Have your say on Council’s guiding plans and budget

Published on 02 June 2025

Documents which will guide MidCoast Council’s projects, programs and services over coming years remain on public exhibition for community feedback until 6 June. 

Each Council is required to prepare a four-year Delivery Program for 2025-2029 and an annual Operational Plan and budget for 2025-26. The Delivery Program provides an overview of works and priorities over four years, while the Operational Plan outlines annual activities in line with the yearly budget.

Council’s General Manager Adrian Panuccio said that the documents respond to strong community sentiment for improved roads, with cost-cutting in other operational areas enabling an additional $6.7 million to go to roads in 2025-26. This brings the total funding for roads to $68.47 million.

“We are aware that the flood event which parts of our community have just endured has put a further strain on our road network,” said Mr Panuccio.

“We will be working with State and Federal Governments to maximise funding opportunities that will be available under the disaster declaration to help with those repairs.” 

In addition to the difficulties of managing the second-largest road network in the State, extreme weather events, such as those experienced two weeks ago in the Manning, Gloucester and Bulahdelah areas, present a significant challenge.

“Our road network is vulnerable to potholing because maintenance and replacement of roads has been underfunded for decades,” explained Mr Panuccio.

“The average age of the waterproofing (or seal) on sealed roads is 20 years, whereas the ideal resealing schedule is around every 10-15 years.”

Putting a new waterproof seal on roads that are still in satisfactory condition is one of the programs Council will fund in 2025-26 to prevent further deterioration and extend the life of a road. This is a much more cost-effective approach than having to rebuild the road.

Council will also be undertaking an expanded heavy patching program to improve road surface conditions. There will be a focus on shoulder grading and drainage improvement to lessen the impact of wet weather on our roads. Improving centre and verge line marking on our higher risk roads will also improve road safety. 

A range of projects to improve community facilities are also scheduled during 2025-26, along with major water and sewer projects.

The 2025-26 budget expenditure is estimated at $320 million. This consists of $102 million from rates and $86 million from annual water, sewer, and waste charges.

Fees and charges, grants and other funding streams are large contributors to Council’s overall budget. The budget is based on applying the 3.80% rate peg set by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) to general property rates. Other increases include 3.80% in waste management, resulting in an annual charge of $116 applied to all properties within the collection area and $53 per year for those properties outside the collection area.

Water will increase by 5.50%, with an annual access charge for a standard residential meter rising to $378, and usage at $4.28 per thousand litres.

Sewer will increase by 7%, with an annual connection fee of $1,146 for connected properties. 

The draft Delivery Program 2025-2029 and draft Operational Plan 2025-26, including the annual budget and fees and charges, as well as Council’s draft Resourcing Strategy, can be viewed at www.haveyoursay.midcoast.nsw.gov.au. 

If you need assistance to access these documents, you can contact our engagement team on 0419 980 566.

Make sure to have your say by Friday 6 June 2025.