I WOKE up this morning and started interacting with our City services without even appreciating it.

I brushed my teeth with City of Coffs Harbour supplied water, then after putting the garbage out for the City of Coffs contractor to collect, I walked the City of Coffs footpath, past the shops where the City of Coffs sweeper was operating, over the parklands that City of Coffs had recently mown and sprayed for bindi-eyes.

A couple were cooking breakfast in the park on the City of Coffs maintained BBQs, I waved to the City of Coffs ranger and had a swim at our City of Coffs patrolled beach.

This just scratches the surface with the responsibilities of City of Coffs Harbour, including:
· Nearly 900 kms of sealed roads
· 114km of unsealed roads
· In excess of 30 ground level carparks
· 2 multi-level carparks
· Over 170 road bridges
· 174 pedestrian/footbridges including the Historic Coffs Harbour Timber Jetty
· 109 boat ramps for powered watercraft
· Five boat ramps for non-powered watercraft
· Over 340 kms of footpaths and cycle ways
· In excess of 250 kms of stormwater pipes
· 7 cemeteries
· North Coast Regional Botanic Garden
· 300 community buildings
· 69 playgrounds
· Five skate parks
· 150 bus shelters
· Four prescribed stormwater detention basins, eleven unprescribed stormwater detention basins
· In excess of 2,500 hectares of reserves, parks and sporting fields
· 44 public amenities (toilets)

Currently City of Coffs Harbour can only increase the rates to a maximum of 3.8 percent per year.

Inflation is running at close to 8 percent per year.

It is a big job but the good people that work at the City relish the challenge.

Footnote: As the valuation notifications of your properties arrive, you will probably see large increases in the unimproved land value.

This is not related directly to the proportion of increase in rates you can expect.

The rates ‘pool’ is capped and the land values are only used to calculate proportional increases.

Most properties will retain their proportional value.

By Paul AMOS, Mayor, City of Coffs Harbour