On Saturday 27 August, Lithgow City Council held its third community consultation session in Wallerawang. This session provided real context of the Council's operating environment and explained possible options to position the city for a sustainable future.
Lithgow City Council's Mayor opened the session by clearly explaining the challenge of walking up to this difficult conversation. "This Council is demonstrating real leadership by looking to secure a viable future for this city," said Mayor Statham. "Today, Councils don't simply maintain roads and supply water. We operate in a very complex environment, responding to a broad range of environmental, social and economic considerations."
Council's relieving General Manager, Jonathon Edgecombe added that "In this environment, is clear to us that this City needs greater resources if we are to provide acceptable levels of service now, but also prepare our City for the future. While we provide as many as 106 services today, we must also consider the needs of future generations. Housing and transport needs are changing, while we also face a transition from coal. To meet these needs, a major, independent and expert review of Council's financial sustainability has shown that firm action is required to assure residents of the Council's sustainability."
Mayor Statham also reinforced that "one proposal is to increase the average residential rate by $4.43 per week. Importantly, this applies to your land rates only, excluding water, sewer and stormwater charges. However, the Council is not making this decision today. We will hear from you first, making the decision on which option to pursue in November. IPART and the Office of Local Government will then review Council's proposal."
"It is critical that we hear from you," noted Mayor Statham. "We continue to work for a prosperous Lithgow, but also acknowledge our decisions have broad impact. To learn more about each option and how this will affect you, I strongly encourage you to attend one of the remaining community sessions, or contact the Council directly at any other time. These sessions have been very successful to date, with positive feedback received from those who attend."
