Roads + assets secure $6.8m slice of council budget
Published 1st August 2018
| 1 August 2018 |
• Council is spending $6.8m towards renewing and maintaining its assets
• Roads remain Council’s largest expenditure – 60% of the capital budget
• Town beautification is also in the spotlight
• Residents will see an average 5.5% rate rise - or $1.80 a week for residential properties - under Council’s ‘steady as she goes’ approach to its budget
Wakefield Regional Council adopted its Annual Business Plan and Budget for 2018/19 during a special meeting today (1 August).
The budget outlines the services and programs Council will provide to the region in the coming year. This includes delivering $5.5m of existing ‘business as usual’ services such as waste collection and community programs, as well as $6.8m to renew, maintain and build assets.
Key projects within the budget include the roll out of the community-wide signage strategy ($192,000), studies into childcare demand ($10,000) and a major focus on townscaping through the sealed streets and avenues of trees programs ($132,000).
Mayor Rodney Reid said the budget ensures Council delivers the right mix of services, infrastructure and facilities for the benefit of the community.
“We have a huge road network to look after here in Wakefield – so it’s no surprise we have allocated 60% of our capital spend to this important infrastructure,” Mayor Reid said.
“Under the new budget we will be kickstarting programs to refresh parts of our region. This includes planting more street trees, two new town entry statements and around 1,000 new signs to replace faded street signs across the road network.”
Council has remained on track with its ‘steady as she goes’ approach to its budget plans, aiming to meet financial objectives and satisfy the needs of the community with enough flexibility to respond to changes such as rate capping.
On average, residents can expect a 5.5% increase to their rates - or $1.80 extra per week for an average residential property. This will change depending on changes to property valuations.
“This is what we were aiming for last year – an increase so we can keep developing Wakefield into a future-focused region and a great place to live, work and play.”
Residents will receive a summary of the Annual Business Plan and Budget 2018/19 in their rates notice. These are expected to be mailed out in the second half of August. The full version of the plans can be accessed here.