Cr Balind said the first six months had been a "settling in" period and she was looking forward to seeing what council could achieve over the next three years.
THE city's ratepayers have given the new wave of councillors a cautious tick of approval for their first six months in power.
The initial tasks for the new council after the September 8 election mostly involved progressing the work of their predecessors advancing the private hospital, securing an airline for the Griffith to Melbourne route and completing the relocation of the freight terminal.
Council has made plenty of inroads into those projects, but Griffith Community Development Council (GCDC) president Carmel La Rocca said councillors would have to keep their "eyes on the ball" to make sure they continued to offer good service to the community.
"I think they still have a long way to go there are a lot of staffing issues that haven't been sorted out yet and there are the ongoing financial issues," Ms La Rocca said.
"It's a matter of really planning for the next three-and-a-half years, putting things on the agenda and following through with whatever needs to be done."
"They need to find ways to make the community better without all the hiccups of the past few years."
Ms La Rocca said she had not yet seen any evidence of the factions the previous council was renowned for and praised mayor John Dal Broi for handling his return to the role well.
Cr Dal Broi has made his presence felt in the six months since he was elected, promising to overhaul planning systems, taking a lead in the fight to prevent future flooding in Yenda and putting pressure on the city's new airline.
Former councillor Tom Marriott believed Cr Dal Broi had improved since his last term as mayor, which finished in 2008.
"John always did a decent job as mayor, but in my time on council I didn't find him very reliable," Mr Marriott said.
"It would appear he has rectified that, from the little bit I have seen.
"I do hear complaints about council of course, but to me things seem to be going along OK."
Four new councillors were elected in September Cr Dal Broi, Alison Balind, Leon Thorpe and Paul Rossetto.
Cr Balind said the first six months had been a "settling in" period and she was looking forward to seeing what council could achieve over the next three years.
"It has been interesting it's a good exercise in seeing how groups of people can reach a decision," Cr Balind said.
"There haven't been any major new projects yet, but the fact that council is putting in a submission for funding for the freight terminal and the progression of the private hospital are important steps forward in long-term ambitions for the community."