MidCoast Council's Community Conversations program has finished for 2025, with strong attendance and open discussion across many towns and villages in the region.
Mayor Claire Pontin said the program helps Council connect with the community and understand what matters most to local areas.
"Community Conversations are about strengthening the collaboration between Council and communities," Mayor Pontin said.
"They help us build understanding, hear local concerns and work together on shared priorities."
During 2025, Community Conversations were held at 18 locations. Larger towns hosted two sessions, while smaller villages hosted one. A total of 647 people attended.
Each session included presentations from Council's General Manager and Directors, followed by time for questions and discussion. Information was tailored to each location, covering both region-wide issues and local topics.
The second round of sessions took place in October and November 2025. These sessions included updates on flood recovery, as well as information on local and regional projects.
Community members raised a variety of topics, including drainage and flood recovery, road conditions, potholes, bridges and footpaths, coastal erosion, planning and development, and public amenities.
Council's presentation focused on three main priorities: improving roads, achieving long-term financial sustainability, and improving the customer experience.
Council explained the challenges in managing assets, such as roads and buildings, across their full lifespan. MidCoast Council is responsible for 3,643 kilometres of roads. This is the second largest road network in NSW. Many other council road networks are considerably smaller.
Council estimates an extra $34.5 million per year is needed to bring the road network up to a good standard.
Council reviewed its operations to reduce costs and increase efficiency. As a result, an additional $6.7 million was redirected to road works in 2025-26.
Some of the efficiency improvements over recent years included the closure of Nabiac Library, the divestment of MidCoast Assist, improving returns from Council-owned properties, increased fees and charges to cover the full cost of services, increased use of technology to reduce operational costs, and the decision to review developer contribution plans.
Mayor Pontin acknowledged that some of these decisions have been difficult for the community but emphasised that it's important to face the difficult reality that MidCoast Council's roads will get worse without a significant increase in investment.
"Like many councils across Australia, MidCoast Council is facing a number of challenges including decades of underfunding on road maintenance, the rising costs of materials, reduced federal government funding, cost shifting by State governments, and the impact of extreme weather," explained Mayor Pontin.
"We are strongly advocating for changes that would reduce the burden on regional councils and ratepayers. However, for now, we need to do the best we can with what we've got.
"It's important that community members understand the broader issues affecting local government, and I thank all those who attended a Community Conversation this year."
Feedback showed that community members valued the chance to speak directly with Councillors and staff, receive updates and raise concerns.
A number of communities raised concern about speed limits. Council reminds residents that speed limits are set by Transport for NSW, not Council. Views on speed limits can be submitted through the Transport for NSW website at https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/topics-tips/speeding/have-your-say/speed-limits-have-your-say
Things that need fixing, issues and requests can be reported to Council through the Report and Request service at https://www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/Contact-us/Report-and-request
