Central Coast Council has set a solid foundation for the new Council to build on according to a report presented by the Administrator to the final Council meeting before the Local Government elections on September 9.

The report details the good governance arrangements in place across Council, the fully funded record capital works program rolling out across the Coast and the enhanced service delivery and community infrastructure delivered by staff as key highlights of the Administration period of the new Central Coast Council.

Administrator Ian Reynolds said the achievements were a credit to the over 2000 staff who have delivered high quality services to the community while the organisation was undergoing major internal transformation.

“The priority of this Administration period has been to build a solid foundation for the newly elected Council in September 2017 and I believe that has been achieved,” Mr Reynolds said.

“Both former Councils did almost everything differently and there are currently over 150 internal projects underway to bring processes and systems together.

“New legislative and governance requirements are now in place so we can operate as a single Council, we have implemented a new brand, vision and values and aligned customer service processes so that residents and businesses can deal with Council more efficiently.

“The community can have confidence that Council’s finances are sound and strong.

“As a unified Council we have hugely increased buying power which is already paying off with a record $208 million capital works program rolling out across the Coast.”

Progress has been made on key projects during the Administration period including a successful first year of operation of The Art House at Wyong and the award-winning regional skate place at Bato Yard. Construction of the Tuggerah Regional Sporting Complex is well underway.  Sites have also been confirmed for two key regional projects – a Regional Performing Arts and Conference Centre on the Gosford waterfront and a Regional Library in the Gosford CBD.

The improvement of transport infrastructure including roads, shared pathways and cycle ways has been a priority and is expected to remain so under the new Council as the population of the Coast continues to grow.

“The strong financial position of our new organisation has allowed us to take major steps to support more investment than ever before. Road renewal expenditure has actually increased by 60% from $16M to $26M,” Mr Reynolds added.

“Our community’s quality of life has been greatly enhanced by the major improvements in the road network, playgrounds, parks and sporting fields, our waterways and the investment in our water and sewer network to secure the water supply for our growing region.

“Council’s performance has been recognised with a number of awards. This is a testament to the creativity and professionalism of our staff, almost all of whom are Coast residents, giving an added incentive to make sure the Coast and its Council are the very best they can be.

“I look forward with confidence to a bright future for the Central Coast and its Council and express my gratitude for the opportunity to have served as the Administrator in this formative period.”

The full list of Council achievements can be found in the Administrator Minute in the Business Papers of the August Meeting.

Details of Council’s current Operational Plan and record capital works program can be found on Council’s website.