COUNCIL delivered what is being called a ‘cost-of-living relief’ budget, yesterday (Wednesday, June 26, 2024), at the Proserpine Council Chambers.
“In the face of a challenging economic climate, Whitsunday Regional Council today unveiled a cost-of-living budget that focuses on the most critical needs of the community,” a statement published yesterday said.
Mayor Ry Collins – delivering his first budget as Mayor – said the 2024-25 Council budget ‘ensured the essential services that our community relies upon are maintained while also positioning the Whitsunday region for future growth and prosperity’.
“Council’s priority for this budget has been to maintain essential services, address legacy issues in our waste business, and adequately plan for the future, while keeping rates as low as possible,” Mayor Collins said.
“In doing so today, we’re presenting a 0 per cent yield increase in general residential owner-occupied rates across the region.
“This measure is intended to dampen the impact of the huge variation in the new State Government valuations handed down this year on our residents.
“Land valuations help determine rates, so Council is appealing to the State Government for more clarity and certainty around the timings of these valuations, to protect our ratepayers from significant spikes like we are experiencing in this budget.
“What we’ll see, in practice, is that some ratepayers will be paying less, and some will pay more.”
Mayor Collins said it was important to Council to think ‘not just about challenges in the short term, but that we remain a financially sustainable Council in the long term’.
“Against the backdrop of these financial challenges, Councillors have worked hard to deliver a financially sustainable budget,” he said.
“The cost-of-living crisis has had a huge impact on the cost of running Council, and I’m very aware that it has also had a huge impact on residents and business owners.
“With the federal and more recent state budgets being handed down, it has become apparent that cost shifting by the higher tiers of government is seriously impacting the future sustainability of regional Councils and our ability to deliver the services and growth that our communities deserve.”
Since 2002, the financial impact of services shifted onto local councils over a 12-month period has risen from $47 million to $360 million, he said.
Mayor Collins said this cost-shifting was directly impacting council’s ability to deliver vital services such as roads, parks, gardens, swimming pools and libraries.
“In meeting with the state opposition leader David Crisafulli, last week, I raised this as an issue of significance for councils and I will be advocating to the Premier and major parties to support local communities like ours, by undertaking a Parliamentary Inquiry into local government cost shifting — an unfair burden impacting our ratepayers,” he said.
“Waste management has been a challenge with increasing compliance costs, so Council has had to increase waste service charges by six per cent to cover the costs of operations and ensure we are able to manage our waste sustainably now and into the future.”
Water and sewage utilities will also increase eight per cent and three per cent respectively, to meet increasing service costs, support strategic network planning and deliver network upgrades that ensures Council efficiently meets the needs of growth ‘for generations to come’.
Highlights of Council’s 2024/2025 capital works program include Whitsunday Coast Airport treatment plant upgrade, resealing program to maintain rural roads, new solar at Bowen and Proserpine pools, sealing and lighting of Collinsville airstrip, Jubilee Pocket Road trunk water main, and a major investment in waste infrastructure to future-proof and improve compliance.
Mayor Collins said that he and Councillors were committed to ensuring that Council’s financial decisions reflected the needs and priorities of the Whitsunday community.
“It is apparent that we must not only seek to reduce costs but work smarter, look for efficiencies and grow our total rate base and number of rateable properties,” Mayor Collins said.
“New housing is critical to this, not only in sharing the growing cost of new infrastructure but also supporting affordability and access in our community.
“We will collaborate with, and call on, our state and federal governments, as well as private developers, to increase the availability and quantity of affordable housing in our region.
“Having met extensively with stakeholders around new housing, since my election, the opportunities for this are on our doorstep but we must step forward to realise them, I will do my best to lead the way,” he said.
“As we look forward, we have allocated funds for strategic projects that will drive service, growth, innovation, and create new opportunities for our businesses and residents.
“We will continue to listen to your feedback, engage with our community, and adapt our plans to best serve our residents.”
Visit the Whitsunday Regional Council website and our Facebook page for a range of information and videos relating to the 2024-25 WRC budget.
