Council adopts overall budget of $218.1M for 2018/19

Released 29 June 2018

Wagga Wagga City Council has this week adopted an overall budget of more than $218.1M for 2018/19 including total operating expenditure, capital renewals, and new capital projects.

Included in the overall figure is a total operating expenditure budget of $128.5M and a capital expenditure program of $89.6M, to fund significant projects including the Active Travel Plan, Eunony Bridge upgrade, and Stage 2 levee bank upgrades. Included in this figure is $26.3M worth of potential projects which still require further investigation, additional funding and Council approval.

Council adopted the Combined Delivery Program and Operational Plan 2018/2019, the Fees and Charges for the financial year 2018/2019 and the Long Term Financial Plan 2018/2028 at the second June Council meeting.

Other major projects featured in the Combined Delivery Program and Operational Plan 2018/2019 include the multi-purpose stadium at the Wagga Wagga Exhibition Centre, upgrade works to Wagga Wagga Airport, the Riverside project and major upgrades at the Museum of the Riverina.

“We continue to experience an unprecedented period of growth in Wagga Wagga, which has been reflected by our continued commitment to key projects such as the levee bank Upgrade and the Eunony Bridge upgrade,” Mayor of the City of Wagga Wagga Councillor Greg Conkey OAM said.

“This year we continue with the rollout and construction of these multi-year projects which also includes the community-based Active Travel Plan.

The documents were adopted at Monday night’s Council Meeting after being on exhibition for public comment. A number of submissions were received from community groups with specific requests for funding. At the meeting Councillors resolved to defer any decision on the funding requests received under submission, pending a Councillor workshop.

This year’s budget also includes over $2.1M in contributions, grants and donations provided by Council to the community.

The new suite of documents will be available online at wagga.nsw.gov.au/ipr.

Major projects for 2018/19

A number of important projects that will provide vital facilities for Wagga Wagga and create economic opportunities will be completed or get underway this financial year.

Along with the many programs and services identified in the 2018/19 Combined Delivery Program and Operational Plan, Wagga Wagga City Council will be focused on:

• The implementation of the Active Travel Plan
• The upgrade of Eunony Bridge
• Stage 2 works get underway on the Levee Bank upgrade project
• The completion of the multi-purpose stadium
• Important upgrades at Wagga Wagga Airport

In 2018/19, for every $100 in rates generated, Council spends the following amounts on …

• Major works and construction: $32.97
• Governance and administration: $3.10
• Public order and safety: $1.79
• Health: $1.00
• Environment: $0.85
• Waste management: $13.07
• Library and community services: $3.13
• Housing and community amenities: $3.96
• Sewer services: $14.24
• Parks, recreation and culture: $16.14
• Roads, footpath and drainage maintenance: $7.49
• Economic affairs: $2.28

Integrated Planning and Reporting suite of documents

Integrated Planning and Reporting (IP&R) is the planning and reporting framework the Council uses to work towards achieving the community’s vision. Under NSW Government legislation, councils must prepare a number of plans that provide details on how a council intends to deliver works and services in the short and long term. This is based on the community’s priorities, which have been identified through consultation and engagement, as well as the resources available to council in delivering these items. The framework ensures councils illustrate their various plans together, to understand how they interact in planning for the future.

Delivery Program and Operational Plan

The Delivery Program is a statement of commitment to the community from each newly elected council and sets out a four-year plan to respond to the community’s long-term vision as stated in Wagga View - Community Strategic Plan 2040.

The Operational Plan is a sub-plan of the Delivery Program and sets out the projects, programs and activities to be undertaken in a 12-month period. The Operational Plan includes a financial snapshot.

Long Term Financial Plan

The Long Term Financial Plan is a 10-year financial planning document with an emphasis on continuing to be ‘Fit for the Future’ ensuring that Council is financially sustainable, efficient, effectively manages infrastructure and delivers services to the community, and has the scale and capacity to effectively engage across the community, industry and government.

The plan is formulated by using a number of estimates and assumptions to project the future revenue and expenditure required of Council to deliver those services and projects expected by the community.

The Long Term Financial Plan for the 10 years 2018/19 to 2027/28 shows a balanced budget for 2018/19, with the financial years 2019/20 to 2024/25 showing projected deficits and 2025/26 to 2027/28 showing projected surplus positions.