Free parking throughout winter and lower rate increases for homeowners are two of the features of Hobsons Bay’s draft 2025-2026 budget which passed a council meeting on April 29.
The draft budget, the first of the new council’s four year term, includes a rate increase of 2.2 per cent for residential property owners, below the 3 per cent cap imposed by the state government which will apply to all other property types.
After expenses, a surplus of $8.353 million is predicted, a $13 million decrease from the amount forecast last year, with much of the reduction attributed to an $11 million drop in capital grants from the state government.
Speaking in support of the draft budget, mayor Daria Kellander said the times required a cautious approach.
“Council has recently been through turbulent times and is still navigating choppy waters,” Cr Kellander said referring to the recent resignation of former chief executive Aaron van Egmond who had earlier been suspended pending a workplace safety investigation.
Cr Kellander said council was deliberately proposing not to raise household rates to the 3 per cent cap in order to protect those suffering from the ongoing cost of living crisis.
She said measures such as increasing council-funded pensioner rebates from $75 to $100, continuing rate relief through the financial hardship policy and offering free parking throughout winter, were also aimed at those who were struggling.
Cr Kellander also said initiatives like pitch to project and the mayoral program, which set aside funding for the mayor to personally allocate, had been scrapped.
In another example of belt tightening, the proposed $55.848 million capital works program has been geared more towards maintaining existing infrastructure rather than funding new projects.
“We’ve picked up an organisation focussed on big projects,” Cr Kristin Bishop said.
“What this has meant is that asset renewal hasn’t been kept up and you’ll see a real focus on that.”
The draft budget proposes to allocate $22 million to roads, $11.7 million to buildings and $9.6 million to recreation and open space.
The draft budget is open for feedback until May 21.
Details: https://hobsonsbay.knack.com/budget-submissions#budget-submission/
