The Operational Plan is a complex document, dry as a bone to read and not something anyone would read for fun.

But the OP is a vitally important document, setting out all council's financial information for the coming year, and all the programs and projects council intends to deliver.

The anticipated budget is near $190 million, including about $80 million in general rate revenue and nearly $80 million in capital works projects.

I encourage people to at least have a flip through the OP, available at all branch offices and Libraries, and through council's website.

Never mind the detail. Just get an idea of the astounding range of services and projects that your local council delivers each year!

Council's new website is up and running, and makes it much easier to communicate with council.

Have a look at what plans are presently on exhibition, and give feedback if you want, through what's called 'PMHC Listening'.

I know the council staff who are finally at the end of that link, and I know they genuinely want to hear your opinion and work with you to help council be a great service-provider to the community.

Councillors have been working quite intensively with council's directors over the past 18 months, looking to make all council's communications written in plain English and easier to read and understand.

There's also been a very specific focus on making financial reports easier to read.

In effect this meant translating how financial reports are required to be organised under local government regulations, into a format that is more familiar to businesses and households in general. It's an ongoing process, and hardly finished, but very satisfying if we can make council's information easier for everyone to read!

One of the features of this year's OP is that it presents a balanced budget, with zero deficit - planning to do only that which council actually intends to deliver.

Another feature is an additional one-off $1.4 million in road and footpath maintenance.

(Please note that these are Cr Intemann's opinions and not necessarily the opinion of Port Macquarie-Hastings Council)