The pro-development movement is in the spotlight as more than four million people cast their ballots across 128 councils.
Several councils face an unavoidable shift to the left after the Liberals' headline-grabbing debacle in which 140-odd endorsed candidates were not nominated.
Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig urged residents to get up to speed with candidates so they can make an informed decision as councils spend more than $22 billion a year on services and infrastructure.
"We need to elect councillors who are competent and hard-working so make your vote today count," Mr Hoenig said.
Among the 37 Mayors directly up for election is Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, who is seeking to extend her 20-year reign.
The elections will be marked by a lack of Liberal candidates after many weren't nominated. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)
Political analyst Ben Raue cautioned against putting too much stock in recent media toying with the idea Sydney's next lord mayor would be anyone but Ms Moore.
The 78-year-old's team had a history of winning slim majorities and again faces fractured opposition, he said.
"If you look at Clover's vote, it's tended to bounce up and down," the founder of the Tally Room election website told AAP.
"It's hard to see who would be the one to beat her."
Elsewhere, 140,000 voters in Sydney's fast-growing southwest will weigh in on the well-publicised fight between Liverpool's Liberal mayor and the Labor state government.
Labor had attempted to address alleged serious maladministration and dysfunction in the council and defer elections, only to run out of time due to the mayor's legal challenges.
The absence of the Liberals will also likely result in Penrith, Camden, Northern Beaches and Blue Mountains councils shifting left, though the Liberals could win seats in Parramatta.
Housing availability is tipped to be an issue among voters with a lack of dwellings at crisis level. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)
The first council poll since the national housing crisis took hold will also test whether affordable dwelling arguments can succeed at the local level.
More than 50 candidates - including Ms Moore - have taken a pledge with pro-development group Sydney YIMBY, which has won support from Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg and senior state Labor ministers.
David Borger, who chairs a pro-development alliance that includes Sydney YIMBY, Â said it was outrageous so many were lining up to block new homes "in the middle of the worst housing crisis we've ever seen".
"We need to ensure Sydney councils make place for everyone, not just for those who already own property and want to keep others out," he told AAP.
Not every area is being forced to the ballot box, with rural residents in Cowra, Junee and Berrigan enjoying an election-free Saturday after the number of nominations matched or fell short of available seats.
