The ongoing battle between Lismore City Council and members of the Richmond River Historical Society will continue today as council meets at 12:30pm for its extraordinary meeting.

The Richmond River Historical Society and its supporters will meet outside of council chambers again at midday to publicise their case for a lease/license to be signed so the Lismore Museum can stay in the Municipal building on Molesworth Street.

Lismore City Councillors will again vote on creating a Property Strategy so council can assess all of its building assets in terms of maintenance costs and potential commercial returns that will help it return to profitability quicker.

Council has 47 what they call 'peppercorn' leases, $1 per year, to community groups as part of its building assets makeup.

One of those buildings is the Municipal Building, which has housed the Richmond River Historical Society (RRHS) and the Lismore Museum for the last 33 years.

Before the February 11 ordinary council meeting, RRHS claimed council refused to renew its lease, saying they had no idea why council terminated the lease.

A spokesperson for Lismore City Council outlined the negotiation timeline between its staff and the appropriate RRHS member/s.

"At 9.32am on Thursday, 22 February 2024, Lismore City Council emailed representatives of the Richmond River Historical Society an offer to lease (or technically, licence) the Municipal Building on Molesworth Street for a peppercorn rent of $1 and informed them of the steps they need to take.

"This included payment of $109 lease/licence application fee, which was never paid.

"Over the next couple of months, Council and the RRHS negotiated the terms of the proposed lease/licence, such as who is responsible for the maintenance of the air-conditioning in the building.

"At 7.54am on Thursday, 2 May, Council received an email from a representative of the RRHS informing us that the last issue to be negotiated had been resolved and that the representative “will take it to the RRHS Management Committee for agreement and sign off”.

"As there was no response after more than eight months, the offer was formally withdrawn, and the RRHS informed at 12.48pm on Friday, 10 January 2025.

"Lismore City Council remains committed to working collaboratively with the Richmond River Historical Society to explore alternative options and secure a suitable location that meets their needs.

"Council has an obligation to ratepayers to ensure it delivers the best uses for its assets."

Lismore City Councillors voted that 'Priority be given to find a suitable location for the RRHS as part of the Property Strategy motion.

The Lismore App understands a number of alternative options have been shown to the RRHS, including their old home, the Trench Building on Molesworth Street, next to Stockpot, and the third floor of the Lismore Library at The Quad.

All options have been rejected so far.

It would appear the battle is becoming political rather than all parties finding a suitable home for the Lismore Museum and the RRHS. That, of course, may change following today's rescission motion vote.