The City of Greater Bendigo is set to deliver the biggest-spending budget in the city’s history. 

The draft 2016-17 Budget – which councillors voted to release to the public for comment tonight – proposes an unprecedented spend on major projects, including the airport and stadium, as well as the new aquatic centre. 

City organisation support director Kerryn Ellis said capital expenditure dominated spending in the total $252 million budget. 

"This year is the biggest capital and major works program that we've had in the history of the city,” Ms Ellis said. 

"There are a number of significant city-building and legacy-leaving projects within that capital program.”

The most significant of those for the coming financial year is the proposed $31 million Kangaroo Flat aquatic centre.

Council has received almost $22 million of that in grants and will fund the remaining $9 million from its coffers. It would spend $10.3 million of that total money in the 2016/17 financial year.

Other big ticket items include upgrades to the airport and stadium. Council has pledged a total of $6.3 million to the $16 million Bendigo Airport upgrade, $3.7 million of which it would spend in the 2016/17 financial year.

Council would also contribute $1.8 million in the next financial year to the $19.8 million Bendigo Stadium upgrade 

Ms Ellis said $28 million of the $96.2 million allocated to capital works would go toward renewing the city’s $1.5 billion worth of existing assets – including roads, bridges, drains and buildings.

The city’s chief executive officer Craig Niemann said rate payers were not being asked to “foot the bill” on the big-spending budget.

“Those three major projects – the airport, the pool and the stadium – are costing about $70 million, collectively, but the city's contribution is about $20 million,” Mr Niemann said. 

“So we're less than a third of the total contribution for those projects… which we consider as a really good outcome of us advocating the state and federal government for funding.”

But the city CEO said the big-spending budget was not something Bendigonians should get used to. 

“The fact is that all these projects have landed and that has lifted the bar on our capital works program,” he said. 

“In the past it's been around the $40 to $50 million mark, a few years ago we jumped up into the $50-$60 million range and this takes it up a notch again – but it will come back down again, it’s not sustainable for the long term for us to spend $96 million on capital works.” 

Mayor Rod Fyffe said the projects were “game-changers” for the city which would attract investment and major sporting events. 

However he said the $156 million slated for operating budget was equally important for the community. 

“We provide aged care services, maternal and child health services, parking and animal control, tourism services, environmental health, building and planning services, we operate the Capital and the Bendigo Art Gallery and maintain key infrastructure across the municipality,” Cr Fyffe said. 

The city still expects to deliver a cash surplus of $9 million this financial year. 

Mayor Rod Fyffe has called on ratepayers to have their say on the draft 2016-17 Budget and Council Plan, both of which are now open for public comment. 

“The plan outlines the key outcomes council wants to achieve, and funding in the budget is allocated to advance these priorities,” Cr Fyffe said. 

Submissions to both close on June 4. 

Have your say on the Bendigo Advertiser Facebook page or write the reporter on joseph.hinchliffe@fairfaxmedia.com.au.