She said she feels the” time is right to move on” to other things and ring in a new leader.

“I think two terms as mayor is enough,” she said.

“I think mayoral change is very healthy - it’s healthy for the organisation to have a change.”

The current candidates present some exciting potential, she said, although it’s early days yet.

In her time, Ms Shepherd said the council had achieved some significant changes and weighty decisions in improving the future of Katherine.

And she said she was “satisfied” to be leaving the council in a better financial situation, with more than $5 million in the coffers.

“We’ve actually had money put away to maintain assets, there was very little of that before,” Ms Shepherd said.

“And current elected members have agreed to keep $5 million put away to manage community assets for the future.”

Tabling the reserve account was a difficult task requiring careful management, Ms Shepherd said.

Commissioning more infrastructure and services including a skate park, an adventure playground, a bigger roads program and more urban upkeep were also listed among the council’s accomplishments.

Funding has been secured for the cultural precinct, which is now extending into its next stages.

Ms Shepherd said she was disappointed the project hadn’t taken on the original, “more viable” plan, but welcomed the work which was moving into the fit-out stage.

And now - only months before the end of Ms Shepherd’s second term - a new plan she has been working towards is coming to fruition.

“At long last, we are going to have a land use plan,”

she said.

“I’ve been talking about that since I was first elected mayor.

“The Northern Territory government has employed a consultant, with the first draft due later in the year.”

In recent times, Katherine Town Council has received more than $800,000 for first-stage work on the museum to house the Gypsy Moth, and secured $200,000 in local government grants.