if they are going to do something like that than do it properly and expand it to all sides of the city and reallocate all council areas to accomodate a larger Adelaide Council.

[Shuz]

Be glad they're merging with the Western suburbs council first - if it happens - because it will dilute the Nimby vote. Imagine if the proposal was with the eastern suburbs councils. A huge Nimby vote would flood the polls, and we wouldn't want that to happen would we? Anne Moran would hold her chair to her deathbed.

[urban]

By merging with West Torrens all of the city's transport hubs would be within the one council:
-Airport;
-Bus station;
-Interstate Train station.

This would simplify the development of any links between the 3 including council run buses.

[Ho Really]

By merging with West Torrens all of the city's transport hubs would be within the one council:
-Airport;
-Bus station;
-Interstate Train station.

This would simplify the development of any links between the 3 including council run buses.

Would be nice if you could add a seaport.

Cheers

[Bulldozer]

the city is the city and to have people as far as Adelaide Shores voting on what will get built on say Rundle Street seems a little strange. People who say live and work on Rundle Street should have more of a say then someone 15 km's away.

Stuff like that already happens - people in Coromandel Valley can vote on what happens at Sellicks Beach - Onkaparinga Council is the biggest metropolitan council in both area and population. Onkaparinga Council has huge spending power and takes on projects that other councils would baulk at. Rates are different across the council, varying between the former constituent councils of Willunga, Noarlunga and Happy Valley but they are slowly being equalised.

I believe that everyone in Adelaide should be able to have a say over what goes on in their city - many times more people work and play in the city every day than actually live there. This would smash the stranglehold of the regressives and their anti-development stance. I have every confidence that the vast majority of people throughout Adelaide are for big developments in the city.

I'm stoked to read about this as I'm sure a lot of you know it's an idea I've been advocating here. As some of you have also said, it needs to go further and Greater Adelaide needs to be split into a few distinct large councils much like Greater Brisbane is: Adelaide in the centre, Noarlunga to the south, Hills to the east and Elizabeth to the north. It presents the opportunity to realise large savings in administrative overheads, harmonise planning across the metropolitan region, the opportunity to rebalance the distribution of responsibility between councils and the state and allow large projects to be undertaken without state interference.

The small metropolitan councils are a relic of history. They should have been annexed by the ACC as Adelaide grew to swallow up the towns and villages they were formed to represent. The Brown or Olsen governments started the process, now it needs to be finished.

[Ho Really]

In my opinion the four council proposal suggested is the best solution. If, at a later date there are improvements, then maybe we could move to a single council as in Brisbane.

Cheers

[Ben]

From The Messenger:

West Torrens councillors give City merge heave-ho

Chris Day

25Jun08

A MERGER between West Torrens and Adelaide City councils would not get past first base with the majority of West Torrens councillors.

At a council meeting last week, members shot down the idea of even investigating an amalgamation between the two councils following media reports that Mayor John Trainer and Lord Mayor Michael Harbison had been privately discussing the idea for a year.

Neither mayor has formally raised an amalgamation with their councils or with the State Government. West Torrens members last week voted 10-2 in favour of the council's official position of being against mergers, preferring to share services between councils.

Stressing he was also against amalgamations, Mr Trainer said however that Adelaide City would be his first preference if West Torrens were forced into an amalgamation by the State Government. Mr Harbison last month said a merger would better serve the city's transport by bringing Adelaide Airport, Keswick Rail Terminal and the Adelaide Railway Station under the control of one council. However, he will not push for an amalgamation.