AGY-2462 | Yass Municipal Council (1873-1980)

Full description

The Municipalities Act, 1867 provided for the constitution of a Municipality on the receipt of a petition of at least fifty potential municipal tax payers within the area proposed to be incorporated. 148 residents petitioned the Governor in October 1872 requesting the creation of a Municipality of Yass in a district with a population of 3000. The petitioners had requested that the Municipality consist of three wards to be known as Hume, Hardy and O'Brien. The petition was published in the NSW Government Gazette on 11 November, 1872. (1) No counter petition was received and the Municipality of Yass comprising the parishes of Yass, Hume and Warroo and consisting of the three wards requested by the petitioners was established by proclamation on 13 March, 1873. (2)

At the first election on 10 June 1873 the following Aldermen were elected:

- Hume Ward: Michael Conlon, James Peter Ritchie, Henry John Sampson.
- Hardy Ward: James Cottrell, Thomas Colls, Patrick Sheehey.
- O’Brien Ward: James Grovenor, Rees Jones, William McBean. (3)

The first Mayor, James Cottrell was elected on 13 July 1873. (4)

During the years 1931 to 1935 three significant transfers of land were made from the Yass Municipality to the Goodradigbee Shire. The first of these occurred on 1 January 1932 leaving the Municipality with an area of 11,523 acres. The arrangements included the Shire paying £500 to Yass Municipality, the respective local government bodies retained their assets and liabilities, and the Yass Municipality indemnified the Shire against claims in relation to the exchanged land. (5) In October 1934 a further transfer occurred leaving Yass with a total area of 7,420 acres. The Shire paid the municipality £132 in respect of a loan for gasworks approved in the previous year. (6) The third transfer of land occurred in November, 1935 (7) when a 31 acre portion of land on the right bank of the Yass river was transferred to the Shire of Goodradigbee. (8)

On 1 January 1980, the Yass Municipal Council and The Goodradigbee Shire Council were dissolved and amalgamated to become the Shire of Yass. (9)

Endnotes:
1. NSW Government Gazette 11 November 1872 p. 2939
2. NSW Government Gazette 13 March 1873 p.775.
3. NSW Government Gazette 10 June 1873 p. 1648.
4. NSW Government Gazette 16 June 1873 p. 1689.
5. NSW Government Gazette 24 December 1931 p. 4264-5
6. NSW Government Gazette 19 October 1934 p. 3812-3813.
7. NSW Government Gazette 8 Nov 1935 p. 4362
8. NSW Government Gazette 24 May 1935 p. 2034.
9. NSW Government Gazette 30 November 1979 p. 5974.