Council Decides: April 2026 Ordinary Meeting

Welcome to our April issue of "Council Decides", where we update you on the decisions and discussions of the Lismore City Council's monthly Council meeting.

The business papers and attachments for the meeting can be found here .

MAYORAL MINUTE(S)/CONDOLANCE MOTIONS

Councillors resolved to:

• Receive and note the Condolence motion for Jenny Dowell OAM and forward a letter of condolence to the family from the Mayor.
• Receive and note the Condolence motion for Rhoda Roberts AO, forward a letter of condolence to the family from the Mayor and discuss with the immediate family an appropriate and fitting tribute to Rhoda Roberts to honour her legacy and the impact she has had on the Lismore community.

MAYORAL MINUTE

Councillors resolved to:

• Note the Country Mayors Association of NSW "Invest in Us" campaign and recognise the critical role Local Government plays in delivering essential services and infrastructure that underpin community wellbeing, economic vitality and national resilience.
• Support the campaign's core message: 'Invest in us so we can invest in them' and commit to participating in the campaign by sharing campaign materials, engaging with local media and community stakeholders to raise awareness and lobbying Federal representatives to support the funding increase.
• request the Mayor to write to the relevant Prime Minister, Treasurer, Federal Minister for Local Government, the Shadow Minister for Local Government, our Federal Member of Parliament and Senator expressing Council's support for the campaign and urging their commitment to the proposed funding increase.

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES

Councillors resolved to:

• Receive the minutes of the Briefings Committee and the recommendations contained therein be adopted.

REPORTS OF THE GENERAL MANAGER

Councillors resolved to:

• Establish a Local Planning Panel, seek Expressions of Interest for panel members and seek a meeting with the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces to discuss funding options.
• Support the Planning Proposal to rezone the land at 803 Ballina Road, Goonellabah. Forward the Planning Proposal to the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure with a request for a Gateway Determination and place the Planning Proposal on public exhibition.
• Place the draft Local Strategic Planning Statement, Economic Development Strategy, Rural Land Use Strategy, Biodiversity Management Strategy and Resilience and Adaptation Strategy on public exhibition for eight weeks with the feedback and final strategies reported back to Council.
• Endorse the draft Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2026-2030 for the purpose of public exhibition for a period of 28 days.
• Resolve to dedicate the land described in Schedule 1 as a public road pursuant to section 16 of the Roads Act 1993.
• Put forward Councillors Krieg, Waters and Knight-Smith as delegates to the 2026 ALGA National General Assembly with Councillor Bing as a reserve. Councillor Krieg to be voting delegate.
• Note the report and adopt the Investment report for March 2026.
• Appoint Mayor Krieg and Councillors Rob, Waters, Knight-Smith, Hall and Jensen to the Lismore City Council Emergency Management Committee.
• Receive and note the Councillors Expenses and Facilities Policy - July 2025 to December 2025.
• Adopt the Telecommunications Facilities Policy, Acquisitions and Disposal of Council Land Policy, Naming of Infrastructure & Places Policy and Rural Connections to the Nimbin Water Supply Policy.
• Revoke the Quality Policy Statement, Contributions from Property Owners Towards Studies for Rezoning's or DCP's, Temporary Residential Occupation of Land, Strategic Planning Study Guidelines, Water Supply Backflow Prevention and Wastewater Charging Policy.

NOTICE OF MOTION/QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE

Councillors resolved to:

• Receive the Mayoral Attendance Report for March 2026.
• Investigate the reasons that many approved subdivisions and residential developments are not being built, investigate the developer contribution rates and report to Council within the next 3 months on the number of developments in Lismore that have been approved but not acted upon and possible contributions discounts we can offer.
• Request the precinct plan for the CBD and Health precinct be brought back to Council and lobby the Hon Janelle Saffin MP, Member of Lismore to give an election commitment for the construction of Stage 2 of Lismore Base Hospital carpark for hospital staff.
• use funds donated by our Sister City Yamato Takada following the floods in 2022 to complete a commemorative activation project to be developed in consultation with the Sister City Advisory Group and if more than the donated funds of $4,115.65 is required to complete the project a report be brought back to Council.

CONFIDENTIAL MATTERS

When the meeting resumed following the Closed Session, Council resolved to:

• Note the confidential correspondence attached in the report dated 9 April 2026 and 13 April 2026, acquire the properties mentioned in this report on terms and conditions acceptable to the General Manager and disposes of the property at 260 Oliver Avenue, Goonellabah on terms and conditions acceptable to the General Manager. Council further classifies any land acquired as Operational in accordance with the Local Government Act and delegates authority to the General Manager to negotiate and finalise the terms and conditions of the acquisitions and disposal, execute all necessary contracts, documents and instruments, and take all actions required to give effect to this resolution.