Brisbane ratepayers hit with an average $104 increase in council budget

Brisbane ratepayers will pay an extra $104 per year in their annual rates, about $20 more than last year, under the Brisbane City Council budget handed down on Wednesday.

The extent of the slowing construction and building industry can be seen in the scale of the budget, which has reduced from $4.3 billion last year to $4 billion in 2024-25.

Major projects will continue, including the completion of the Moggill Road upgrade ($70.3 million for final works), continuing work on Beams Road in Carseldine ($28.5 million) and $40 million allocated as a contribution to remove problem open level crossings, such as Acacia Ridge’s Boundary Road.

Rate increases have been factored into the Brisbane City Council budget.Credit: Rhett Hammerton

The budget also sets aside $248 million to finalise the first two lines in the $1.4 billion Brisbane Metro project set to start operating in December, pending the negotiation of a new agreement with the State Government.

An extra $23.9 million has been allocated to “evaluate the future Brisbane Metro’s northern depot”, likely to be on a council-owned site at Fitzgibbon.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the LNP-led council was negotiating with the Labor government to “share” the additional fare revenue expected from Brisbane Metro services.

“Over 10 years it is predicted that Brisbane Metro will bring in more than $800 million in fare revenue and that will go straight to the state government,” Schrinner said.

“So one of our negotiation points in this contract is that fare revenue that goes to the state government from the Metro – which we are paying for – should come back to the project.

“In the end, it just means we can deliver more services down the track.”

The council has also decided to “pause” its 13,000-household food waste recycling trial after a study found only 4 per cent of the waste placed in green bins was food waste.

Schrinner said green waste cost $7.80 per tonne to process whereas the cost of processing green waste with food scraps was $150 per tonne.

“Our council will undertake a detailed investigation into other more effective and less costly way to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in our landfill,” he said.

After long-running claims from Labor that the council favoured inner-city projects, the council’s finance committee chair, Fiona Cunningham, said 89 per cent of spending was for suburban projects.

What you get in Brisbane City Council’s 2024-25 budget

Cross-city

• New Brisbane Metro services with five-minute frequency, adding 155,000 new services a year
• Completing an earlier promise to provide shade at all Brisbane parks
• $15 million for Brisbane traffic management system

Northern suburbs

• $1 million for Kedron Brook revegetation masterplan
• $23 .9 million to evaluate new northern depot for Brisbane Metro at Fitzgibbon
• $28.5 million to continue Beams Road upgrade
• Community storage facilities at Wavell Heights

Western suburbs

• $125 million to complete the Archerfield and Pallara Wetlands and new sports parks at Pallara and Ellen Grove
• $70.3 million to finish Moggill Road upgrade
• Community storage facilities at Moggill District Sport Ground

Eastern suburbs

• $500,000 for new masterplan for Lota and Wynnum foreshores
• Extra lighting at Childs Road park in Nudgee

Southern suburbs

• $500,000 package includes new safety cameras at Forest Lake, Mt Gravatt Outlook and Moorooka
• Extra lights at Kelvin Close Park in Forest Lake