Under the State Government’s merger of councils, Parramatta City Council has been extended to take in parts of Auburn and Holroyd and Holroyd has combined with parts of Auburn and Granville, and is now called Cumberland Council.
Councillors have been dismissed and administrators appointed until the local government elections in September 2017.
Administrator of Parramatta is Amanda Chadwick, who said it was business as usual with key services such as rubbish collection and ongoing access to community facilities.
“The City of Parramatta has now signed Memorandum of Understanding agreements with neighbouring councils to ensure the continuation of all services in the new parts of the LGA until the transition is complete,” Ms Chadwick said.
“Council has received 10 Development Applications related to the new areas of the LGA and issued 35 Section 149 (zoning information) certificates. Within the first week of the transition the rates team issued three 603 Certificates related to the sale of properties formerly in the Hills area, in consultation with the Hills Shire Council.”
The City of Parramatta held its first ordinary meeting on Monday May 23.
While Ms Chadwick is showing her face around town, taking on the ribbon-cutting roles that the Lord Mayor would do, Mr May is rather more circumspect, preferring to put his head down and get on with his job of overseeing the running of a whole new area that comprises parts of Auburn, the old Holroyd and Granville that used to be in Parramatta.
Mr May, who was GM at Mosman Council for more than 40 years before the Government pulled him out of retirement, is not, at this stage, giving media interviews.
But, he was happy to tell Access that residents would not notice any difference in the way their council was run.
Both councils are still having public meetings, without councillors, but with the public still able to have their say.
Ms Chadwick has not worked in local government before but has held several high ranking state government positions. Greg Dyer, former CEO, remains at council as interim GM.
Meanwhile the government has decided not to merge part of Hawkesbury Council with Hills, but has given the Hills suburbs south of the M2 - such as Carlingford and North Rocks - to Parramatta.
As it has not merged with any other council, the Hills operates as normal, with council elections this September.
