LAKE Macquarie council's "realistic and achievable" contract with the community is almost signed and sealed with $113 million worth of new projects and upgrades ready to be delivered.
It's expected to be a big year for huge growth areas like Morisset and the "North West Catalyst Area", which wraps in Glendale, Cardiff, Cockle Creek, Boolaroo and Teralba.
The council has it earmarked as the "geographical heart of the Hunter", saying it is destined to become a lifestyle, retail and employment hub for the region.
Close the M1 and the rail line, the transformation in Morisset and Cooranbong is designed to make it attractive to Sydney business owners and investors, council chief executive Morven Cameron said.
"I'm looking forward to master-planning Morisset and the North West Catalyst Area because both are areas where new residents are moving in," she said.
"We need new facilities to attract jobs, and really the entire feel of those communities will change over time.
"I'm a great believer that it's our responsibility to be ready for that - not be playing catch-up when the state government needs us to be prepared."
In the next 20 years, the catalyst area is expected to deliver more than 6000 new jobs, 4000 homes and $1.8 billion in economic benefits to regional NSW and the state.
There's a huge opportunity for residential development, with more than 450ha of urban renewal land on offer.
Outside of the city's north-west, there are a number of big ticket items on the agenda.
The council plans to focus its attention on the delivery of the $42 million state-of-the-art Hunter Sports Centre Expansion.
But it will need to find a further $12.6m to fund it due to a cost blowout identified earlier this year.
Once complete, the ambitious project will boast a three-storey extension at the end of the existing building at Glendale, kitted out with a new function room, two multi-purpose rooms, a commercial kitchen, amenities, offices and a cafe on the ground floor.
Upstairs a health and fitness centre with a gym, two group fitness rooms and change rooms will sit aside a dedicated space to run large events on the third floor.
Also on the to-do list is the Awaba House rebuild at Booragul, a new community recycling centre at Eastlakes, a new pump track at Redhead and a youth hub at Rathmines.
The Fernleigh Awabakal Shared Track project will also be wrapped up with the council expected to spend a total of $5.1m on cycling facilities.
There's also $3.7m set aside for improvements to existing parks and playgrounds, $2.1m in swim centre overhauls and beach facilities and $7.4m in upgrades to traffic pinch-points across the city.
While it's not a record-breaking budget, Ms Cameron said the council had been lucky enough to receive an "unprecedented" amount of grants through the pandemic which allowed it to get on with the task of providing projects the community desperately wants and needs.
"In terms of capital works [new projects] we have to be very realistic in the number we can achieve with staff and inflationary pressures, and we're very conscious of the long-term," she said.
"I'm confident we have the appropriate level of capital spend to be sustainable in the long-term and deliver good quality infrastructure."
Anything new the council builds depreciates over time, costing it money in replacements and upgrades down the track.
This financial year sporting facilities are the real winner, with a projected $27 million spend.
The council will fork out $22.8m on roads and $8.5m on bridges.
It plans to spend the least on libraries, cultural facilities and emergency services support at a combined total of $2.1m.
Ms Cameron said this year's operational plan is essentially the council's contract with the community, and she wants to be held accountable.
Choosing exactly which projects get the go-ahead is a complex process, planning often starts four to 10 years in advance.
Some of the council's strategies go as far as 2050 and beyond.
"It's hugely important, the one-year operational plan, it's the document that says in the next 12 months to the community, visitors, residents and business owners that this is what council is going to deliver," Ms Cameron said.
"We believe the projects and activities we've outlined are things we will deliver that are consistent with the vision and values of the community.
"These are projects the community have told us are important to them."
The majority of the council's funds come from ratepayers, with locals chipping in $158.5m to the 2023-24 budget.
The rest comes from a mix of grants and developer contributions, fees and charges, interest on investments and the sale of assets.
Given the community provides a significant amount of money for local projects, Ms Cameron said it's important the purse strings are well-managed.
She said the council has actively tried to make it easier for the community to hold it accountable, making the information easier to digest and trace.
"Once a park at the end of someone's road makes its way into the four-year plan, that community member should be able to see it in concept design, detailed design and when it goes out to tender," she said.
"So if at anytime it doesn't go from concept design to a feasibility study or it doesn't stack up - that should be very apparent.
"There's always hundreds of ideas for projects, in a city the size of ours. We employ 1300 hugely passionate people who want to see our city do well - so there's always projects that haven't even made it into the plan yet for ideation and they come out in bigger strategy documents.
"We have to look at the new assets our city needs or will need in the future."
With the council election coming up in September 2024, the council will also review its ward boundaries particularly in the west of the city as the population continues to grow.
Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser said the draft Operational Plan was a blueprint to help the city prosper.
"We want to hear from the community to make sure we have our priorities right when it comes to spending and investment across our city," she said.
The Lake Macquarie council plan is on public exhibition until April 25.
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