Mr Butler departed his infrastructure and environment director role last Friday after being the Urana Shire general manager.

As part of the local government proclamations at the time of the merger, Mr Butler was to fill the role of deputy general manager.

But instead he was made one of four directors with the resignation of Nigel Sutton last year reducing the director line-up to three.

Administrator Mike Eden confirmed that Mr Butler had taken a redundancy.

“Federation Council wishes him all the best in his future endeavours,” Mr Eden said.

“Mr Butler has been a great contributor to the success of the merger between Urana Shire and Corowa Shire and he will be missed.”

Mr Butler couldn't be contacted for comment.

Former Urana Shire mayor Pat Bourke said his departure was a further setback for the northern end of the council area following the resignations of Mr Bourke, John Doyle and Ian Kreutzberger from the local representative committee in January.

“It's shattered the confidence of the people out here,” Mr Bourke said.

“He was very well liked in every community of the former Urana Shire and was a great problem solver. As a mayor he was a great ally to have.

“He is a huge loss.”

The former Urana Shire is also not guaranteed to have any councillors elected to the first Federation Council in September with the new council not divided into wards.

There will be no council meetings in Urana this year.

Mr Bourke said the election of nine councillors would be a difficult one for the former Urana Shire.

“It will be a tough call because all the bigger population centres are at the other end,” he said.

“Even if two councillors got on it would be a massive job getting around Urana, Oaklands, Morundah, Boree Creek and Rand.”