MOUNT Gambier City Council’s 2017/18 draft budget has flagged an average residential rate increase of around 4pc in the next financial year.
The draft budget proposes a 4.5pc rate revenue increase due to a combination of savings in operational costs and reduced reliance on loans due to success in grant funding applications.
Growth factor estimates of 0.5pc on new assessments should soften the average increase to approximately 4pc.
Rate revenue will continue to account for approximately 70pc of council’s operating income.
Capital expenditure of $8.1m has been predicted, with $4.9m allocated to waste management – a significant jump from $1.2m allocated to waste management in 2016/17.
Meanwhile, $3.6m has been allocated to parks, gardens, recreation and leisure, $2m to tourism and economic development, $2m to the library and $1.8m to community amenities and facilities.
Mayor Andrew Lee said key influences on this year’s budget included cost pressures following China’s waste import ban, increases to utility costs (particularly street lighting) and infrastructure upgrades to enable NBN connectivity.
“The draft budget is a statement of the city’s intended program and outcomes for the upcoming financial year and has been developed with reference to the community plan, the futures paper for 2016-2020, long-term financial and asset management frameworks,” Mr Lee said.
“It outlines our objectives for the year, how they will be achieved and the methods used to monitor and measure performance.
“Other key influences include a major focus on economic development, including tourism and employment opportunities and continued investment to promote Mount Gambier as a visitor destination, a regional retail and commercial hub as well as a quality destination to host major events and conferences.”
Special meetings of council to refine the draft budget will be held this month to consider public submissions and to finalise and adopt the 2017/18 annual business plan and budget.
