We will be consulting on the draft plans in May/June prior to adoption for commencement in July.

With a view to our long-term financial sustainability, we have commissioned an independent report and are working with staff on developing an action plan to better manage our future finances. This plan will also be shared with the community.

Prior to this work, we had also commenced a major program (business transformation program) to improve operational efficiency in the organisation, as well as a review of our service levels across the council.

A prime area of consideration is how we can improve management of our $5 billion of assets. This is being addressed through development of our roads strategy and a review of our real property assets.

The key message I want to deliver is that councillors and staff are working hard to take care of business - to make us more financially resilient and better at what we do. It is not an easy task and may not please everyone, but we have a duty to our ratepayers to do this work properly.

We will be sharing more information on this work over the coming months and will also be talking to the community about this during our regular Community Conversations during April and May.

We will be visiting 15 communities across the MidCoast so look out for the dates in your local area.