June 29, 2017
Toowoomba ratepayers will face a 3 per cent rise in residential rates and a 0.41 per cent rise in charges next financial year after Toowoomba Regional Council adopted its 2017-18 budget on Thursday morning.
The Budget forecasts total revenues of $475 million.
In his budget speech, Mayor Paul Antonio said $170m would be spent on new and continuing capital works projects, a drop from last year’s $197m spend.
Queensland Treasury Corporation has maintained the council’s rating as sound with a neutral outlook.
Big-ticket items in this year’s budget include:
- $3.2m for the City Auditorium
- $6.7m for the Railway Goods Shed
- $1.2m for Queens Park
- $3.9m for the second stage of Highfields Sport and Recreation Park
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The full text of Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio’s Budget speech:
Mayor’s Speech – Budget 2017/18
My fellow Councillors, staff, ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to table the Toowoomba Regional Council 2017-2018 budget.
The Toowoomba region is in the midst of a new chapter – we are maturing as a community and Council has a responsibility to our residents, now and well into the future.
Our task, as a local government is to provide the community’s essential services in an economically responsible manner. Reflecting the size and robust nature of our organisation, and indeed our region, today’s budget totals $475 million dollars.
This budget is a culmination of almost 12 months of carefully-considered decision making and I thank my fellow Councillors and our staff for their attention and courage in making decisions that are for the good of our region.
The liveability of our city and regional communities is our richest tradition and will always be our key priority. Council is focused on delivering on the lifestyle we know and love here in our region.
As one of Australia’s most family friendly cities, we know that the quality of life on offer here is second to none and that ladies and gentlemen, at the end of the day it is what matters to our residents.
Every day, Council works with residents, local communities and businesses to make our region an ever better place to live, work and play.
Therefore, today sees our service delivery or operational expenditure for the year ahead making up $305 million of the budget spend (including the maintenance of existing infrastructure).
This reflects our focus on delivering the services our community needs and wants through every stage of life, in line with Council’s corporate plan.
Often we take our standard of living for granted. We are incredibly fortunate to live in this part of the world and therefore, we also need to keep an eye on the future and with this year’s Infrastructure or Capital investment totalling $170 million, we are ensuring we continue to upgrade our assets and build our capacity to deliver services of the highest possible standard.
As a community, we have always valued being able to gather in our city centre and this year’s budget sees the allocation of almost $3.2 million for the completion of the City Auditorium (such an important part of our history) and a combined State and Local Government investment of $6.7 million as the first instalment of $10 million for the rejuvenation of the Railway Goods Shed – which is the first step in the catalytic railway parklands development.
During the past 12 months we were recognised by online travel site Expedia as one of Australia’s most beautiful regions. We are proud of our reputation as a region that cultivates the best parks and open space to be found anywhere, and we continue to build on this.
In the year ahead, our parks and recreation staff maintain more than 560 parks and reserves across our diverse region. Our premier park in Toowoomba, Queens Park, receives $1.2 million toward the ongoing implementation of its Master Plan whilst Picnic Point also enjoys a shot in the arm with master planning to commence in the 12 months ahead.
Sport is alive and well in our region, with over 80 hectares of sporting facilities already seeing thousands of our young, and young at heart, enjoy all outdoor sport offers.
Today I announce that the second stage of the Highfields Sport and Recreation Park has been funded to the tune of $3.9 million and I acknowledge the support of the State Government for this project.
Importantly, Council has been working with our regional communities to shape the future of their recreation areas and parkland in Pittsworth, Kingsthorpe, Jondaryan, Millmerran and Yarraman will share in almost $800,000 in various upgrades.
We know that Highfields will continue to grow, and therefore, in response to the voices of the community, the year ahead will see Council make a start on initial planning ahead of public consultation, and work on the configuration and design of the new Highfields Library at a cost of $600,000.
Council operates 13 libraries across our region which, each year, loan more than 1.1 million items to our residents, and we will continue to upgrade our regional libraries with Cecil Plains and Clifton the focus for 2017/18.
As Council continues to hone the calibre and efficiency of services we provide for the community, work will commence on the works depot at Charlton.
These highlights are a mere snapshot of the overall budget which includes more than $44 million to enhance and maintain our parks and open space; $13.4 to library and cultural services; and $55 million towards the construction and ongoing maintenance of community services and facilities across the region.
Council’s roads transport our residents across our vast region to work, to school, to spend time with family.
The year ahead sees Council invest more than $58 million in capital improvements to our 6,500 kilometres of road network, including bridges, cycle-ways and stormwater management.
The region’s future as a major logistics hub continues to strengthen and I am delighted that, in partnership with the Queensland Government, Gap Road at Pittsworth is being upgraded and widened to create better access for the burgeoning transport industry in the area. The total project cost is $6 million.
To this end also, Council continues to invest in Toowoomba’s connectivity with the Second Range Crossing, a key catalyst for our growth.
