LOCAL Government usually leaves people scratching their heads over the rules and regulations.

Fortunately, Tweed Shire Council has been lucky enough to rely on the expertise of public officer Neil Baldwin for 13 years.

Living up to the nickname of "Local Government encyclopedia,” Neil has spent 45 years working in eight different councils across New South Wales.

Over the years, Neil has seen it all, including the infamous sacking of Tweed Shire Council in 2005, but he said it's time to ditch the tie and retire for a quieter life.

"Coming straight out of school I had an interest in what happened in the local community and there was an opportunity to go into local government straight out of school,” Mr Baldwin said.

"The council before here at Merriwa had a total population of 2500, so I've come from 2500 to 90,000 in Tweed. The mechanics of the councils are all the same, no matter the size they all have to go through the same process.”

Mr Baldwin said his time at Tweed had certainly made his career a bit more exciting.

"I've worked with five elected (Tweed) councils plus the administration from 2005-2008,” he said.

"I started at Tweed in January 2005 in the middle of the public inquiry, then the council was dismissed in the May and we were under administration until September 2008. That's been an interesting aspect.

"I was right in the heart of it. I could look at aspects of the organisation from a different perspective.

"And recently at the election of the current council in September 2016, the poll was voided by the death of a candidate. We are the first council in NSW to experience that and it was an interesting time where we had to go back and re-do the whole election process.”

Mr Baldwin's vast experience of local government has made him a favourite among staff and councillors.

"Neil is the absolute perfect Local Government encyclopedia,” general manager Troy Green said.

"His knowledge of the Local Government Act is second to none, which is very important in his role as public officer.

"A lot of the work that Neil does deals with work that people don't see. It's the behind-the-scenes core duties and functions that really ensure good governance, good probity, good accountability, strong ethical practices in place and that we meet all of our statutory obligations.

"He can pick up a missing full stop from a mile away. His command of the English language and grammar has been a huge asset. His attention to detail is again second to none. He controls and he keeps order (of council) and performs in some respects the Speaker of the House role, which is his role of public officer.

"He does it well because he always sticks to the rules. He doesn't bend it and with Neil there's no grey, there's only black and white.

"Not only is he going to be a massive loss to the organisation, he's a loss to the sector.”

While he's enjoyed his many years ensuring council meets its obligations, Neil said he was looking forward to retiring on June 29.

"I don't want to add up how many council meetings I've attended,” he said.

"I won't miss wearing one of my 200 ties. I've worn a different tie every day during the months of May and June.”

Negotiations are underway for Neil's replacement.