Murray River Councillor Chris Bilkey has resigned from his position after almost seven years in local government.
His resignation comes into effect from today, and was prompted by ongoing health reasons.
It is unclear whether councillors will move to hold a by-election to fill the vacancy, or continue to operate one councillor down until the local government elections in September 2024.
Cr Bilkey, a Moama-based councillor, was first elected to Murray River Council in 2017 and was a councillor with the former Murray Shire prior to amalgamations.
During his tenure, Cr Bilkey was elected as the very first mayor of Murray River Council and held the position for nearly two terms.
Cr Frank Crawley stepped into the vacated role last month.
Cr Bilkey has overseen significant development across the Murray River Council communities over the last six years, including a range of community infrastructure, park and sport pavilion upgrades and the Meninya Street Precinct Masterplan, which are some of the biggest projects undertaken by council since inception.
On the advocacy front, he has been front and centre during major events including the ongoing pandemic and more recently, the flood event.
The council and Cr Bilkey were even recognised with a Local Government Award for advocacy efforts during border closures brought on by the pandemic; a fight they took to both state governments, the federal government and metropolitan media.
Cr Bilkey is also widely recognised amongst his local government peers for his leadership, most notably regarding the development of RAMJO’s Water Position Paper which he led and oversaw on behalf of the basin community.
CEO Terry Dodds thanked Cr Bilkey for his tireless contributions to the local community throughout his decade-plus of service.
“I know this has been a challenging decision for Chris and on behalf of the council I wish him the best,” Mr Dodds said.
“Chris can be extremely proud of the contribution he has made to helping Murray River Council become such a vibrant region to live, work and visit.
“He represented our community with intelligence, care, and passion, and was a strong advocate for regional development and tourism.
“His ability to think strategically is second-to-none and the impact his leadership and guidance has made is significant and will be long lasting.”