Noosa Council’s record capital works spend despite plan to be back in black by 2022

Noosa Council has no plans to remove a rates discount period but it is slugging residents with a rise to their payments.

Noosa's popular dog beach is ready to be restored as part of record Noosa Council capital works spend.

Noosa residents will be hit with a 2.9 per cent rates rise as the council aims to have its budget back in black by the end of the next financial year.

But residents are being told they will be able to receive a 5 per cent discount on their rates bills if they pay them early, which was an incentive scrapped by Sunshine Coast Council on Thursday.

The 2.9 per cent increase is expected to bring an average rise of $44 to rates and levies costs.

Sunshine Coast Council on Thursday decided to freeze its minimum general rate with a 4 per cent increase to the environment levy.

Noosa communications manager Ken Furdek said Noosa had no plans to remove the discount period which would stay at 5 per cent.

Mr Furdek said Noosa Council’s June 30 budget adoption meeting would reveal a forecast surplus of about $309,000 at end of 2021-22 – a year earlier than predicted by last year’s budget.

Noosa Mayor Clare Stewart on Thursday said the council was adopting a record $47 million capital works program boosted by state and federal funding in the wake of the Covid economic setbacks.

Mayor Clare Stewart hopes Noosa Council’s budget will be back in black at the end of the 2021-22 financial year.

Not all ratepayers are sold on the spending priorities with Noosa’s Val King posting on council’s Facebook page her major concern.

“How about building a few council houses so people who work in Noosa can afford a place to rent instead of having to travel miles to serve the tourists and locals,” Ms King said.

Diane Cuddihy placed her order for the return of the popular Noosa kerbside clean ups that were once an annual highlight.

Noosa Shire Resident and Ratepayers Association president Adrian Williams has accepted the rates increase.

“While any rate and charges increases are cause for concern, Noosa Shire Residents and Ratepayers Association believes council has continued to explain and justify it’s fiscal responsibility and we believe that the majority of residents would support the proposed budget,” Mr Williams said.

“Since de-amalgamation, Noosa Shire Council has a good record of fiscal management and we hope to see the continuance of the policy that bigger is not necessarily better,” he said.

Mr Furdek said the council was reviewing its waste options including the effectiveness of the kerbside clean ups, costed at $250,000 in 2019, which was shelved last year because of the financial hit from Covid.

“In regard to cheap council housing, councillors have made it quite clear that affordable housing is a big issue across the Sunshine Coast and not just Noosa,” he said.

“Council is looking at whether any surplus land could be utilised in some sort of private-public partnership, but still has some work to do in that area.”

Apart from a raft of already announced big ticket items like $8.8 million for the new Tewantin Bypass Stage 1 roundabout construction and $2.1 million to finalise the new Peregian Beach Community Centre, here’s a list of planned funding for works ready to be rolled out:

• $4.8 million to finish the Cooroy Hinterland Playground
• $5 million Road Reseal Program with Pomona the big winner with School St, Pottery Str and part of Pioneer Rd set for resurfacing.
• $1.47 million for the Lawnville Road Bridge at Black Mountain.
• $1.35 million for Kin Kin’s Wahpunga Lane Bridge renewal.
• $1 million towards the replacement of Garth Prowd Bridge along Noosa Pde.
• $1.09 million for restoration of the Noosa Spit dog beach.
• Almost a million dollars to fill the missing links in our footpath network across the shire including Tewantin, Sunshine Beach, Castaways Beach, Noosaville, Pomona and Cooroy.
• $350,000 to replace the metal skate ramp at the Sunshine Beach skate park with a brand new competition-grade ramp.

Ms Stewart said planning to restore the popular but eroded dog beach was complete with council seeking the necessary state approvals.

“The project will repair existing geo-textile bags and use sand nourishment to strengthen the shoreline to bring this much loved community asset back to life in 2021/22,” Ms Stewart said.