Planning for future growth and meeting community needs at centre of Council budget and plans

From the completion of the Main City Levee Upgrade to work to build infrastructure in the northern growth suburbs, Wagga Wagga City Council’s draft budget for 2019/20 is focused on meeting the needs of a growing community.

The draft combined Delivery Program and Operational Plan (DPOP) 2019/20, along with the draft Long Term Financial Plan 2019-2029 and draft Fees and Charges are on public exhibition, with the community able to read over the documents and share their feedback.

The 2019/20 budget features a total budget of $203.2M, including $129.8M in operating expenditure and $73.4M in capital expenditure commitments. Council has also again committed $2.1M in contributions, grants and donations to the community next financial year.

Mayor of the City of Wagga Wagga Councillor Greg Conkey OAM said the plans centre on planning for the future and prioritising important services to meet the diverse needs of the community.

“We’ve simplified Council’s Combined Delivery Program and Operational Plan to clearly demonstrate the cost of services and to improve the way we report back to the community on our performance,” he said.

“It’s going to be another exciting 12 months in Wagga Wagga. We are in the midst of a transformational period that will define the future of our city and surrounding villages for many years to come.

“A substantial part of this is planning for future infrastructure and accommodating the significant amount of state and federal government investment in our city.

“Wagga Wagga has always been a great place to live, visit and invest and we are set for a positive and exciting future.”

The Integrated Planning and Reporting suite of documents will be on public exhibition until 28 May 2019.

Community members can view the draft plans and give their feedback on funding priorities, projects and operations online at waggaview.com.au/ipr.

Major projects for Council in 2019/20

• Finalisation of the Main City Levee Bank upgrade
• Further development and implementation of the Riverina Intermodal Freight and Logistics Hub (RiFL) and the Special Activation Precinct (SAP) at Bomen
• Negotiations to integrate a new school within the planned northern sporting and recreation precinct
• Implementing Local Strategic Planning Statements to identify future growth areas for the city and finalising structure plans for areas such as the northern growth area and health precinct
• Implementation of the Active Travel Plan, which received $11.8M in NSW Government funding to construct a network of cycle routes and end-of-trip facilities to reduce reliance on private motor vehicles, and instead promote cycling as a legitimate mode of transport
• Continuing Stage 2 of the Riverside Project to reactivate the Wagga Beach precinct and develop the area as a focal point and destination for residents and visitors, as well as creating linkages to the city’s CBD and existing civic precinct
• Commencement of the Pomingalarna Multisport Cycling Complex
• Farrer Road improvements
• Dunns Road traffic improvements