Former Mayor Paul Amos told NOTA, “What a great turnaround”.

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“It was a pleasure to be working with a hardworking and diligent staff and cohesive councillor group to produce these outstanding results.

“It is great position to be in when you can have a few laughs along the way and still contribute to improving people’s lives in some small way.”

The report, which includes a high-level commentary by Mayor Nikki Williams, reflects on the City’s significant achievements in implementing its Delivery Program.

In her foreword, the Mayor noted the ongoing development of a waste strategy, the opening of the Whale Trail at Woolgoolga, the redevelopment of Sportz Central and the importance of events-based tourism.

The 2023-24 year saw the completion of the new cultural and civic facility, Yarrila Place, which came in under budget at $80.1 million.

In terms of visitation numbers, both the Harry Bailey Memorial Library and Yarrila Arts and Museum (YAM) have been very successful, with 351,107 physical visits to the library documented.

The C.ex Coffs International Stadium attracted 114,142 visitors while 26,611 tickets were sold at the Jetty Memorial Theatre.

The report also states that there were 891,830 visits to patrolled beaches.

The City celebrates its performance as a provider of services to the community with 92 percent of customer inquiries resolved at first point of contact (based on averages for 2023/24) and all water quality complaints resolved.

The City supported local businesses by providing 25 activities through “6 degrees”.

Other noteworthy milestones for the City were the South Solitary Island Lighthouse Optic conservation project, and the recertification of the Coffs Coast as an ECO Destination.

The financials, audited independently by the Audit Office of NSW, show the City retained a fiscally stable position.

Acting General Manager Andrew Beswick said, “The audited statements show a consolidated surplus of $18.98m before capital grants and contributions”.

The general fund (not the water or sewer funds) recorded a net operating surplus before capital grants and contributions of $7.658m.

This was largely driven by robust performance by the City’s holiday parks and an $8.741m increase in interest and investment revenue.

“City of Coffs Harbour performed well against the relevant benchmarks for all key performance (financial) indicators.”

Another special report captures the changing face of the Coffs Harbour Local Government Area (LGA) and identifies milestones for the community and ongoing ambitions.

The “State of our City Report” is compiled at the end of every Council term and provides a snapshot for a new Council to reflect on the immediate past.

The report objectively tracks progress against the MyCoffs Community Strategic Plan (CSP) which is a roadmap of aspirations across every aspect of local life and covers actions taken by the City and relevant measures taken by State and Federal governments and their agencies.

City of Coffs Harbour Mayor Nikki Williams said, “It’s important to note that progress on many of the goals in the CSP can be achieved only through teamwork. So, that might involve Council, business, other levels of government, non-government organisations and the wider community.

“The benefits of success are shared by all so it’s in everyone’s interests to work together.”

The 2021-24 report notes some of the core statistics of the LGA.

For example, the total population was 80,489 in 2023 with the single biggest cohort being those aged 60 to 74 (19.9 per cent), followed by 45 to 59 (18.9 percent) and under 15s (17.7 percent).
Almost seven percent of the population live with a disability.

The biggest employment sector by industry is Health Care and Social Assistance (20.4 percent) followed by Construction (12.5 percent) and Retail Trade (12.4 percent).

The State of our City Report also tracks some of the major projects to be completed under the term of the previous Council: Yarrila Place, Wiigulga Sports Complex, Bobo Bridge renewal, Moonee Forest cycleway, Sportz Central upgrade, North Coast Regional Botanic Garden glasshouse and Sandy Beach Community Hub and Youth Space.

“The Community Strategic Plan covers the various visions of the Coffs Harbour community.”

“The first plan was made in 2009 and it has been regularly refreshed since then and will in fact be reviewed again in this current financial year to coincide with the new Council.”

As well as the new Harry Bailey Memorial Library and Yarrila Arts and Museum being popular, the Wiigulga Sports Centre at Woolgoolga is also starting to make waves.

The report also touches on some community wellbeing initiatives, including free library service workshops to help seniors become more confident in the online world, through to road safety awareness.

Both reports can be viewed on the City’s website.

By Andrew VIVIAN