Ultimate guide to the 2022-23 Toowoomba Regional Council budget, Mayor invites Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to Carnival of Flowers

New Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been formally invited to open Toowoomba’s biggest tourism event in September — and the mayor is hoping it will lead to greater benefits for the region.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. (Photo by Mark Baker / POOL / AFP)

Toowoomba residents already dealing with rising cost of living pressures will be slugged with another rate increase next financial year, but Mayor Paul Antonio insists it is “not such a bad” result.

The council’s latest budget handed down on Monday includes a 2.5 per cent increase to general rates for urban residents, the same as the increase in the past three financial years.

Most residents will see a net increase in all rates and charges of about 2.35 per cent, or about $81 a year.

Mayor Paul Antonio (left) and Deputy Mayor Geoff McDonald. Toowoomba Regional Council announce the 2022/23 Annual Budget. Picture: Nev Madsen.

Mr Antonio said while he sympathised with locals struggling with rising power bills, grocery dockets and interest rates, he noted the situation would be worse in other regions across Queensland.

“It’s not such a bad budget in terms of the impact on people,” he said.

“There are much higher rates of increases in other areas.

“As far as we’re concerned, it’s a responsible budget and one that takes us forward into the future.

“We have a 10-year financial plan here and for the past eight years, you’ll find we’ve gone ahead by 2.5 per cent per year. That’s our commitment to this community.

“There are councils around here where there will be much bigger figures announced and they believe they have to have higher figures because of the circumstances.

“We have to keep moving ahead with what we have to do and wear the consequences.”

In some good news for locals, the newly renamed water infrastructure charge (previously called the water access charge) won’t be increased for most residents as part of a restructuring.

Deputy mayor Geoff McDonald said the increases to rates were responsible.

“What the council has done with this budget is acknowledge the pressures of household living and recognise the pressures of business and understanding our long-term financial sustainability,” he said.

“A 2.5 per cent general increase will equate to around 2.35 per cent for an urban property owner, or around about $1.56 per week increase – that’s it.”

(from left) Deputy Mayor Geoff McDonald, Chair, Cr Kerry Shine, Portfolio Leader and Ann-Marie Johnston, General Manager Finance & Business Strategy. Picture: Nev Madsen.

The $519m budget includes $360m in operational expenses and a tightened $159m capital works program.

The council has forecasted a deficit of $5.8m, which Mr McDonald argued was a result of the loss in federal funding.

The Toowoomba Regional Council will maintain its “sound with a neutral outlook” financial rating from the Queensland Treasury.

Mr McDonald said the council had not increased its borrowing from the Queensland Treasury Corporation.

The capital works program includes nearly $100m for roads, bridges, footpaths, bikeways and water projects, along with $6.2m for wastewater projects and $14m for new parks and gardens works.

Key projects funded in the coming financial year include $21m for the next stage of the Mount Kynoch water treatment plant upgrade, and $8m for safety upgrades to Cressbrook and Cooby Dams.

The Millmerran pool upgrade ($5.81m) is expected to be delivered by the summer of 2023, while $1m has been allocated to the new CBD smart parking meter project.

SMALLER CAPITAL WORKS PROGRAM

Toowoomba’s deputy mayor has insisted the council has not lost its spending ambitions, despite promising the organisation’s smallest capital works program in years.

The Toowoomba Regional Council has outlined just $159m in new works for the 2022-23 financial year, down from $187m during the previous period but in-line with what it will actually deliver on June 30.

The new figure essentially acknowledges the council has failed to deliver on its ambitious spending programs in the past, reflected in multiple reports of underspending across a number of departments.

Deputy Mayor Geoff McDonald denied the organisation had failed to follow through on spending promises, but said the target was more in-line with actual results.

“Our capital spend is now consistent with what we’ve been able to spend, which is about $160m-165m,” he said.

“What we’ve been able to do with the work of our general managers and right through council is putting forward a budget that is not only affordable but also deliverable.”

“We’ll have a carry-over (in capital works) of $20m this year, and that’s been largely due to the fact that we haven’t been able to get those goods and services.”

About $70m of the capital works program will be spent on renewing ageing infrastructure, a requirement for council.

