Council responds to frustrations by building community plan

LISMORE City Council will focus on housing, fixing roads and a range of other priority areas as part of its Community Strategic Plan, Delivery Program and Operational Plan, after hundreds of residents voiced frustrations in a survey late last year.

It was formed off the back of feedback from nearly 1700 residents with a draft plan to go on public exhibition.

Other key areas of concern were supporting local economic growth, flood mitigation and recovery, youth services and waste management.

Mayor Steve Krieg said the feedback showed residents were not satisfied with what council has delivered.

“We accept that. There’s no point glossing over the results, we just need to get on with the job of doing better,” he said.

“The community told us that above all else, they want safer, better-maintained roads — roads that last, not quick fixes. They want proper flood mitigation, not patchwork solutions.

“They want to see Lismore built responsibly, with more housing options, better services for young people, and more timely and transparent communication.”

Krieg said council has now undertaken one of the most comprehensive strategic planning processes in the organisation’s history.

“We received the results in February and planned to head back out to community but were delayed by Tropical Cyclone Alfred,” he said.

“In April, we hosted community workshops across Lismore to share both the results and our draft response,” he said.

“We wanted to check with residents if we were on the right path.

“Overwhelmingly, they supported the direction but asked us to go even further in some areas. We’ve done that.”

Council plans to invest a record $244.8 million to improve capital infrastructure, including roads, bridges, buildings, water and sewerage next financial year, as part of its draft plan which now on public exhibition.

Cr Krieg said this is almost double the amount that was invested in capital programs last financial year in a significantly larger budget that also caps rate rises to the state government peg of 3.9 per cent.

“This is not a back-to-basics budget, this is about investing in the right areas across all council operations to strengthen Lismore’s economy and create a city and villages that attract people to come live, work and raise a family,” he said.

Under the draft budget, $184.6 million will be invested on roads and bridges, up from $74 million the previous financial year, $28.6 million will be spent Lismore’s sewer system assets, up from $13 million and $1.04 million is being set aside to invest in drains, which represents a 25 per cent increase in investment from the previous budget.

The total budget is $430.5 million, up from $301.1 million for 2024-2025, with a forecast to deliver a cash surplus.

The draft budget will be on public exhibition until June 12 at yoursay.lismore.nsw.gov.au