Councils brace for biggest shake-up in years at Tasmanian elections

Empty shopfronts, parking spaces and bicycle lanes are among the issues on voters' minds, as council elections with the potential to redraw Tasmania's local government landscape enter their final week.

The number of councillors statewide is being cut by 50, and several high-profile mayors are stepping aside, meaning many town halls are almost guaranteed a shake-up.

More than 235,000 ballot papers had been returned as of Wednesday, according to the Tasmanian Electoral Commission, meaning about 55 per cent of votes have been cast.

Mick Tucker, the president of the Local Government Association of Tasmania, said each of the state's 29 councils had its own "hot topic" which reflected the "wishes and needs" of residents.

Debate in some jurisdictions has centred on bringing down council rates, while recurring topics have been repairing roads or improving the conduct of elected members.

What do voters want?

Clarence District Cricket Club president Paul Gregg said the club was told by the Clarence City Council their annual fee to use the oval and facilities at Kangaroo Bay could increase from $73,000 to $136,000.

He said this could make the sporting club "unviable" and was one of the reasons why the council's relationship with local sporting clubs was the single biggest priority for himself and others this election.

"We need some immediate action and that's around the financial pressures for sure … and then a plan and some investment for sporting infrastructure on the eastern shore," Mr Gregg said.

Hobart resident Winnie Nguyen said the most important factor influencing her vote was the number of parking spaces across the city's CBD, where she works and studies.

"Trying to find a car park is such a frustration every single day, so if that can be improved, then I think that will benefit a lot of people," Ms Nguyen said.

Mick Statham, who lives in Launceston, said his biggest concerns were cycling infrastructure and getting the local council to breathe new life into the city.

"There are so many empty shops around and it just seems to be dying a bit,"

Mr Statham said.

Blackmans Bay local Phil Douglas said the key issue for him was for candidates to address a recent push by the Kingborough Council to rezone more than 1,500 properties into landscape conservation.

"It basically means that the government controls everything that we can do on our property, whether it's cutting down a tree, whether it's building an outbuilding," he said.

Maureen Gillard was hoping a new Launceston City Council could slow a surge of developments in Newstead, which she felt was impacting traffic and making parking "chaotic".

Sandy Bay resident Felicity Williams would like to see more attention given to improving the condition of footpaths and kerb ramps across Hobart.

"They're the kind of things that I've found a little challenging when navigating with the pram, and it's really made me think about people with accessibility issues," Ms Williams said.

Mayoral shuffle

A string of Tasmanian mayors will leave the job at this election, including Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds, who has accepted a role at the Global Solar Council.

Some of the other councils where the incumbent mayor has chosen to not seek re-election include Huon Valley, George Town, Latrobe, Meander Valley, Kingborough, Waratah-Wynyard and West Tamar.

Despite their prominent position, mayors only have one vote, so their real influence comes from leading council meetings and being the public face for decisions.

George Town mayor Greg Kieser, who is stepping aside to allow for "new energy" to take the role, said there could be "minimal disruption" during a mayoral swap, so long as the new leader has enough experience.

"However, there are also some equally very new people who have no experience with local government at all," Cr Kieser said.

"For them, a step into the mayoral role is going to be quite frictional and quite challenging — not to say it's impossible."

Cr Kieser said the role was often misunderstood, with mayors limited to strategy and governance while the general manager and staff run day-to-day operations.

But he rejected the idea that mayors were simply figureheads, saying they held "relationship equity" with state and federal stakeholders and their communities.

With a sizeable group of mayors leaving at once, and some potentially set to be unseated by rivals, many councils will be relying on new leaders to build those relationships from scratch.

Reduction in councillors

One of the biggest changes being brought by this election is a reduction in the number of councillors statewide from 263 to 213.

This will result in the number of seats within the five largest councils being reduced from 12 to 9, while every other council will now have just seven spots.

Mr Tucker said the sector had embraced the change, and he expected it to result in more committed councillors across the board.

"It's really important to have people who are really fully committed to the job to put their hand up," he said.

"You'll find that you'll have more dedicated, determined councillors standing because they really have belief in their community."

Cr Kieser said George Town had already operated with fewer councillors because of two vacancies and had found it "quite workable".

But he said the smaller councils would have to be more strategic and that councillors would likely be required to cover more committees and panels to accommodate the drop.

"You have to choose your battles probably a little bit more selectively,"

Cr Kieser said.

Voters urged to hand in ballots

Tasmania's electoral commissioner Andrew Hawkey said the number of votes returned at this stage was lower than at the same point in 2022.

This is only the second time that voting in local government elections has been mandatory in Tasmania.

While no penalties were issued after the 2022 election, Mr Hawkey warned this would not be the case this time, with the "full failure-to-vote process" to apply, including penalties of up to $41.

The electoral commission had been urging Tasmanians to post their ballot papers by Wednesday, October 21 to ensure they are delivered before the cut-off.

Those who still need to return their votes can drop them off directly at their local council offices. Supplementary ballot packs are also available.