Last week, Georges River Council voted to seek a boundary realignment to extend its local government area south of President Avenue, Kogarah to the Botany Bay foreshore.
Bayside Councillor Bill Saravinovski has hit back putting forward a motion for his council to consider.
His motion opposes the Georges River Council motion and calls for Bayside Council to write to the mayor of Georges River, Councillor Kevin Greene, advising that should the boundary be adjusted at all, that the new border incorporate Georges River Council's Kogarah Bay Ward, including the St George Hospital, the Kogarah collaboration precinct and surrounding areas into Bayside's local government area.
Cr Saravinovski's Notice of Motion states: that "Bayside Council strongly opposes the boundary alignment removing areas up to President Avenue at Kogarah and down to the Botany Bay foreshore from Bayside local government area, as suggested by Georges River Council."
"I'm disappointed that Georges River Council voted to seek a boundary change to take over an adjoining council area without any consultation," Cr Saravinovski said.
"One of their own councillors, Kathryn Landsdberry, described the move as 'burgling half of Bayside at midnight', " he said.
Cr Saravinovski's motion calls for Bayside Council to write to the NSW Boundaries Commission expressing it's strong opposition to the Georges River proposal and the way it was conceived on the floor of the Council Chamber.
The original proposal raised at the August 24 Georges River Council meeting by Councillor Vince Badalati called on the council to prepare an Amalgamation Proposal to be submitted to the Minister of Local Government to realign the Georges River and Canterbury-Bankstown Local Government Area boundary along the M5.
But Cr Sam Elmir said he would also be favourable to incorporating areas to the east of the Georges River Local Government Area up to President Avenue at Kogarah and down to the Botany Bay foreshore, in line with the boundaries of the Federal electorate of Cook.
This amalgamation would mean that the entire Federal electorate of Cook located north of the Georges River would be located within the Georges River Local Government area.
Most Georges River councillors agreed to incorporate this into the proposal except for Crs Kathryn Landsberry and Leesha Payor who both voted against it.
Cr Saravinovski said he was shocked when heard that Georges River Council voted to apply to incorporate parts of Bayside Council's area within its own boundaries by preparing a Boundary Realignment proposal to be submitted to the Minister for Local Government.
"I thought it was an April Fools joke in August," he said.
"On their Council floor, it was decided that Georges River seek to incorporate the area south of President Avenue, Kogarah to the Botany Bay foreshore, in line with the boundaries of the Federal electorate of Cook, so that the entire Federal electorate of Cook located north of the Georges River would be located within the Georges River Local Government area.
"I strongly oppose this boundary alignment as suggested by Georges River Council.
"Council boundaries are not dictated by Federal Government seats.
"Imagine the chaos if Cook Park and Lady Robinson's Beach were divided between two Council areas. That would be tantamount to splitting Bondi Beach in two something none of us can imagine a sane person suggesting.
"At the August 24 Georges River Council meeting, Cr Landsberry said. 'You are, without notice to them (Bayside Council), putting in a proposal to steal a huge chunk of their electorate. Imagine how we would feel if they put in a proposal to steal Kogarah Bay Ward.'
"So that is exactly what I propose. If an alignment is to be considered, then surely the more sensible one would be for Bayside to absorb the area from Kogarah Bay to Kogarah township," Cr Saravinovski said.
The Georges River Council would have to hold community consultation on proposed boundary changes.
This would have to include electors in the Canterbury-Bankstown and Bayside local government areas.
If supported, the proposal would then be spent to the Local Government Minister, before being referred to the Boundaries Commission.
Any change would not happen before the next council elections, due in September next year.
