THE end of the financial year means tax returns and new budget cycles, and for council it also marks the release of the Division of Local Government's council performance report card.
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I am pleased that Lake Macquarie City Council continues to perform strongly on all key economic efficiency and financial management measures.
The council has significant responsibility in providing more than 90 services for our 200,000 residents, so it is important that we use our resources as effectively as we can.
This year's report card shows that Lake Macquarie provides a more efficient use of community funds when compared to its peer group of councils and the NSW average. In the 2012-13 financial year, the council operated with significantly lower costs per person and had fewer employees per capita than our neighbouring councils.
Overall, council is out-performing the NSW average on most points of comparison.
These results are similar to the past three years, which shows the council continues to be well placed to provide good-quality daily services that all our residents expect.
The council continues to have a good record for development approvals, with the third lowest average number of days to determine development applications, and an Infrastructure Audit assessed council's infrastructure management to be strong.
For several years now the council has been improving its efficiency and working towards financial sustainability, something NSW Treasury and IPART have recognised.