The Record · Organisation
How Central Coast Council works
Last updated 3 July 2026 · This page grows as we learn more.
One council runs the entire Central Coast, which council describes as the sixth largest urban area in Australia. Fifteen councillors, elected across five wards for a four-year term running to September 2028, sit above an administration led by the Chief Executive Officer with five directorates. Most of what this masthead covers starts in this building.
People in role
Mayor: Lawrie McKinna
Quoted as Mayor in council’s June 2026 stormwater announcement.
Acting Mayor (June 2026): John Mouland
Spoke for council in the budget adoption announcement.
Chief Executive Officer: David Farmer
Quoted in both announcements above.
Directors (as quoted in 2026 announcements)
Luke Nicholls, Environment and Planning; Boris Bolgoff, Infrastructure Services.
The rhythms worth knowing
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Ordinary council meetings, monthly
Held at the council chambers; the schedule page lists dates. Next: 28 July 2026.
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Local Planning Panel, monthly
The independent panel (a chair, two planning professionals and a community representative) that determines development applications beyond staff delegation. Dates on the LPP page.
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The budget cycle, annual
Draft Delivery Program, Operational Plan, budget and fees go on exhibition through Your Voice Our Coast around April-May, then adoption in late June. Rates rises are capped by the rate peg IPART sets each year: 3.2 per cent for 2026-27, per the stormwater announcement.
The council, benchmarked
The NSW Office of Local Government’s Your Council site compares each council with its peer group (for Central Coast, other metropolitan fringe councils), using the council’s own 2023/24 data returns. The shape it shows: a council roughly twice the size of its typical peer, serving an older and lower-income population.
| Measure | Central Coast | Group average |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time-equivalent staff | 1,825 | 897 |
| Revenue | $823.6m | $356.4m |
| Expenses | $677.9m | $275.9m |
| Road length | 2,269.66 km | 1,068.75 km |
| Public swimming pool complexes (incl. rock pools) | 20 | 5 |
| Public halls | 116 | 40 |
| Public libraries | 10 | 4.9 |
| Population per councillor | 23,654 | 15,111 |
| Ratepayers on pensioner rebates | 17.1% | 12.3% |
| Average taxable income | $60,914 | $69,910 |
Methodology
Benchmark figures are from the Your Council page for Central Coast (Source 5), 2023/24 data year, which draws on the council’s financial statements, annual report and data returns. Percentages rounded to one decimal. The peer group is the Office of Local Government’s metropolitan fringe comparison group.
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