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Home>Council Budget 2011 - 2012
| 2011-2012 Council Budget | | Consistent with Council's commitment to fiscal responsibility, the 2011-12 Budget has pegged the increased revenue to be raised from rates at 6% - which is a decrease from last year’s rise of 6.95%. To support low income ratepayers in the Shire, the fixed fee for both the Municipal Charge and the Environmental Charge has been abolished. Instead, Council will raise the equivalent amount of revenue via rates – which means the charges that residents pay will reflect property value, rather than paying a fixed fee.
The farming families at the heart of our Shire will continue to receive the farm differential at the discounted 65% of the general rate. Our mixed use, commercial and industrial sector will continue to pay a differential of 116%.
In developing the Budget, Council sought to balance the differing aspirations of the Shire's diverse communities - with a clear recognition of the need to keep increases in rate revenue as low as possible, without compromising service.
While there will not be a specific Environmental Charge, $109,000 will be raised via rate revenue, and this money will be used specifically to fund environmental projects across the Shire.
The Waste Management Charge and the Kerbside Collection Charges will raise $2 million in 2011-2012. This revenue is necessary to maintain service levels and meet the cost of a number of external influences affecting the operating budget.
Capital Works Program
The Capital Works program for 2011-2012 will be $17.5 million. Of this amount, $9.4 million is State Government funding specifically for flood recovery works, with $1.1 million carried forward from 2010-11. This compares with a Capital Works program in 2010-11 of $11.3 million, which included $2.8 million for the Doug Lindsay Recreation Reserve in Creswick.
New Projects
In addition to ongoing infrastructure works and maintenance, the Capital Works budget will fund the following projects:
• Flood Recovery ($9.4 million) - including works on roads, bridges, culverts, buildings and community infrastructure. It is anticipated that this will be fully reimbursed by way of insurance claims and Federal and State funding.
• Roads & Bridges ($4 million) - including reseals, resheets, stabilisation, footpath improvement and bridge design and construction ($80% Council funded);
• Daylesford, Clunes and Trentham Swimming Pool upgrades. The total cost is $204,000 - of which Council will fund $68,000.
• Smeaton Bowling Club upgrade. The total cost is $200,000 - of which Council will contribute $25,000.
• Clunes Community and Interpretive Centre. Council will contribute $300,000 to the redevelopment – which is dependent on Federal Government funding approval.
• Completion of the Daylesford Streetscape Project. The total cost is $340,000 – of which Council will contribute $40,000 in 2011-2012. Council also contributed $60,000 to this project in 2010-2011.
• A review of library services in Trentham. Council is funding the total cost of $50,000.
• The purchase of a new computer system and associated software programs which will allow the total integration of all Council’s technology requirements, and the input and retrieval of key Council data such as finance, property and rates, asset management, customer requests and purchasing. Council is funding the total cost of $641,000.
Please refer to the public notice for details of the Rates and Charges for 2011-12.
Click here for full details of the 2011-12 Budget
Click here for the 2011-12 Fees and Charges
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