The first election for the new council at Sunbury will be in 2016.
Local Government Minister Jeanette Powell clarified the timing of the poll when she and two members of the project panel visited the town last week.
The three-person panel will report by the end of June on the best method by which Sunbury and some of its neighbouring districts will break away from Hume.
Mrs Powell promised the two municipalities – Hume and “whatever [the new one] will be called” – would be fairly divided, with assets and services apportioned so both areas would be sustainable.
She said issues such as what the new municipality would be called and whether it would include districts such as Diggers Rest, which is part of Melton municipality, were for people to raise in their submissions to the panel and for the panel to decide.
“All these decisions will be made by the panel, which is why it was so important we got the membership right,” Mrs Powell said.
Panel head Brian Haratsis and panel member Kelvin Spiller accompanied Mrs Powell to Sunbury. The third member, Maxine Cooper, was unable to attend.
Mrs Powell stressed the importance of local input to the community consultation committee, chaired by upper house MP Amanda Millar, which will make recommendations to the project panel.
She said close liaison between the panel and the present Hume council and its administration was “absolutely instrumental” and she would appoint up to eight locals to work with Ms Millar on consultation that would include public forums and written and oral submissions.
“Our intention is that it be business as usual,” Mrs Powell said.
» dtpli.vic.gov au/localgovernment
