That was the scenario painted by Berrigan Council chief executive Rowan Perkins when he addressed independent delegate Tim Stubbs, who has been chosen by the NSW Government to report on its merger plan.

The Government wants to amalgamate Berrigan with the southern half of Jerilderie Shire as part of its Fit for the Future program.

Mr Perkins said his council hired SGS Economics to analyse the benefits, opportunities and impacts of a merger and it reported there were key differences between the shires related to population growth, rates bases and economic diversity.

“The council's assessment is the merger proposal doesn't achieve the aim of reducing rates,” Mr Perkins said.

Instead he believes there is a “very high risk” of creating a council which has high rate rises for a number of years, a lower level of services, is financially unsustainable and is unable to adapt to change.

It is predicted a merger would see Berrigan farm rates rise 19 per cent and its urban rates drop by 8 per cent and Jerilderie rural rates fall by 74 per cent and town rates increase by 52 per cent.

Berrigan mayor Bernard Curtin said it was clear his shire would be worse off by changing shape.

“We believe that you, the members of the public, would be disadvantaged if we had to merge,” he said.

“The Jerilderie people are keen to move north and we're happy to support them if they do.”

Cr Curtin was referring to Jerilderie's plan to merge with Murrumbidgee Shire.

Finley Chamber of Commerce member Sid Dudley said a merger of Berrigan and Jerilderie may result in a “dysfunctional council” because of the population disparity.

Tocumwal farmer Phillip Snowden said it would be preferable for the shire to expand eastwards along the Murray River where there are tourism opportunities as opposed to going north to an area dominated by broadacre rather than irrigation farming.

“Please take on board what the community wants, not just what the state government wants,” Mr Snowden said.

Former Berrigan Shire mayor John Bruce said IPART, which proposed the merger, had produced a flawed assessment by failing to include Barooga because it has a Victorian postcode.

“It gives us no confidence in this report,” Cr Bruce said.

Cr Curtin said he had been told Barooga residents were not included on an invitation list for Wednesday's session because they had Victorian postcodes.

Tocumwal resident Chris Philpott echoed Cr Bruce's concerns and told Mr Stubbs, “if I was in your shoes I'd be embarrassed” because of the lack of accurate information provided by IPART.

Former councillor Fred Cuthbert accused the Government of “fudging figures” and “working on results they want to get”.