Full description
The Municipal District of Campbelltown (1882-1906), later the Municipality of Campbelltown (1906-1948), was a municipality in the parishes of Minto, St. Peter, Menangle, Narellan and Appin in the county of Cumberland, constituted under the Municipalities Act of 1867 (31 Vic. No.12) and subsequent legislation. (1)
The Municipalities Act 1867 provided for the establishment of a municipality on receipt of a petition signed by at least 50 persons who would be taxed in respect of property or household residence within the area to be incorporated. The petition was to be published in the Gazette and a local newspaper. If no counter-petition signed by a greater number of persons was received within three months, the Governor could proclaim the area a municipality and define its boundaries. Municipalities proclaimed under the Act might be designated a borough or a municipal district, based on population and area. Boroughs were cities or towns, suburbs of the City of Sydney, or a populous country district, with a population of at least 1000 and an area of no more than 9 square miles. A municipal district required a population of at least 500 and an area of no more than 50 square miles. (2)
A petition to establish the Municipal District of Campbelltown, an area of 14 square miles in the parish of Minto, was gazetted on 24 April 1879. (3) A counter-petition was published in July (4), and the resulting Inquiry found in the counter-petitioners' favour. (5) A further petition for the Municipal District in March 1881 (6) drew another counter-petition (7), largely objecting to the area proposed as being too small for the costs that would be incurred. A final petition in August 1881 enlarged the proposed area to 45 square miles. (8) Negotiations between the parties resolved differences by October 1881 (9), and the municipality was proclaimed on 21 January 1882. (10)
Nine aldermen were elected in February 1882 (11) and the first council meeting took place on 7 March, at which committees were formed for finance, works and by-laws. The council clerk was appointed on 21 March. (12) By 1 August the municipality had collected over 434 pounds in rates (13), and in September the municipal by-laws were published. (14) Over the next few years the Water Reserve Trust, the Recreation Reserve Trust and the local road trusts were revoked and their powers and funds vested in the council. (15)
The Local Government (Shires) Act 1905 (Act No.33, 1905) incorporated all previously unincorporated territory of the eastern and central divisions of New South Wales into new local government jurisdictions, to be called shires. In setting the boundaries of the new shires, 56 square miles of the parishes of Eckersley and Wedderburn were proposed for addition to Campbelltown. (16) This new boundary was formalised in May 1907. (17)
On 31 December 1906 the Municipal District of Campbelltown became the Municipality of Campbelltown, when the status of municipal district was abolished by the Local Government Extension Act 1906 (Act No.40, 1906). (18) Campbelltown was listed that year as continuing to have nine aldermen, and no ward divisions. (19)
The Valuation of Land Act 1916 (Act No.2, 1916) was applied to Campbelltown from 1 November 1925. (20) The first valuation list was supplied by the following February. (21) From this time the assessment of land values was no longer a function of the municipality, which now used values assigned by the Valuer-General when levying rates.
The Local Government (Areas) Act 1948 (Act No.30) amalgamated many local government areas. As a result, Campbelltown Municipality was dissolved and amalgamated with Ingleburn on 1 January 1949. Campbelltown became the first ward of the new Municipality of Campbelltown. (22)
Endnotes
1. An Act to Establish Municipalities, 1867 (31 Victoria Act No.12), s.10.
2. Ibid., s.8.
3. NSW Government Gazette No.140, 22 April 1879, pp.1853-54.
4. NSW Government Gazette No.263, 24 July 1879, pp.3257-58.
5. Liston, Carol. Campbelltown: The Bicentennial History. Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 1988. pp.118-119.
6. NSW Government Gazette No.107, 21 March 1881, pp.1527-28.
7. NSW Government Gazette No.260, 2 July 1881, p.3497.
8. NSW Government Gazette No.320, 17 August 1881, p.4167.
9. Liston, Ibid.
10. NSW Government Gazette No.28, 21 January 1882, p.381.
11. NSW Government Gazette No.97, 7 March 1882, p.1301.
12. NSW Government Gazette No.145, 6 April 1882, p.1997.
13. NSW Government Gazette No.371, 19 September 1882, p.4887.
14. NSW Government Gazette No.361, 13 December 1882, p.4719.
15. Liston, Ibid.
16. NSW Government Gazette No.105, 23 February 1906, pp.1346-47.
17. NSW Government Gazette No.161, 16 May 1907, p.2978.
18. Local Government Extension Act, 1906 (Act No.40, 1906) s.3, Sch.1, s.9; NSW Government Gazette No.286, 31 December 1906, p.7019.
19. NSW Government Gazette No.146, 20 November 1907, p.6309.
20. NSW Government Gazette No.142, 23 October 1925, p.4551.
21. NSW Government Gazette No.19, 12 February 1926, p.752.
22. Local Government (Areas) Act 1948 (Act No.30) Sch.1, Sch.2.
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