Late change mooted for Warrnambool council election wards

But it failed to win support.

Warrnambool council is being forced to revert back to single-member wards for the 2024 election but just how the city will be divided up is yet to be decided.

The Victorian Electoral Commission came up with three models to choose from but the council has come up with a fourth hybrid model instead.

But it will be up to the commission to decide which one should be implemented.

Cr Max Taylor told Monday's public council meeting he was "fully opposed" to the motion which was eventually passed in a 6-1 vote.

He said he realised his proposed amendment to the ward boundaries and name was "very late" and "inconvenient".

Cr Taylor said he would like to see the Merri River Ward named South Warrnambool Ward - a nod to the suburb's long history. "South Warrnambool was the first settlement in Warrnambool back in 1847," he said.

Cr Taylor said he also wanted to see the ward boundary moved further up near the surf club - taking issue with the breakwater and Pertobe Road not being included in a ward with the rest of South Warrnambool.

Cr Taylor said the current proposed boundary with the Dennington Ward also cut South Warrnambool in half - something he didn't realise until mid-last week because the maps he'd seen earlier were "vague" and "ill-defined".

"...to my amazement and alarm I saw the boundary line between these two wards run along Stanley Street and then turn right up McDonald Street to Harris Street and then to Merrivale Drive," he said.

"This clearly cuts South Warrnambool in half which I am totally opposed to."

Cr Taylor said council road signs indicate you are in South Warrnambool at the cutting and at Harris Street reserve.

When Cr Taylor asked if he could hand out a brochure on South Warrnambool to fellow councillors at the meeting he was told by mayor Debbie Arnott it was a little unusual and they wouldn't have a chance to read it before the vote.

Cr Taylor outlined the long history of the suburb during the meeting before he was warned by the mayor after one-and-a-half minutes he only had a two-minute limit to talk.

He cut his address short but said he remained "passionate" and "optimistic" about the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rename Merri River Ward to South Warrnambool Ward.

However, Cr Ben Blain said while he understood Cr Taylor's concerns, the history of South Warrnambool wasn't what the councillors were looking at but rather wards and boundaries for local government elections.

He said the boundaries were not set in stone, and wards would change shape as the city continued to grow. "The suggestion you put forward doesn't fit," he said.

"It's not our rule, it's the legislation in the Local Government Act that it has to be within 10 per cent."

However, Cr Blain said he admired Cr Taylor for standing up on the issue.

He said he supported the hybrid model while Cr Arnott pointed out it was a submission only.

"This will not be our decision. It will be a decision of the commission," she said.

Cr Angie Paspaliaris said the hybrid model aimed to map the communities of interest as best as possible and accounts for future growth.

She urged community members to also give their feedback to the electoral commission on the proposed boundaries.

Cr Richard Ziegeler said the hybrid model reflected local knowledge and was the most appropriate model.

At the next election, residents will only be able to vote for candidates running in their ward - a shift from the current "unsubdivided" electoral structure which has given residents a say on all candidates.

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