By JESSE GRAHAM
THE YARRA Ranges Council has just released its latest draft budget, which will see capital works projects underway around the hills and valley, while capping rate increases for residents.
The draft budget, which was endorsed in principle at a council meeting on Tuesday 10 May, was released for public consultation on Wednesday 11 May, and maps out the coming year of projects for the council and how it will spent $178.22 million in revenue.
Capital works projects worth $38.49 million, including the construction of the Healesville Community Sports Pavilion, toilets along the Warburton Trail in Woori Yallock and $1.43 million for the Monbulk Regional Soccer Centre, will get underway or be completed during the 2016/17 financial year.
Of the $38.49 million, $14.26 million will be spent on upgrades and improvements to roads, while $3.51 million will be spent on footpath works.
Warburton will receive $300,000 in funding for the feasibility and design phase of the Warburton Mountain Bike Hub, as well as a further $300,000 for the design phase of township improvements.
In the hills, $896,000 will be spent on the construction of Upwey’s Community Sports Pavilion, while $261,000 will be spent on building renewal works at Yarra Junction’s Yarra Centre, Lillydale Lake and the Monbulk Aquatic Centre.
Yarra Ranges Council’s manager of financial procurement and rates Angelica Marshall said the council would be meeting the Victorian Government’s 2.5 per cent rate cap without cutting services.
“We’re not actually decreasing any services, any recurrent services, or … the capital works program – there’s still a robust capital works program,” she said.
“I think it’s actually a really positive budget for our community.”
CEO Glenn Patterson said that meeting the 2.5 per cent rate increase cap, instead of their projected 3.9 per cent rise, meant the council had to find $2 million in savings – and that millions more would need to be saved to continue meeting the cap in coming years.
“When you put that over 10 years, it’s a significant amount, and we’ve been able to do that,” he said.
He said that every part of the council would go through a service review, over a three-year period, to assess where savings could be found, and that 35 full-time equivalent staff had been dropped as a result.
“We’re probably more than halfway through that at the moment,” he said.
Corporate services director Troy Edwards said council’s recent decision to not provide VicRoads services from its community links in Healesville, Yarra Junction and Monbulk from the new financial year would save the organisation about $300,000 to $400,000 annually.
“That was obviously a difficult decision for the councillors and the organisation,“ he said.
“But I guess the message is pretty much you’re cross-subsidising State Government services in a rate capping environment.”
The councillors unanimously voted at the meeting to endorse the budget in principle, and release it to the public for comment until 9 June.
Councillor Andy Witlox said at the meeting that the rate increase for the 2007/08 financial year was set at 6.9 per cent, and that council had been on a “great journey” to bring costs down.
Mayor Jason Callanan said it was the job of councillors to listen to the community, and that residents “valued” council’s services, but wanted to keep rates “as low as possible”.
He said the council was in a “challenging situation”, due to decreases in Federal and State government funding, as well as the lower rate revenue from the cap.
“In response, this council has initiated an enterprise-wide approach to identify savings, with minimal impact on its services to our community, and to provide increased value for money to you as ratepayers,” he said.
He said that fees and charges would increase by 2.5 per cent, in line with CPI (Consumer Price Index), but that “most” fees and charges would be frozen at their current prices for pensioners.
The budget will provide $2.9 million to maternal, child health and immunisation services; $1.9 million for youth mental health and counselling, participation and engagement, and $4.1 million for early years development and inclusion services.
After costs, the budget projects a $20.11 million surplus for the year.
The draft budget, draft council plan 2013/17, long-term financial plan 2016/17 – 2025/26 and the capital expenditure program documents can be found at www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au
Cr Callanan said he encouraged residents to look over the documents and make a submission, even if it was “as short as a few lines”.
“It’ll be interesting to hear what comments come back,” he said.
Public submissions will be accepted until 5pm on Thursday 9 June, ahead of a special council meeting on 14 June.
Submissions can also be posted to the Chief Executive Officer, PO Box 105, Lilydale, 3140.
