HEWETT, Concordia, Kalbeeba and Gawler Belt would all become part of the Gawler Council area under a boundary reform plan launched by Gawler mayor Karen Redman.
Ms Redman presented a motion to last night’s Gawler Council meeting – held after The Bunyip’s print deadline – which, if supported, would see the council begin a process to have the suburbs moved into its jurisdiction from neighbouring Light Regional and Barossa councils.
If the motion is successful, council staff will prepare a report, to be handed to elected members in August, which would outline the viability of realigning the council boundaries.
Ms Redman said it was time all three councils “started a conversation” about boundary reform.
“It’s an issue which is a prominent one in Gawler, and after looking at new legislation, looking at guidelines, going to information sessions and talking to people in Gawler, it’s something I think we should be taking leadership on,” she said.
“To not set our council boundaries up for future success is to not be good leaders in the community.
“Once the Concordia development is up and running, you’re talking 10,000 extra homes and 20,000 people on our doorstep.
“We have been under pressure for quite some time to provide services to the entire region with a relatively small rate base.”
State legislation changes, which came in to effect at the start of this year, created the Boundaries Commission: an independent body to assess and investigate boundary change proposals from local
councils.
Ms Redman described the process as “lengthy”, with no timeline on how the realignment bid would progress if it is endorsed by Gawler elected members.
Light Regional Council (LRC) mayor Bill O’Brien, whose council takes in the suburbs of Hewett and Gawler Belt, was aware Ms Redman was committed to pushing for boundary reform, but didn’t think his ratepayers would want a change of councils.
“What I would like to know is what evidence there is… that our residents want this to happen,” he said.
“We’re elected to represent our residents of our region, and they’ll guide us as to what they want us to do.
“We haven’t heard from any circle at all, at any time that they (residents in Hewett and Gawler Belt) want to shift councils.
“We don’t want to argue with our neighbouring councils and I know (local government minister Stephan Knoll) is keen on boundary reform.
“We’re certainly open to any sensible suggestion of small areas which could be swapped or moved; that’s fine.
“A change of the nature which is being proposed here is, to our way of thinking, just totally out of the question.”
Barossa mayor Bim Lange, whose council includes Concordia and Kalbeeba, said aside from a small portion of Gawler East – which was being taken over by Gawler Council as part of the Springwood
development – no changes of his council’s boundary with Gawler was being considered.
“Council is actively involved in precinct planning and has lodged its submission to the minister (Mr Knoll) to proceed with the Concordia development,” he said.
“As far as we are concerned, Concordia is in the Barossa Council.
“We have signalled to neighbouring councils we do want to have discussions about boundary reform, and I think it’s something the community can be involved in.”