Council & Business
29 June, 2023
Flooded road repairs, rate rise feature in 2023/24 council budget
Rates and waste charges in the shire are set to increase from July 1, with the Central Goldfields Shire Council adopting its 2023/24 budget and a significant $18.5 million capital works program. The budget was adopted unanimously at Tuesday’s...
Rates and waste charges in the shire are set to increase from July 1, with the Central Goldfields Shire Council adopting its 2023/24 budget and a significant $18.5 million capital works program.
The budget was adopted unanimously at Tuesday’s ordinary council meeting following community consultation and feedback on the draft version in May and June.
The adopted budget for the coming financial year includes a rate increase of 3.5 percent in line with the State Government’s Fair Go Rates System rate cap, as well as an 8.7 percent increase to council’s waste charges.
The report tabled to this week’s council meeting reveals a number of additional projects and costs have been added to the budget since the draft phase, including almost $400,000 in workcover costs, just over $200,000 in grant funding for new staff including a community development officer and $40,000 for repair works at the Talbot Museum.
Speaking during the meeting, councillor Geoff Lovett said hundreds of hours had gone into preparing the budget.
“The budget process to date has consisted of five half-day workshops on components of budget with councillors and one briefing on the consolidated budget,” he said.
“This has resulted in hundreds of hours going into the preparation of the budget.
“I’d like to point out that this council has never applied to the State Government for a rate cap variation and will continue to manage council services as efficiently as possible within the rate cap.”
Projects funded under the budget’s capital works program include $6.8 million road restoration program to repair local roads following last year’s floods, building upgrades to the Maryborough Town Hall, redevelopment of the Deledio Reserve netball courts, continuation of the Maryborough Railway Station activation project, completion of the Talbot Futures planning project and feasibility and design work for a new youth hub.
Funded programs to continue for the next financial year, according to the draft, include the Engage Youth Program, Freeza, L2P, Municipal Emergency Resourcing Program, Kerbside Reform Program and Flood recovery coordination.
Mayor Grace La Vella said the budget would bring positive results across the community.
“We’re thrilled we’ve been able to deliver a budget that continues to deliver 40 plus services and an exciting capital works budget that will stimulate our local economy and result in some fantastic community facilities and assets,” she said.