June 21, 2021
Cherbourg’s 2021-22 Budget will continue the Council’s long-term focus on building major infrastructure and acquiring plant and equipment for the community.
Community residents will face a 1 per cent rise in rentals and charges, which is marginally less than this year’s forecast 1.1 per cent increase in CPI.
Handing down the Budget last week, CEO Chatur Zala said a key function of Cherbourg Aboriginal Shire Council (CASC) was to build community assets and acquire sufficient plant and equipment to make the town sustainable.
“Funding spent on plant and equipment will ultimately make Cherbourg more self-reliant, bringing down Council’s overall operating costs in the long term,” Mr Zala said.
This year, CASC will spend an estimated $740,000 to acquire a rubbish truck, bobcat, forklift, front-end loader and conveyor for its fleet.
Thanks to a Works for Queensland grant, CASC will also undertake upgrades to its tip to make the facility more environmentally compliant.
This will include separating waste into the correct sections (plastics, cardboard, glass etc); creating green zones between collection points; capping and other measures to protect the water table against contamination; and installation of security cameras to deter illegal dumping.
Work on the new Cherbourg-Murgon footpath is expected to start in early October, with $2.5 million allocated to the project in 2021-22.
CASC will also spend $4.1 million to install new water reservoir tanks with an expected 50-100 year lifespan.
Work on the water tanks began earlier this year and community supply is expected to come online by Christmas.
The Council will invest $2.6 million into the construction of new housing; a further $2.5 million to upgrade existing housing; and $230,000 into road works and line marking.
CASC is forecasting CPI rises in rents, fees and charges, sales and recoverable works, and grants and subsidies over the coming decade, with CPI expected to range between one and 3 per cent.
Employee wages and salaries are expected to rise by 2 per cent per annum over the same period, while depreciation allowances will remain relatively constant.
