Coonamble waits to join Bourke, Cobar and Walgett in JO

At the inaugural meeting of the Far North West Joint Organisation — Bourke’s Acting GM Leonie Brown, Walgett GM Don Ramsland, Bourke Mayor Barry Hollman Photo: TWH

The Coonamble Shire Council is in a waiting game, as the approval process for it to join the Far West Joint Organisation drags on.

Mayor Michael Webb said the Office of Local Government had last week offered the council an associate membership but he said he rejected the offer.

“I called them last Tuesday morning, they rang me back late that afternoon and asked if we’d be happy to be an associate member of the Far West JO and I just said no.

“They’re still considering it.

“They declared Warren and Bogan into the Orana JO last week so I’d say we’d be in the next round.

“I don’t think they can leave us out because other councils have asked and been approved to go out of their region. Tumut and Narrabri have been approved for requests they made to join JOs outside their regions so I can’t see that they would knock us back.” Read more in the printed edition of the Western Herald.