Wakefield’s budget adopted for 2024/25
Council has adopted its 2024/25 Annual Community Plan following community consultation throughout June.
Mayor Rodney Reid said this year’s budget benefited from the large amount of grant funding opportunities Council was able to secure.
“Thanks to successful grant funding opportunities including the Open Space Grant Program, the PIRSA Enabling Infrastructure Program and the Federal Government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program we’ve been able to add an extra $2.869M worth of funding to our budget.
“Over the coming year I look forward to seeing how this year’s plan will unfold as our projects begin to activate our communities,” Mayor Reid said.
Key major projects for this year’s budget include:
* $2.8M for Edward Street, Port Wakefield including Main Street upgrades, tidal pool dredging, and swimming pool bridge replacement
* $560K for roundabout renewal works in Balaklava at the Short Terrace and Edit Terrace roundabout
* $1.5M 5km Koolunga Road reconstruction, including $750k support from the Supplementary Local Road Program. The road will be renewed from Boucaut Road to Brinkworth.
* $70K for new paving on Main Street and Railway Terrace, Owen.
Council’s capital works budget will be $12M to deliver Wakefield 2030 priority projects which consists of $3.35M in capital renewal works and $8.66M in new capital projects.
Rate in the dollar valuations were adopted as;
* Residential - 0.34833 cents in the dollar
* Commercial - 0.387 cents in the dollar
* Industrial - 0.376 cents in the dollar
* Primary Production - 0.202 cents in the dollar
* Vacant land - 0.34833 cents in the dollar
* Other - 0.356 cents in the dollar
Council will target an operating deficit of $1.16M in 2024/25 due to operating revenues of $19.3M and operating expenses of $20.46M, road renewals and community wastewater network operational costs continue to rise plus the carryover of the $200k to dredge the Port Wakefield Tidal Lagoon from 2023/24.
The full 2024/25 Annual Community Plan can be viewed on Council’s website at wrc.sa.gov.au.