Therefore, next financial year, as part of our major projects program, we will invest $8.6 million to upgrade Mort Street from the Second Range Crossing to Jellicoe Street and $4.6 million to upgrade Boundary Street from the crossing to the Warrego Highway.
The Toowoomba Enterprise Hub, which is integral in creating sustainable jobs for our region is receiving a boost of just under $6 million for Nass Road as part of the State Government’s Building Our Regions partnership.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of the infrastructure plans for the year ahead, with more $125 million allocated toward local roads, footpaths and bikeways, and $7.3 million for stormwater drainage.
As we experience unprecedented growth in our region, I continue to speak about how water security has been a key driver in our success.
Each year, Council pipes 13,000 megalitres of water to more than 60,000 connections or water meters across our broad region. Our water network is almost 2000 kilometres long!
Continuing this service, Council will spend just over $73 million on our water business, providing some of the tastiest water to be found in eastern Australia as well as important supply to commercial operations in our region.
This program will include the completion of the trunk water main network in Hursley Road and Toowoomba Cecil Plains Road from Greenwattle Street to O’Mara Road, shoring up supply to the burgeoning Toowoomba Enterprise Hub. Trunk water mains in Nass and Wirth Roads another major project – at a cost of $2.1 million.
In the year ahead, Council will also be investigating the connection of the community of Hodgson Vale to the Toowoomba supply, and investing in the supply of areas Clifton and Greenmount.
Whilst we often don’t give it a lot of thought, we certainly would if it stopped working – and that’s why we continue to invest in our sewerage network and operations, with an overall spend of close to $40 million, including $2.9 million for sewerage infrastructure for the growing community of Highfields,
as well as half a million for Meringandan West and just under half a million for Kingsthorpe and Gowrie Junction.
There’s also $2.7 million for sewerage as part of the substantial upgrade at Gap Road (as part of a joint project between Council and the State Government I mentioned earlier) and $2.4 million for the replacement of the Gowrie Creek trunk sewer.
As a regional Council, we are looking to the future with a willingness to explore our options, and to understand our responsibilities to future generations as well as our own.
This Budget comprehensively delivers on this intent, and on this Council’s determination to position the Toowoomba Region on secure ground for many years to come.
Our region is booming thanks to significant external investment, and whilst this new regional infrastructure means more maintenance and related redevelopment work for Council, I am proud of what we have delivered in this budget, with a considered increase in rates.
The General Rate for the average urban property will increase by 3 per cent. This increase delivers a prudent and balanced budget, with a net overall increase in rates and charges of 3.41 per cent. This equates to just under $2 per week, again for the average urban property.
As a Council we are in an enviable position. The State Government’s independent banker, the Queensland Treasury Corporation, continues to rate Council as being in a sound financial position with a neutral outlook.
The decrease in State Government subsidies and the rising cost of doing business stretches our dollars further and I thank our staff for their work in supporting Council to deliver a budget that offers the very best value for money for our residents. Just as we work to serve our residents as best we can.
In the year ahead, our Customer Service Centre will speak with more than 200,000 customers about everything from animals, parking, bins, roads, planning, libraries, events and parks.
I’m also pleased to announce that in the year ahead, we are making it easier for tech-savvy residents to report issues or make payments on the go from their mobile device through a new online app.
As we continue to best look at how we drive opportunity whilst nurturing our lifestyle, the year ahead sees close to $14 million dedicated to planning for our future and ensuring appropriate and sustainable development in our region.
As Chair of Economic Development, I am delighted that the Regional Economic Development Strategy will be finalised early in the new financial year.
This document, in conjunction with other more specialist materials, will be used as a clear actionable and achievable ‘road map’ to facilitate and promote economic development in our region.
Our long-term visionary planning continues under our Imagine Tomorrow banner with the year ahead focusing on Drayton. The community will also continue to see targeted marketing and promotion of development opportunities in and around Toowoomba’s CBD.
As well as the introduction of a new Community Economic Development grant program for our regional towns and ongoing consultation with regional communities to progress place-making or other ideas proposed by residents.
Council will continue to plan for, and invest in, a range of policies and studies that will ensure the region remains an attractive destination in which to live and work, in addition to promoting numerous investment opportunities.
Reflecting our push to cultivate a “Smart City” and embrace technology to improve our lifestyle, Council has recently added the goal of innovation and technology to our Corporate Plan as well as a new goal headed “Culture”, ensuring that Council’s bold ambitions will balance family friendly lifestyle attributes with ongoing development and growth well into the future.
There is no doubt our region is growing, however, we need to ensure this growth is sustainable.
With new assets comes added responsibility for their maintenance and eventually their renewal. This requires long-term planning to ensure our sound financial position continues.
The work on improving the management of our assets across the region has been a critical step toward automating this component of our business and enabling more accurate planning.
My fellow Councillors, staff, ladies and gentlemen, this has been a long speech because I am proud of what we are achieving at Council – both in our day to day service delivery and in planning for the future.
Today’s $475 million budget is a vote of confidence in our region and in the financial integrity of Toowoomba Regional Council.
I table it for your endorsement.
