By Michael Newhouse
BRIMBANK City Council has taken the first step towards a possible amalgamation of its Sunshine and Keilor offices after the council agreed to commission a study to see whether such a move would be viable.
A council spokesperson told Star the council had been considering the merger over “a number of years” and that it had appointed a property consultant to make a recommendation about whether moving all council services into the one area would be possible.
The council expects a feasibility report on the amalgamation to be delivered in the next six to nine months, and will assess the findings and make a decision after the report is handed down.
The spokesperson said the council was considering the move because it believed there would be a number of benefits, including:
– Consolidating all council services into one area;
– Improved services for the community;
– Improved facilities to support council efficiency and productivity; and
– More efficient assets to reduce overheads
At the moment, Brimbank City Council has its main offices in Sunshine and Keilor.
The council chambers and other services are based in Sunshine, while planning and engineering is based in Keilor.
Brimbank mayor Margaret Giudice briefly mentioned the amalgamation plans in her opening address at last week’s first council meeting for the year, insisting that it would be one of council’s focal points for 2007.
