Today, 10 March 2026, will be the first official monthly Lismore City Council meeting at the Municipal Building on Molesworth Street since 1991, when council moved to Goonellabah.

The return to the Municipal Building has been somewhat controversial due to the relocation of the Richmond River Historical Society. Today's agenda will keep the controversies coming when councillors will discuss relocating the Transit Centre, closing Molesworth Street near the pump station, while construction is occurring, forming a Crime and Prevention Advisory Group and opposing the speed limit reduction between Lismore and Casino from 100km/h to 80km/h.

The relocation of the Lismore Transit Centre is an option being considered following a meeting with Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin and the Northern Rivers Buslines.

The new Local Traffic Forum (LTF) has indicated that the matter be referred to the appropriate Council staff for further investigation, in consultation with bus companies.

The potential closure of Molesworth Street to quicken the build time of the new Browns Creek pump stations will also be discussed at today's meeting. The LTF said if the road was not closed it would double construction time and increase disruption to businesses and the community.

Councillors will decide if they should form a Crime Prevention Advisory Group.

This has been a motion that has been defeated in past council meetings. Council staff were tasked with putting a report together to look at the pros and cons of establishing the group.

Pros for the establishment of an advisory group are:

1. collaboration and partnerships with key stakeholders
2. community engagement and insight
3. recommendations to Council on priorities for future strategic direction

Cons for the establishment of an advisory group are:

• limited authority – advisory role only
• administrative burden on the councillor chairing the group
• Council currently engages and collaborates with organisations on a regular basis which are involved in youth, mental health and crime prevention, therefore this may be seen to be doublingup 

While councillors discuss creating a group, they will also discuss disbanding another, as Councillor (Cr) Big Rob moves a motion to disband the Aboriginal Advisory Group.

Cr Rob has said that several meetings have only had one community representative attend, and the meetings have been dominated by councillors.

Cr Andrew Gordon wants Council to oppose the reduction of the speed limit from 100 km/h to 80 km/h on the Bruxner Highway between Lismore and Casino.

He recognises the importance of protecting koalas; however, the blanket speed reductions on major regional transport routes risk slowing freight, increasing travel times, and causing non-compliance without necessarily reducing wildlife fatalities.

Cr Gordon is calling for evidence-based, targeted measures such as wildlife fencing, fauna underpasses, rumble strips, improved signage, and motion-detection systems, combined with publicly available data on koala strikes and mitigation effectiveness. He feels that this approach seeks to protect both wildlife and the safety, efficiency, and economic viability of the corridor. 

Public Access begins at 9am in the Municipal Building, with the meeting proper to begin at 10am.

If you don't have much planned today, you can view the meeting online by clicking this link.