The Minister’s recent announcement has confirmed that the boundary adjustment between the City of Armadale, the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale and the Shire of Murray will take place on July 1 2015, at which time the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale will be abolished.
The new boundary will run along Mundijong Road with the northern half of Serpentine Jarrahdale land to go to City of Armadale and the southern half to be subsumed by the Shire of Murray.
Former SJ residents that then come under the oversight of the Shire of Murray and City of Armadale will still be able to access services from both Murray and Armadale through the current Serpentine Jarrahdale Shire Office in Mundijong.
Local Implementation Committee (LIC) Chairperson Mayor Henry Zelones said “We are pleased that the Board’s recommendation now reflects the submissions made by the City of Armadale and Shire of Murray. We believe this is the best outcome for all three communities involved.
“It’s too early to comment on the detail, we need to download all the available information and confirm the Government’s intention. The devil will be in the detail.
“One concern we do have is that the Advisory Board appear to recommend that the City operates (for at least the first two years) without wards. That is totally contrary to our expectations and we need to find out the detail and work to change that aspect before any Council elections in 2015.
“Every effort will be made to ensure a seamless transition of services and over the next two years we’ll work to streamline our business. Residents are invited to visit their local government customer service offices at Armadale and Murray, and also to get onto their ‘new’ Council’s website, over the coming year for information on the change process and any potential future changes to services.
“The Shire of Murray and City of Armadale have worked cohesively together as part of the LIC to prepare for this step. The CEOs of Armadale and Murray are now inviting their Serpentine Jarrahdale work colleagues to the table to commence the transition process.
“Planning is already well underway and I’m sure all three Councils will work together to ensure residents and ratepayers receive quality services throughout the transition and that the boundary alignment leads to positive outcomes for all communities involved.
“The Councils all deliver high quality services, and the challenge will now be to continue to provide that excellent level of service to all communities within our amended boundaries.
“The boundary adjustment has the potential to strengthen our communities and, over time, to improve infrastructure and services across the region,” said LIC Chairperson Mayor Henry Zelones.
As the changeover day approaches, the LIC will seek to keep residents and ratepayers of Armadale, Murray, and Serpentine Jarrahdale informed of benefits and any service delivery changes.
For more information contact the City of Armadale on (08) 9399 0111 or the Shire of Murray on (08) 9531 7777.
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