The City of Casey has unveiled its Draft Council Plan 2021-25 - Year 3 Review and its Draft Budget 2023/24 created in line with community priorities highlighted through extensive, multi-year community engagement.
At its Council meeting on Tuesday 18 April 2023, Council endorsed a suite of draft strategic documents for public exhibition:
- Draft Council Plan 2021-25 - Year 3 Review
- Draft Annual Action Plan 2023/24
- Draft Budget 2023/24
- Draft 2023/24 Capital Works Program
This year's draft budget totals $542.26 million, including a $467.44 million operational budget and a $74.82 million capital works program. This includes having a major focus on finding a balance - within the constraints of tighter economic conditions - between financial sustainability and being responsive to the needs of the Casey community.
The Draft Budget 2023/24 sees Council committing to a year of consolidation through its Capital Works Program, with a view to the longer-term wellbeing of the community, by planning and acting now for a future that is both economically and environmentally sustainable.
Some key projects in the Draft Budget 2023/24 include:
- $57 million towards waste management services
- $45 million towards child, youth and family services
- $23 million towards community connection and wellbeing
- $22 million towards the road network
- $19 million towards parks and open spaces
- $11 million towards sports and leisure
And some highlights of our Draft Capital Works Program specify directing:
- $20.55 million into roads
- $19.37 million into recreational, leisure and community facilities
- $6.20 million into parks, open space and streetscapes
- $4.85 million into drainage
- $3.41 million into footpaths and cycleways
Some of the key projects to be completed over the next 12 months include:
- $3.89 million for the Ballarto Road to South Gippsland Highway Intersection
- $2.28 million for the Ray Bastin Reserve redevelopment
- $1.65 million for playground improvement works
- $1.62 million for the Robert Booth pavilion construction
- $1.18 million for Stage 2 of the 1001 Bayview Park Steps
- $1.00 million for the Pearcedale Pavilion renewal works
- $0.90 million for the Max Pawsey Tennis Pavilion
- $0.48 million for renewal works at the Lynbrook Family and Children's Centre.
City of Casey Chair of Administrators Noelene Duff PSM said that the full suite of draft strategic documents was developed to deliver on community priorities as highlighted through extensive community engagement.
"In 2022 and 2023, two years since the original Shape Your City engagement campaign, we again checked in with the community to understand what services are of priority," Ms Duff said.
"Some of the strong themes identified across the municipality in the two-year check-in were open spaces and recreation, our environment, transport and infrastructure, community connectedness and maintaining public places - especially parks and reserves.
"These strategic documents continue to reflect the community's stated aspirations for the future of Casey, which are to become a more connected, bold, and resilient community. We have taken what our community has told us is important and made them our priorities, as we continue working to manage growth, create social connections, build sustainable infrastructure, create local jobs and deliver services.
"Our focus is on navigating the challenges facing Council's 2023/24 Budget that exist around balancing the current financial environment with the needs and expectations of our growing community.
"These factors have necessitated a 3.5 per cent rates rise in line with the State Government's rate cap, while also acknowledging and responding proactively to the general financial hardship and mortgage stress that is being felt throughout the community, mostly due to inflation and increased home loan interest rates. We are continuing to take actions designed to absorb the impact of these realities, where possible, as well as introducing a hardship relief package again this year. This is in addition to the significant financial assistance of some $1.5M the City of Casey continues to provide to a broad range of organisations within the municipality that deliver direct support services for people experiencing hardship."
City of Casey CEO Glenn Patterson said that to meet the challenges to this year's Budget, brought about by external factors and significant continuing cost escalations, Council has strengthened its strategic focus on consolidating its Capital Works program, with no new initiatives outlined in the Draft Budget 2023/24.
"Due to a range of factors during 2022/23, including post COVID-19 economic conditions such as supply chain delays, limited access to some construction materials, limited market response to tenders, and significant increases in construction costs, the City of Casey has rephased some previously approved projects to occur throughout 2023/24," Mr Patterson said.
"Cost escalations to Council are significant (at Casey around 11% per annum), tracking markedly higher than the reported Consumer Price Index. Factors include increases to the cost of external contracts, capital works, inflation, cost-shifting from State Government to the local government sector, and $9.6 million to cover the State Government's Waste Levy charges in 2023/24.
"Our Draft Capital Works Program therefore includes a mix of continuing projects and renewal of some infrastructure and assets across the city. The operational budget will allow for the delivery of crucial services across the City of Casey, including kindergarten, maternal and child health services, waste management, and infrastructure maintenance."
"We are committed to identifying and taking opportunities that transform our services to be more efficient, while continuing to meet key community service expectations.
Council is proposing a relief package for ratepayers as follows:
- Suspension of late payment penalty interest until 30 June 2023. This amounts to a cost of $600,000 to be funded from savings across Council's budget.
- Deferment of legal action.
- Suspension of interest on approved arrangement-to-pay plans.
You are invited to view the Draft Council Plan 2021-25 - Year 3 Review, Draft Annual Action Plan 20232/24, Draft Budget 2023/24, and the Draft 2023/24 Capital Works Program and have your say. The full suite of draft documents will be on public exhibition until Tuesday 9 May 2023, whereafter Council will consider all of the feedback before formally adopting the documents at the Council meeting on 20 June 2023.
To have your say, visit our online engagement portal, Casey Conversations.
