Cooma-Monaro Shire was a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...

located in the Monaro region of southern

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. The area was named after the former

Cooma Cooma is a town in the south of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south of the national capital, Canberra, via the Monaro Highway. It is also on the Snowy Mountains Highway, connecting Bega with the Riverina. At the , Cooma had a po ...

Municipality and the former Monaro Shire, that were amalgamated to create it. The Municipality of Cooma was established in 1879, and the Monaro Shire was one of several shires established in 1906. The Monaro Shire and Cooma Municipal Council amalgamated in 1981. On 11 February 2004, Cooma-Monaro Shire absorbed a small part of the former

Yarrowlumla Shire Yarrowlumla Shire was a local government area in New South Wales, which surrounded the Australian Capital Territory until February 2004, when it was divided between Palerang Council, Yass Valley Council, Queanbeyan City Council, Tumut Shire and ...

, near Michelago. A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that the Cooma-Monaro Shire merge with the

Bombala Bombala is a town in the Monaro region of south-eastern New South Wales, Australia, in Snowy Monaro Regional Council. It is approximately south of the state capital, Sydney, and south of the town of Cooma. The name derives from an Aboriginal ...

and

Snowy River The Snowy River is a major river in south-eastern Australia. It originates on the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko, Australia's highest mainland peak, draining the eastern slopes of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, before flowing through the ...

shires to form a new council with an area of and support a population of approximately . On 12 May 2016, the Cooma-Monaro Shire merged with Bombala and Snowy River shires to form the

Snowy Monaro Regional Council The Snowy Monaro Regional Council is a local government area located in the Snowy Mountains and Monaro regions of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 through a merger of the Bombala, Cooma-Monaro and Snowy River sh ...

. The last

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of the Cooma-Monaro Shire Council was Dean Lynch, an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

politician. Lynch was appointed as the Administrator of the merged Snowy Monaro Regional Council.

Towns and localities

The Shire developed from the village of Cooma, which was first surveyed in March 1849. It also included the small towns of

Nimmitabel Nimmitabel is a small town in the Monaro region in southeast New South Wales, Australia, in the Snowy Monaro Regional Council local government area. At the , Nimmitabel had a population of 320. Etymology Nimmitabel means "the place where man ...

Numeralla Numeralla is a village in Snowy Monaro Region of New South Wales, Australia. In 2016, the population of the village and its surrounding area was 258. The village was known as Umaralla until 1972. Location It is 400 km from Sydney and 23km east ...

Bredbo Bredbo is a village on the Monaro plains of New South Wales, Australia. The village is on the Monaro Highway north of Cooma. The village is in the Snowy Monaro Regional Council and had a population of 352 at the . History Located at the junct ...

and Michelago. Other populated areas included the villages and surrounding districts of

Adaminaby Adaminaby is a small town near the Snowy Mountains north-west of Cooma, New South Wales, Australia, in the Snowy Monaro Regional Council. The historic town, of 301 people at the , is a trout fishing centre and winter sports destination situated ...

, Anglers Reach,

Shannons Flat Shannons Flat is a locality in the Monaro region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Snowy Monaro Regional Council local government area, sandwiched between the southern border of the Namadgi National Park in the Australian Capita ...

, Yaouk, Old Adaminaby, Peak View, Countegany,

Jerangle Jerangle is a locality in New South Wales, Australia. The locality is in the Snowy Monaro Regional Council local government area, south of the state capital, Sydney and south east of the national capital, Canberra. At the , Jerangle had a popu ...

and Rock Flat.

Council

Composition and election method

At the time of dissolution Cooma-Monaro Shire Council was composed of nine

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

s elected proportionally as one entire

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

. All councillors were elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The mayor was elected by the councillors at the first meeting of the council. The last election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the council was as follows: The last Council, elected in 2012 and dissolved in 2016, in order of election, was:

References

Former local government areas of New South Wales 2016 disestablishments in Australia {{NewSouthWales-geo-stub