A town divided by council borders could be reunified.
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Woolbrook's population of about 200 is split between two councils. The border between Tamworth and Walcha council areas runs through the town's railway tracks.
At a council meeting this week, Tamworth Regional Councillors will consider a proposal to tear down the border and reunify the community in Walcha council.
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In a business paper to be presented to a Council meeting this week, Council staff recommend TRC begin a process of transferring Woolbrook as well as Campfire Road and Niangala to Walcha Council.
Woolbrook is about 65 kilometres from Tamworth and just 29 kilometres from Walcha.
The smaller council has repeatedly approached TRC over 15 years to resolve the issue.
In 2013 TRC resolved to support a border adjustment, but the proposal floundered.
Renewed lobbying by Walcha beginning in 2018 put the issue back on the agenda.
Though local government area borders are ultimately a decision for Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock, staff recommend starting a process of consultation with affected landowners in the area.
Informal barbque meetings have already been organised in Niangala on March 11 and Woolbrook on March 12 even before this week's council meeting to sign off on the process.
After community consultation, the proposed border changes would go back to Tamworth and Walcha councillors for an in-depth briefing.
Then the plan would go back to the community for a more formal second round of consultation.
Both councils would then sign off and pass the recommendation on to the Minister for approval.
Walcha council's new General Manager Anne Modderno has made amalgamating Woolbrook and Niangala into "our Walcha LGA family" one of her top priorities for 2020.
The new boundary as proposed to TRC this week would transfer whole properties into either one council or the other, and would not split them between the two.
