Mayor's Message

Council undertakes extensive community consultation each year as we develop our operational plans and delivery programs. We have undertaken more consultation in 2011 as we look to confirm which services you value the most, and try to strike the right balance between the services you want and those you are willing to pay for through your rates.

Council has managed to balance its budget for many years, but with each passing year this has become increasingly difficult. It is clear that ‘business as usual’ is no longer an option and that we need to change the way we fund our assets and services, or go down the path of making some serious cuts.

Council undertakes extensive community consultation each year as we develop our operational plans and delivery programs. We have undertaken more consultation in 2011 as we look to confirm which services you value the most, and try to strike the right balance between the services you want and those you are willing to pay for through your rates.

Many people attended the series of Securing our Future community workshops held in July, joined our online forum, and used our budget allocator tool over recent months. Most participants were reluctant to see cuts to services or the sale of Council assets to fund budget shortfalls. Indeed, many indicated they would be happy to see an increase in rates to maintain or improve the services and assets they value, so long as the increase was reasonable.

Based on this feedback, Council has developed three funding options to present to the community for consideration. These options are based on community priorities identified through the Securing our Future consultation. The options also respond to the community’s vision as reflected in our 10 Year Community Plan.

We are asking you to tell us which of these three options you prefer. We will use the results of feedback from the community to determine the level of rate increase we will seek from IPART. The final decision on whether Council can increase its rate income will be made by IPART in June next year.

I urge you to take the time to read the information available on this site and tell us your preferred option. Your feedback will have an effect on the future of Council and the City of Lake Macquarie.

Councillor Greg Piper

Mayor of Lake Macquarie