Wagga City Council and Riverina Regional Library enter arbitration over an estimated $5 million assets dispute

The ongoing disagreement halted the Riverina Regional Library's (RRL) mobile service to 21 regional communities that do not have access to brick and mortar libraries last month.

An RRL spokesperson confirmed the regional service had resumed after the purchase of a new truck.

"A new prime mover was purchased for the mobile library," they said.

"It has visited communities in the region approximately 40 times over the four weeks following its return to service."

The opposing sides are disputing what portion of assets accumulated by the RRL should go to Wagga City Council, who held the position of executive council until withdrawing on June 30.

Assets the now executive council of Coolamon Shire estimated being worth around $5 million include books, e-resources, accumulated reserve funds and the RRL's previous mobile library prime mover.

Coolamon Shire Council general manager Tony Donoghue said the dispersal of assets is clearly outlined in RRL's joint library advisory agreement.

"We say that when you join RRL, you join with your library and the books under your roof and when you leave, that's the same principle," he said.

"We say under clause 11, you don't get access to [accumulated monetary reserves].

"Wagga are saying they would like access to those reserves."

The agreement's clause 11 states a withdrawing member council is entitled to the physical library collection in its area, computer hardware allocated to its libraries and a portion of unrestricted funds.

WWCC had to provide at least two years notice before withdrawing - which it did.

But Mr Donoghue said WWCC, the first to withdraw from the RRL since its inception in 1978, leaving the collaboration as executive council had "convoluted the matter".

"We don't have the [financial] books, Wagga have the books," he said.

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"So, we're just guessing on past financial statements.

"They currently hold all those assets and all those reserves."

The major asset prime mover will also be auctioned by WWCC as the vehicle's registered owner.

WWCC chose to not comment for this story but last month said it should receive a share of the assets which it helped accumulate.

General manager Peter Thompson said WWCC had contributed about $6.5 million, or 46 per cent, of RRL funds over its last five year period as executive council.

"Unfortunately, the other councils are pursuing an argument that they are entitled to require WWCC to give them nearly all the assets, with the Wagga community receiving virtually nothing," he said in a statement.

Official hearings are set to occur next month between the two parties and an impartial arbitrator.

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