MAYOR INVITES PRIME MINISTER TO CARNIVAL

Mayor Paul Antonio has personally invited new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to come and open the Carnival of Flowers in September, in a bid to secure lost federal and state funding for the region.

Mr Antonio, whose council handed down its smallest budget in years with a 2.5 per cent rate increase on Monday, will fly to Canberra next week and hopes to secure meetings with government ministers.

The veteran mayor said he had written to Mr Albanese to invite him to Toowoomba’s biggest tourism event in spring, saying he wanted to “get to know” the new Prime Minister.

“There are letters already gone – there’s been an invitation to the Carnival of Flowers gone to the Prime Minister,” Mr Antonio said.

“It’s all part of getting to know the PM and getting him to understand what a vibrant community this is and that needs external funding.”

It comes after the council discovered it stood to lose millions in federal funding, thanks to a restructuring of the Federal Assistance Grants scheme that prioritised councils in dire financial straits.

Mr Antonio, who has long been an advocate for more uncontested funding, said the region was being punished for its strong financial performance.

“We’ve lost a lot of money in the FAGs, and we’ve lost them because we’re a strong financial community,” he said.

“It’s not fair, and we’re complaining about it, and we’re going to have a meeting about it.

“It’s not fair that with our strong financial position they take away our funding.”

FIVE-MINUTE GUIDE TO THE BUDGET

Council’s financial position

The council’s budget will be worth $519m, down from $550m in the previous financial year.

It includes a slight reduced operational budget of $360m, but the drop in spending has been felt in the capital works program — just $159m (down from $180m last year).

Most notably, the council has forecasted an operating deficit of $5.8m for the next 12 months, a change from the small surplus from the previous year.

The Queensland Treasury Corporation has maintained the council’s credit rating as “sound with a neutral outlook”.

Rate rises, charges

General rates will increase 2.5 per cent in the coming financial year, while the net overall increase in rates and charges for urban locals will be 2.35 per cent.

According to the council, most urban residents will pay an extra $81 in their rates, or roughly $1.50 extra per week.

More details on fees and charges increases will be known soon.

The general rate rise is the same as the previous three budgets, and the net increase has dropped from 2.76 per cent in 2021-22.

Major projects and investments

The capital works program includes nearly $100m for roads, bridges, footpaths, bikeways and water projects.

Major areas of capital expenditure will include:

• $50.73 million for roads, bridges, footpaths, bikeways, drainage and aerodrome projects

• $46.66 million for water projects

• $6.28 million for wastewater projects

• $11.7 million for waste services

• $14.41 million for parks and recreation projects

• $11.4 million for community services and facilities

• $2.3 million for Information, Communication and Technology

Other projects broken down by department include:

Infrastructure

• Flood damage restoration will be the major focus of the Infrastructure Services Group

• $50.73 million for capital infrastructure projects across the Region

• $2 million to upgrade unsealed Nuuku Road at Crows Nest (link to Blackbutt)

• $1.25 million black spot project to upgrade Margaret and Mackenzie Street intersection

• $2.3 million to renew, upgrade and construct footpaths and bus stops, including in many regional towns

• $1 million to continue the CBD Smart Parking Project

• $590,000 to upgrade elements of the Region’s cycleway network

Water and Waste

• $21.5 million for the next stage of the Mt Kynoch Water Treatment Plant Upgrade

• $8 million to start safety upgrades at Cressbrook and Cooby Dams for flood resilience

• $3.5 million for new trunk water mains in the Highfields and Meringandan areas to cater for future growth

• $1.5 million for the design and construction of Clifton Wastewater Treatment Plant

• $11.7 million invested in capital projects for Waste

• $3 million to upgrade the Greenmount Waste Management Facility

• $2.5 million for the design of a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) to further the Region’s sustainability goals

Environment and Community Services

• $3.17 million for Rockville Park Clubhouse amenities replacement

• $5.81 million for Millmerran pool upgrade

• $865,000 for Oakey Showgrounds pavilion and toilets replacement

• $1.713 million for Emmerson Park upgrades in Centenary Heights

• $1.567 million for Toowoomba Escarpment Parks Upgrade

• $1.315 million for completion of the new Highfields Library