‘Budget under significant pressure’: Councillor’s warning as Wollongong puts forward 10-year plan

The long-term strategic plan for Wollongong is open for public scrutiny after councillors voted to support it, despite concerns about whether the council will be able to fund it all.

Wollongong Council has put its 10-year plan on the table with councillors voting to support the “road map” for the city, dubbed Our Wollongong Our Future 2032.

The community strategic plan outlines six goals which intend on guiding the council’s decision making over the coming decade.

The long-term plan was released alongside the council’s draft budget and four-year infrastructure delivery program.

The draft budget includes a 1.8 per cent rate rise, which is nearly double the 1 per cent rise set by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal.

The rate variation will cost the average ratepayer an extra $24 in the coming financial year.

A third of the $618 million infrastructure delivery program will go towards operations and maintenance, while the rest will be spent on capital works such as the Warrawong Community Centre and Library and upgrades to the Beaton Park tennis complex.

An artist impression of the Warrawong Community Centre and Library which will be funded as part of the $618 million infrastructure delivery program. Picture: Wollongong Council

The councillors were overwhelmingly positive about the three documents, however, Labor councillor David Brown warned recent CPI inflation data, which wasn’t available at the time these were drafted, and the prospect of rising interest rates could put a dampener on some projects down the line.

“I encourage all residents to have a read and tell us what you like and dislike as it will help shape our future,” he said.

“Our budget will be under significant pressure … if inflation runs at five to six per cent we might have to find $4 or $5 million of things we can’t fund which won’t be fun.”

Councillor Dom Figliomeni supported the motion after lambasting the cycling lane on Port Kembla’s Military Rd which opened in 2021 with the Independent labelling it “the biggest waste of money council has spent” despite half of it being funded by a state government grant.

“I really wonder if the budget is really hitting the note of what the community expects from us,” Cr Figliomeni said.

“I think there needs to be a restock of what we provide and how we provide it.

“The cycling lane in Port Kembla on Military Rd is the biggest waste of money council has spent. At 6am of a morning I’ve seen cyclists on the road and not on the cycle path, I saw a runner on it tonight – it was a waste of money, we could have provided a skatepark for Port Kembla.

“I really wonder how we spend our money and how we get value for our bucks.”

The motion to put the plans on public exhibition passed unanimously and with the documents now available on the council’s website.

In other business …

Footpaths plan

Councillor John Dorahy tabled a motion to receive a briefing on developing a 10-year business plan for the installation of footpaths on every street in the Wollongong LGA.

The Liberal councillor wants a particular focus on zones within a kilometre of schools and indicated he would like the brief in time for the council to consider implementing the plan ahead of the 2023 budget.

“I want to see a footpath on at least one side of every street in the LGA,” Cr Dorahy said.

Wollongong councillor John Dorahy wants to see a footpath on every street in the city. Picture: Wollongong Council

“This isn’t about saying yes, let’s do this right now, it’s about getting a briefing ahead of next year’s budget.

“[Due to the recent rain] poor old residents, whether they’re adults, children or the disabled, when they don’t have a footpath or the grass is saturated with water, they have to use the roadway which brings safety into play.”

Greens councillor Mithra Cox raised a motion in the last council term about footpaths within the vicinity of schools, as well as zebra crossings – which she said goes hand-in-hand.

“When you ask most parents why their kids don’t walk to school, [road safety] is the reason,” she said.

“It’s not just footpaths, it’s also crossing the road. Of course everyone teaches their kid to cross the road, but if the cars don’t stop how can they cross the road?

“There are twice as many roads as footpaths. It should be the other way around, we should have two footpaths if there’s one road.”

The motion was supported unanimously, but not before Labor councillor Janice Kershaw highlighted some areas in the LGA still lacked curbs and guttering, which she said needs to be considered when thinking about footpaths.