Voters in the Port Macquarie-Hastings mayoral by-election go to the polls on Saturday, July 29.

Pre-poll voting details are:

Click here to find out where to vote.

The candidates respond to priority number five below.

Sharon Griffiths (Independent)

We all deserve to get better bang for our buck in the Hastings area.

It is essential responsible financial management is undertaken by council when delivering services.

I have been in business for over 30 years, owning and operating a hardware store, and have developed the financial skills to understand and execute the right decisions to result in responsible financial outcomes.  

Unfortunately we have seen poor decisions by council in previous years, such as large sums of money being lost due to poor investments overseas.

Appropriate financial planning should be aligned with many factors to improve the effectiveness of the council and remove the need for rate rises. 

To deliver efficiencies and savings can be as simple as adjusting the timing for project completion and using economies of scale.  

Financial plans should align with asset management plans to ensure that funds will be available to roll out projects when needed.  

Understanding when to save and when to spend is important.

Using the money council has sitting in the bank to address the backlog now will deliver the ratepayer better value for money in the longer term.

Ratepayers deserve effective well planned management of funds and with my business expertise I will be able to better guide this.

Lisa Intemann (Independent)

Financial responsibility is essentially living within your means, not borrowing to make ends meet and positive saving for the future.

Council is succeeding on all fronts with debt reduced by around $10 million in the past four years, down to $83 million total.

Council reserves stand at $240 million, saved for essential future capital works like water and sewer upgrades, ferry repairs and river dredging, to name a few.

The main challenges to delivering more for the community are to use rate income more efficiently, attract more grant funding and find new sources of income.

Council has already taken steps to improve grant income and explore a new income source in property management.

It has also made important efficiency gains.

But right now what’s needed is a top-down change of culture, to eliminate internal contradictions, reduce wasted time and resources and improve communication with the community.

With two decades experience as councillor I know what’s working and what’s not.

I’m offering full time commitment as mayor at the helm to drive necessary cultural changes and deliver improved council efficiency.

Lauren Edwards (The Greens)

On a personal level, I can let the community know that I do not believe in spending what I do not have or that which is not within my means to repay. I do not even own a credit card and you will not see any superfluous spending in my election campaign, no matter how much I’d like to have your vote this coming Saturday.

I believe it is vital that council manages and spends its general income for the benefit of the community with the longer term vision in mind and with regularly monitored efficiency targets and measures in place.

Council needs to invest in reducing the costs of powering our growing essential infrastructure through the uptake of renewable energy technologies that, over time, will pay back the investment plus more, reduce our emissions, avoid council being at the mercy of big power companies and enable more control, forecasting and saving on what are currently massive energy costs.

Peta Pinson (Independent)

The central theme of my campaign in September 2016 to become mayor of Port Macquarie-Hastings Council was based upon opposing rate rises and addressing the financial responsibility of council. 

Financial responsibility is still central to my campaign because it is part of my very being.

I believe council needs a thorough examination of its operations and processes and a commitment to a philosophy of continuous improvement.

At present council holds significant sums of money which are under-utilised.

Much of this money comes from council failing to deliver on its infrastructure build. Under-delivery leads to a growing surplus within council’s  bank account and ill managed projects lead to budget over spends and in turn frustrates the community.

I believe we need a balance. We need better delivery on our infrastructure, and a commitment to on-time and on-budget, however, in order to balance we also need to keep some money back for emergency situations.

The Port Macquarie-Hastings area is a fast growing regional city enjoying buoyant economic times. We need to take advantage of these opportunities and be financially responsible for creating a successful legacy for our future generations.

Rob Turner (Independent)

Understandably, roads, footpaths and parking were the number one priority in the Port News’ readers’ survey. However, my top priority since being elected to the council five years ago has been ensuring that ratepayers’ money is used responsibly, wisely and fairly for all residents.

The first post-Administrator council had to rebuild the balance sheet and it was some time before we were confident with the quality and accuracy of the financial information we were receiving.

Separating the Glasshouse accounts from the general ledger has allowed for greater transparency around financial reporting, while our portfolio management system makes for deeper financial engagement by councillors and a stronger overall performance.

The council’s financial audits consistently achieve best-practice standards, and meet or exceed NSW Treasury performance indicators.

Our reserves are within benchmarks of other large regional coastal councils that manage large-scale sewer and water services.

As a business owner and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, my emphasis as mayor will continue to be on good governance.

I’ll lead a council that operates within its financial means through balanced budgets.