Often when you try to please everybody you please nobody and Kiama Council is in a tricky spot at the moment in trying to navigate its way back to financial strength while operating under the NSW Government’s Performance Improvement Order.

Mayor Cameron McDonald is thrilled that Council has hit the 70% mark in its wide range of actions required to progress down the path of getting the PIO lifted at the end of the 2026-27 financial year.

Although Council is on the right track, it is still a long way from being out of the woods just yet.

And part of that process is having to say no to reasonable requests from local community groups and increasing fees for services.

Kiama Leisure Centre and Cemeteries fees have gone up by 5% and domestic waste charges have increased by 10%, which will cost the average household an extra $1.20 per week and has been brought about by waste disposal cost increases to Council of nearly 60% over the past three years.

Rates have increased by 3.7% which was set by the NSW Government’s Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal.

Kiama Council, at its meeting on Tuesday night, endorsed its suite of high-level strategic documents, including the Community Strategic Plan, Long Term Financial Plan, Budget, Fees and Charges, and Delivery and Operational Plan.

Along with Chief Executive Officer Jane Stroud’s tenure being extended for another three years, Kiama Council has something that it has sorely lacked in recent years - stability.

But there will continue to be short-term pain for the local community.

One such example that would be avoided in a perfect world was Gerringong Rugby League Club’s request for Council to provide a pre-owned lawnmower - free or for a nominal fee - for the Lions to use in their sterling efforts in keeping Michael Cronin Oval in tip-top shape.

Councillor Mike Cains brought the motion before Council, arguing that club “continues to voluntarily maintain the grounds that would otherwise be maintained by Council”.

“They do this by relying on a 40-inch residential-style mower. Occasionally they borrow mowers and equipment from third parties but essentially they try to be as self reliant as possible.

“We are getting the understanding that to be reliant on such meagre assets so that they can maintain their grounds is quite possibly not sustainable in the long term.

“The administration of the Rugby League Group 7 has awarded the club with an $8000 grant to construct a purpose-built shed to house that mower so providing a pre-owned mower to the Gerringong Rugby League Club is a modest and meaningful way for Council to show support for our volunteer organisations and ensure that they remain a valuable asset for the community into the future.”

After the motion was defeated, Mayor Cameron McDonald told The Bugle that they were concerned about setting a precedent for the future if they agreed to the Lions’ request.

He said that Council needed to develop an asset disposal policy that would enable them “to justify those decisions as to why a mower would go here and why something else would go there with regards to those community and sporting groups”.

He acknowledged that a lot of local community groups put in countless hours of voluntary work to maintain Council assets but he wanted to ensure that decisions like this one can be done “in a fair and reasonable manner” for all groups.

Unfortunately for priceless community groups like the Gerringong Lions, these kind of situations will continue at least for the next couple of years ….but with Kiama Council on track to be back in the black within 24 months, Council’s new-found frugality means better times are on the horizon.