The law provides for the transfer of all property and assets in the Western Region previously held by the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities & Agriculture to the municipality. The transfer will be completed in three months.

The municipal council will have 16 members, including a chairman and deputy chairman, who will be appointed through a resolution from the Executive Council. Council members will serve a two-year term and at least six of the members must be residents of Madinat Zayed, Al-Mirfa, Liwa, Silaa, Ghayathi and Delma.

A number of social and development programmes were originally placed under the auspices of the Western Region Development Committee (WRDC) in 2004. Areas already identified by the WRDC for development include public services, infrastructure, utilities, education, healthcare, government services and community projects such as commercial centres, banks and recreational facilities (MEED 28:10:05).

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