Redland City Council budget 2019: 2.66 per cent rates rise
Mayor Karen Williams has handed down a record budget for the Redlands Coast with an above inflation rates rise just nine months out from the next city council elections.
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REDLANDS residents can expect a rates increase and big spends on capital works in the city’s $305 million budget handed down today.
It is the largest budget the council has presented and last budget before the city council elections in March next year.
Mayor Karen Williams described it as “a balanced and affordable budget that supports the lifestyle that we love here”.
Rates will increase by 2.66 per cent, about 62 cents per week, for an average owner-occupied household with a land value of approximately $266,122.
Mayor Karen Williams said the increase was primarily based on land valuations, which went up by 10.97 per cent across the city, as well as factors outside the council’s control.
This included its $6 million electricity bill and 6.8 per cent increase for bulk water charges from the State Government, which resulted in a 2 per cent rise in retail water charges.
“Looking backwards from the beginning of this term we’ve kept our rates relatively low and when you look at that cumulatively in the face of the extra, outside expenses, we’ve done pretty well,” she said.
“Over the last three years we have absorbed some of those water increases, we can’t do it forever, it’s just not sustainable.”
The budget will deliver a $58.4 million capital works program with $6.4 million to maintaining coastal and marine infrastructure, $4.8 million for water waste and waste water projects, and $1.5 to community and culture development.
There’s $21 million dedicated to road upgrades, while $9.5 million will go towards parks and sporting fields.
Cr Paul Gleeson (Div 9) went so far as to call the budget “boring” and said it was the smallest capital works program he had seen in the last five years.
Cr Williams said there had been savings in the capital works budget and most councillors expressed disappointment in projects that had missed out on funding.
It included a “shovel ready” project to install lights at St Anthony’s Dr, Alexandra Hills where a community of more than 200 people reside.
Cr Williams said the council had no net debt and a small operating surplus.
She said the council made savings through measures like staffing efficiencies, automating processes and improving maintenance programs to safeguard against depreciation of the council’s multi-million community assets portfolio.
This is Cr William’s eighth budget as the city’s mayor and the final budget before the local government elections next March
Cr Williams said the 2019/20 budget would be just one of the factors considered when it came to the election.
“I think all councillors will be judged on their performance over the four years, and to have a balanced budget and keep the sustainability and affordability of our city in hand, and focused, I think most councillors will be proud of the fact we’ve been able to do that collaboratively through unanimous budgets over the past three years,” she said.
“There’s been a lot of wonderful things that have happened, including the strategic acquisition of land, etc, that people want. We’ll be judged on lots of things, not just a budget.”
She said the rebate on rates for pensioners was $335 a year for a full-pensioner rebate and $167.50 for a part-pensioner, and commercial rates would rise by 2.6 per cent for most small businesses.
“We’ve got an ageing population here, so our pensioner rebates total amount has pretty much clipped more than $3 million (for the city),” she said.
The 2019-20 Redland City Council Budget at a glance:
STATE OF THE BUDGET
•2.66 per cent average rates rise, excluding utilities and the State Government bulk water charge
•2.6 per cent commercial rate rise for most small businesses
•The State Government’s bulk water charge, over which Council has no control, increases
another 6.8 per cent this year to almost $40 million
•Council’s retail water costs up by about 2 per cent, the first increase since 2015
MAJOR PROJECTS
•$4.5 million for Collins Street and School of Arts Road upgrade, Redland Bay
•$2.5 million for Aquatic Paradise canal trench blocks
•$2.3 million for Weinam Creek parking and development project, Redland Bay
•$2 million for Stage 2A of Thornlands Community Park, Thornlands
•$1.9 million for William Street breakwater
•$2.2 million for Redlands IndigiScapes Centre visitor centre upgrade, Capalaba
WHERE’S THE MONEY GOING?
•$8.7 million to protect and add to council’s portfolio of community-owned land
•$21 million for roads projects
•$1.2 million for libraries
•$6.8 million for footpaths, cycle paths, bus stops, carparks
•$6.4 million for marine and foreshore projects, including canal and breakwater works
•$4.8 million for water, waste and wastewater projects
•Almost $9.5 million to go towards renewing playgrounds, parks and sports fields
•$1.5 million for community and cultural development
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