The council adopted the Annual Plan, noting that fiscal constraints and the shift to online and digital books had led to the decision to reduce spending on books by nearly $1.1 million. The Plan was inconsistent with the libraries levels of service policy because it reduced the number of books per head of population from the policy level of 2.6 items to 2.4 items.
Councillors adopted the plan which included a 2 per cent increase in the general rate based on the movement in the Consumer Price Index and a special 4.7 per cent levy to raise $5 million for additional stormwater relief works.
Last year's council elections witnessed a big clean-out of the old council, with only Rick Curach, Bill Grainger and Catherine Stewart surviving.