Brisbane parks to go wireless

Free wi-fi will be rolled out in more Brisbane City Council parks in one of the only real surprises in Lord Mayor Graham Quirk's first budget.

Cr Quirk has allocated $2 million to set up a wi-fi service in 20 Brisbane parks, following a trial in the Brisbane Botanical Gardens in the city.

Brisbane City Council will spend $2 million to set up a wi-fi service in 20 parks across the city.

However, Cr Quirk said the biggest ticket items in this year's council budget remained the Legacy Way toll tunnel between Toowong and Kelvin Grove and, in the longer term, improvements to Kingsford Smith Drive.

Deputy Mayor Adrian Schrinner said wi-fi was the way of the future and the council wanted to be involved.

“The increase in mobile devices and businesses providing this service is evidence of this, so we will be looking for the busiest parks in this area,” he said.

Cr Schrinner said wi-fi services were already available in Brisbane's Botanical Gardens on a trial basis, but it will be available in 20 Brisbane parks by June 2012.

The budget has seen $456 million allocated for the first stage of works on the Legacy Way tunnel and $552.8 million for improvements to the suburban road network.

The average residential rates rise is 1.79 per cent for home owners, the same as the rates increase for commercial properties, which was about half of Brisbane's CPI increase of 3.6 per cent.

It takes the average residential rates bill up $21 a year to $1212.26, which Cr Quirk said was recognition that people were “doing it tough”.

“We know people are doing it tough and we've made tough decisions to ensure we continue to deliver value for money services for those living in Brisbane's suburbs,” he sad.

Cr Schrinner, the council's finance chairman, said it was the lowest rates increase since the budget after the 1974 floods and then during a “rates freeze” when Sallyanne Atkinson was mayor in 1988.

However, water price increases are no longer included in the the council's rates rises, since Queensland Urban Utilities took control of town water supply.

“So over the last 35 years there have only ever been two other occasions where you have had a rates increase this low,” Cr Schrinner said.

About 20 per cent of households will pay less in their general rates than they did last year.

While the residential and commercial rates increase was low, revenue from council's fees and charges is projected to increase from $158.7 million to $189 million in 2011-12, up by $30 million.

The council will pay $94 million in interest in its borrowings of $1.43 billion this year, however it is earning $93.7 million on its cash investments.

Cr Quirk again defended the CityCycle scheme, despite it earning just over $450,000 in revenue at a cost of $2.4 million.

“CityCycle will be fine," he said.

"It has grown 20 per cent a month at the minute and it will continue to grow.”

Cr Quirk has also allocated $5 million for improving disability services in the first of his five-year disability access plan.

Earlier, Cr Quirk confirmed Brisbane would next month award a public private partnership contract to provide renewable energy in southeast Queensland.

“In the coming year this council is expected to award a tender to provide renewable green energy to supply all of council’s facilities for at least 15 years,” he said.

The Brisbane City Council budget at a glance:

• Capital infrastructure spending has been kept at similar level to last year - $1.5 billion;
• $553 million on suburban roads;
• $97 million towards restoring City Hall;
• $465 million towards public transport; including $56 million to provide 100 buses by March 2012;
• $193 million on bus and ferry terminals;
• the rates cap remains at 7.5 per cent;
• $37 million set aside for voluntary redundancies for over 100 staff;
• $35 million will be spent repairing and building new footpaths, over the $19 million spent in 2010-11, but including money to be reclaimed through flood disaster funding;
• $21 million to buy 500 hectares of bushland;and
• Brisbane Future Fund grows to $177.9 million from start-up figure of $135 million.