Draft budget proposes record capital investment

Published on 14 May 2025

Lismore City Council will invest a record $244.8 million to improve capital infrastructure, including roads, bridges, buildings, water and sewerage next financial year, if Councillors adopt the draft 2025/26 budget that is now on public exhibition.

Mayor Steve Krieg said this is almost double the amount that was invested in capital programs last financial year in a significantly larger budget that also caps rate rises to the State Government peg of 3.9%.

“Council recently went out to the community to find out what they wanted Council to deliver. You told us roads, stormwater, drains, waste management, flood mitigation, youth services and housing,” he said.

“We listened and that is the focus of this year’s draft budget. Now we want to hear back from the community again to make sure we got it right.

“This is not a back-to-basics budget, this is about investing in the right areas across all Council operations to strengthen Lismore’s economy and create a city and villages that attract people to come live, work and raise a family.

“We are investing significantly more in our 750km sewer and water network and 1215km road network, which most people don’t realise is a network greater than the distance from the Sunshine Coast to Sydney.”

Under the draft budget, $184.6 million will be invested on roads and bridges, up from $74 million the previous financial year, $28.6 million will be spent Lismore’s sewer system assets, up from $13 million and $1.04 million is being set aside to invest in drains, which represents a 25% increase in investment from the previous budget.

The total budget is $430.5 million, up from $301.1 million for 2024-2025, with a forecast to deliver a cash surplus.

“This significant uplift in investment for Lismore was achieved by Council’s ongoing and effective lobbying of Australian and State governments and strong advocacy efforts by civic leaders following the 2022 natural disaster,” Mayor Krieg said.

“We have successfully lobbied the Government to fund 10 major resilience infrastructure projects, including upgrades to pump stations at Browns Creek and Magellan Street, the installation of mechanical trash racks to protect inlets from debris, and a new fibre-optics link allowing for remote operations, monitoring and surveillance of current and future pump stations.”

“Councillors also understand people are doing it tough with the rising cost of living, that’s why we have frozen rates at the State Government’s rate peg of 3.9%. We are also delivering a 0% increase in rates for inner CBD business to support them as they continue to recover,” Mayor Krieg said.

"I want to acknowledge the hard work of our staff and Councillors in shaping a budget that strikes the right balance—responsible, forward-thinking, and built for the long-term prosperity of our community.

“This budget is about delivering real results.

“We're making a record capital works investment—injecting vital funds into the community to strengthen our infrastructure, improve services, and support the priorities that people have told us matter most.”