AGY-5319 | Clarence River County Council [II]

Full description

The Clarence River County District [II] was constituted on 4 November 1959 (1), comprising the City of Grafton and the Shires of Nymboida, Copmanhurst, Maclean and Ulmarra in the north of the eastern division of New South Wales. An earlier Clarence River County Council (1922-1952) had administered power distribution and covered a wider district. (2)

County districts were a means by which a number of local government areas could coordinate for a specific shared purpose, under the Local Government Act 1919 (Act No.41, 1919).  The constituent councils would delegate specified powers to a county council to operate on their behalf. (3) 

The County Council had been formed to tackle flood mitigation for all the shires of the floodplain following a series of devastating floods in the 1940s and 1950s. The majority of the early flood mitigation works were rural drains and floodgate structures, designed to bring valuable agricultural lands back into production as soon as possible after each major flood event. Areas formerly inundated for weeks or in some cases months, were now drained in a matter of days. (4)

The proclamation invested the new council with all the powers and duties under section 494 of the Local Government Act 1919 relating to the prevention or mitigation of menace to the safety of life or property from floods. To fund their operations they were given power to raise money through rates, loans, charges, fees and debentures. In addition the County Council had powers regarding control and regulation of drainage; drainage of swamps; clearing of rivers; building for public purposes; and dredging and reclamation. In 1969 the County Council was given the additional role of control of aquatic pests. (5)

With the amalgamation of Ulmarra and Nymboida in July 2000, the territory of the new Pristine Waters local government area remained in the Clarence River County District. The number of delegates was reduced from ten to eight. (6)

The Clarence River County Council was dissolved on 25 February 2004 with the restructuring of its constituent councils (7), and its functions were inherited by the Floodplain Services section of the new Clarence Valley Council. (8)

Endnotes
1. NSW Government Gazette No.131, 13 November 1959, p.3444.
2. See AG/6748
3. Local Government Act 1919 (Act No.41, 1919) ss.561, 564.
4. Clarence Valley Council website http://www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/cmst/cvc009/printer_friendly.asp?id=4070&cat=219 (accessed 6 June 2007).
5. NSW Government Gazette No.139, 28 November 1969, p.4842.
6. NSW Government Gazette No.64, 26 May 2000, p.4481.
7. Local Government Act 1919 (Act No.41, 1919) s.565A; as amended by the Local Government (Amendment) Act 1945 (Act No.19, 1945); NSW Government Gazette No.46, 25 February 2004, p.809-10.
8. Clarence Valley Council website http://www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/cmst/cvc009/printer_friendly.asp?id=4014&cat=209 (accessed 6 June 2007).