Cootamundra 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 ...

in the

Riverina The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...

region of

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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The Shire was located adjacent to the

Olympic Highway Olympic Highway is a rural road in the central western and south-eastern Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. The highway services rural communities and links Hume Highway with Mid-Western Highway and provides part of an alterna ...

, the

Burley Griffin Way Burley Griffin Way is a New South Wales state route, is located in south eastern Australia. Named after the American architect Walter Burley Griffin, designer of the cities of Canberra and Griffith, the road links these two cities via Yass a ...

and the Main South railway line. The Shire included the town of

Cootamundra Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. ...

and the small towns of

Stockinbingal Stockinbingal is a town in the South West Slopes and Riverina regions of New South Wales, Australia. The town is in the Cootamundra–Gundagai Regional Council local government area and on the Burley Griffin Way. At the , Stockinbingal had a pop ...

, Brawlin and

Wallendbeen Wallendbeen is a small town in southern New South Wales, Australia, administered by Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the , Wallendbeen and the surrounding area had a population of 305. The town's name is derived from an aboriginal word ...

and the locality of Frampton. The Shire was created on 1 April 1975 by the amalgamation of

Jindalee Shire Jindalee Shire was a local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Jindalee Shire was proclaimed on 7 March 1906 as Cowcumballa Shire, one of 134 shires created after the passing of the ''Local Government (Shires) A ...

and the

Municipality of Cootamundra A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

. In 2016, it merged with the neighbouring

Gundagai Shire Gundagai Shire was a local government area in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. On 12 May 2016, Gundagai Shire was abolished and merged with the neighbouring Cootamundra Shire to establish Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council ...

to form the

Gundagai Council Gundagai is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Although a small town, Gundagai is a popular topic for writers and has become a representative icon of a typical Australian country town. Located along the Murrumbidgee River and Muniong, Honeys ...

, later renamed to be Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. 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 Cootamundra Shire was Jim Slattery.

Council

Composition and election method

Cootamundra 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 to a single

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, was:

Proposed amalgamation

A 2015 review of local government boundaries recommended that Cootamundra Shire merge with adjoining councils. The

NSW Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

considered two proposals. The first proposed a merger between the Cootamundra and

Gundagai Gundagai is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Although a small town, Gundagai is a popular topic for writers and has become a representative icon of a typical Australian country town. Located along the Murrumbidgee River and Muniong, Honeys ...

shires to form a new council with an area of and support a population of approximately . The alternative, proposed by

Harden Shire Harden Shire was a Local government in Australia, local government area in the South West Slopes, New South Wales, South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire included the twin towns of Harden, New South Wales, Harden and Mu ...

on 28 February 2016, was for an amalgamation of the Cootamundra, Gundagai and Harden shires. The outcome of an independent review was announced in May 2016, with the result that Cootamundra merged with Gundagai Shire to form the

References

{{Authority control Former local government areas of New South Wales Local government areas of the Riverina 1975 establishments in Australia 2016 disestablishments in Australia