In what must be a first for Lismore City Council, at least in the last 20 years, councillors will vote on a zero percent increase to rates at next week's monthly meeting when the 2022/23 Budget is discussed.

No, this is not a mistake, a zero percent rate increase.

At a council briefing last night that lasted a short 75 minutes, councillors were informed about the proposed 2022/23 Budget which included the zero increase. In previous years, the maximum rate increase has been included in the budget as Lismore City Council (LCC) struggled to remove the red ink from its bottom line.

The maximum rate increases are set by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) each year. These have ranged from 3.6% in 2006/07 to last year's 2% rate peg.

Mayor Steve Krieg told the Lismore App this morning, LCC can deliver a zero increase to rates because "we have looked at the same problem through a different set of eyes".

"I want to give credit to our new General Manager John Walker. He is very good at his job, taking Kalgoorlie from one of the worst-performing councils in W.A. to one of the best."

Mayor Krieg then took a swipe at previous council's management of the budget.

"We have been in our financial situation because of the incompetence of previous councils. There has been no asset management plan until now. Our goal is to only settle for best practice. I want to be the best council in NSW within four to five years with long term sustainability."

According to the mayor, there will be some small service fee charges that will be included in the budget that have not been charged previously. The details of which will be revealed at next week's council meeting.

The 2022/23 Budget will also see an increase in the amount of money to fix roads and potholes.

"I was voted in with a mandate to fix our roads and that starts now with our first budget," Mayor Krieg said.

Rate relief has been a big issue for the thousands that have lost their homes during the monstrous February 28 flood and is an area that is still being finalised.

"Rate relief is a complex issue because it involves state government regulations which we are working through".

The next Lismore City Council meeting is Tuesday, May 10 starting at 6pm at council chambers in Goonellabah or you can watch it online.