Finding financial security a priority for new council GM

IN HIS first missive of the year, Lismore City Council general manager Gary Murphy has said the council needed to do better financially.

FINDING EFFICIENCIES: The council will work to provide better value. Picture: Contributed

IN HIS first missive of the year, Lismore City Council general manager Gary Murphy said the council needed to do better financially.

He noted the council "recognises that in order to find savings for asset management and community projects, we need to do better".

"We need to find efficiencies within council that improve productivity and ensure we are getting the biggest bang for our ratepayer buck," he said.

"We cannot raise revenue and ask the community to collaborate with us without challenging ourselves to lead by example.

"We need to ensure we have an adequate skills base in our organisation and implement the Australian Business Excellence Framework. We need to maximise our output with our limited resources."

Mr Murphy also said the council needed to redirect $7.3million each year into renewing and maintaining assets into the future.

"We will fix roads and improve wastewater infrastructure to cope with a growing population," he said.

"Over the next decade, council will take responsible action and find the resources we need to address a legacy of asset neglect.

"Our assets are our most pressing concern, but we know residents need more than just bricks and mortar to make a community great.

"They also need us to govern well, and they need a vibrant community, good economy and healthy environment."

Mr Murphy said tough decisions would need to made, such as the closure of the council's CBD office.

"We need to look closely at where every dollar is spent and align our budget with the Imagine Lismore vision," he said.

"We also need to be realistic about our ability to provide services."