Draft Budget documents open for community feedback

Published on 12 May 2021

Community members are being encouraged to make a submission on Council’s 2021-22 to 2024-25 Draft Budget, which sets out our goals and projects for the coming years.

The 2021-22 Draft Budget, Council Action Plan and Capital Expenditure Program has been released for community feedback, following Council’s 11 May meeting.

Community members can read through the documents and provide feedback on them until midnight Tuesday, 8 June.

This year’s draft Budget proposes $4m for libraries, $2m for pools and aquatic facilities, $6.5m for services for older adults and people with a disability, $4m for Maternal and Child Health nursing and $6.7m for maintenance and renewal of existing public buildings.

Yarra Ranges Mayor, Fiona McAllister, urged community members to read the draft Budget and Capital Expenditure Program and share their feedback with Council.

“The budget is one of the most important Council documents there is – it sets out, in black and white, our proposed priorities for the coming year and how we’ll meet them,” she said.

“An incredible amount of thought goes into the details – including which projects in our Capital Works Program are prioritised for funding and how we’ll keep costs down over the long-term across our organisation.

“This year’s draft budget has also been informed by our recent Council Plan engagement, where we heard from the community that they value the services we provide to the community, and wanted services prioritised over capital spend.

“This document impacts every service we offer to the community, so I’d highly encourage our community members to have a read through and share whatever thoughts they have.

“Making a submission doesn’t have to be a long, formal process – you can share as many or as few words as you’d like, and speak to them at a public meeting if you want to elaborate further. Every submission is listened to, assessed and responded to before the budget is finished and adopted.”

Submitters can nominate to speak to their submission at a public meeting set for Tuesday, 15 June.

Cr McAllister said this year’s draft budget proposes a rate increase of 1.5 per cent across the municipality, but noted that rates will fluctuate if an individual property’s valuation increased or decreased compared to other properties in the municipality since last year.

“Your annual rates are largely determined by the value of your property compared to others in the region – properties that are worth more pay a higher percentage of our total rates, compared to those with lower values,” Cr McAllister said.

“This way, the amount paid is proportional across the community – similar to how the amount you pay in Medicare each year varies based on your income.

“A 1.5 per cent increase means a $43 increase to the average household, but there will be many households where rates will be lower, because of changes to property values.

“Proposing to increase rates is never popular – especially as we’re still working as a community to recover from the pandemic – but will help us continue to provide 120 services to the Yarra Ranges community, continue building and maintaining our infrastructure and prepare for future programs and challenges.

“And we still have an expanded policy of flexible options available to support ratepayers who need assistance in paying their rates.”

The draft budget includes $4m specifically for COVID-19 pandemic recovery initiatives, such as $1 million for Community Recovery Committees across the Yarra Ranges, where community members will be able to make decisions about recovery projects in their area.

“We know we’re not out of the woods yet, in terms of the pandemic and its impacts on the community,” Cr McAllister said.

“Our pandemic recovery in the last year has provided grant funding for projects across the region, pop-up spaces for meeting, eating and entertainment, and we’re preparing for more in the coming financial year.

“We know that a big part of community recovery is getting people from those communities involved wherever possible, so there’ll be plenty of opportunities to take part in our initiatives as they come up.”

Capital works highlights from this year’s draft budget include new footpaths and maintenance works across the region, drainage works in Upwey and Belgrave to prevent flooding, township improvement projects in Healesville, Belgrave and Lilydale and playspace renewals.

Capital Works Program highlights

Cr McAllister said many people felt closer and more connected to their community, following last year’s restrictions on travel.

“I think, more than ever, our community members are using their local footpaths, roads and parks, after not being able to travel around during lockdown,” she said.

“With the pandemic still going, it’s important we focus on maintaining and improving our local infrastructure, putting in new footpaths, fixing things when they need it and moving forward with our Playspace Plan actions of renewing local playspaces.

“Projects like a new footpath to connect Wandin North Primary School with Victoria Road, the new Chirnside Urban Park and playspace renewals and improvements in Monbulk, Mooroolbark, Mount Evelyn, Seville and beyond will help make our towns more accessible and improve the spaces at your doorstep.”

Council’s Long Term Financial Plan will be released to the community for comment in coming months.

For more information, and to make a submission, visit our engagement page.