Financial sustainability is my main priority as Mayor. In a time of tight budgets and increased cost of doing business, like any business, Kempsey Shire Council needs to have enough money to cover expenses without running into financial trouble now or in the future. But we also need to be a Council that is delivering services our community needs and investing in a prosperous future for the Valley.
At our first 2025 Council meeting, on 18th February, Councillors will be discussing whether we intend to implement the 15% special rate variation, which was approved by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART), from 1 July 2025.
We won't make a final decision on a rate increase until the June 2025 Council meeting when we are required to 'make the rates' for the next financial year. The reason we need to indicate our intention now, is to ensure staff can calculate the potential income for the next year and plan expenditure, plus if needed, how to manage any shortfall. It may seem early for a decision, but we need to ensure that Council can manage the budget while still delivering crucial services and maintaining our assets in line with the shire vision.
Between the February and April Council meeting, staff will draft the budget and other important plans which will be shared with the community for feedback following the April Council meeting. Following the feedback process, these come back to Council (with any amendments) for adoption in June.
As you would have heard, there is a range of other work being done to ensure Council's long term financial heath which will enable us to deliver the infrastructure and services our community needs. This includes staff implementation of our financial sustainability program and most recently, the work being undertaken by Council's new Revenue and Review Taskforce – which includes myself, Councillors Paix and Lawrence, senior staff and three community representatives. Our initial meeting reiterated that there are important decisions to be made.
