Rates will increase by 2.25 per cent and more than $11 million dollars will be spent on capital works under Mount Alexander Shire Council’s proposed budget for 2018-19.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The $37 million budget, if adopted, will see rates increase to the limit of the cap set by the state government.
The council has removed the municipal charge, while kerbside bin collection fees will rise by an average of 5.4 per cent per property.
The council cited the global recycling issues and the cost of rehabilitating landfill as the reasons for the increases in waste collection costs.
In a statement, the council said the 2018-19 year was a “general revaluation year”, so while some rates would increase by more than 2.25 per cent, others would increase by less.
The council plans to spend almost $4.5 million on roads and bridges, including $1.6 million on resealing roads and resheeting gravel roads, and renewal of bridges on the Campbells Creek-Fryers Road.
More than $900,000 will be spent on drainage works.
Stage two of the Wesley Hill Recreation Reserve will be funded with $1.73 million, which will see the construction of a new pavilion and the installation of floodlights at Doug Powell Oval.
The council will put $50,000 towards works at the Phee Broadway Theatre and will spend $326,000 on a new play area in Victory Park.
Footpath and streetscape improvements will cost $395,000.
Other items in the budget include the implementation of the early years plan and the delivery of the state government-funded Supported Playgroups Program; the street tree planting program; data collection on trees for safety purposes; and the purchase of additional road base materials.
“This draft budget was developed through a rigorous process of review over several months to ensure we have the right resources in place to provide the core services our community needs, manage our ageing infrastructure and plan for growth,” Mayor Bronwen Machin said.
“It builds on the considerable amount of work we have done to audit the conditions of our assets to help us prioritise our investments, while identifying sustainable cost savings and service improvements.”
The proposed budget can also be found at the council’s website or at the Civic Centre, Castlemaine Library, Newstead Rural Transaction Centre and information centres.
To make a submission, send a letter to Chief Executive Officer, Mount Alexander Shire Council, PO Box 185, Castlemaine VIC 3450 or an email titled 2018/2019 Budget Submission to info@mountalexander.vic.gov.au.
Submissions close 5pm, May 23.
