In proposing the next year's Budget, Council has kept community priorities top of mind, including open space, sustainability and environment, transport infrastructure, city amenity and safety, and health, wellbeing and recreation.

In the year 2024/25, Council is proposing to spend $140.4 million to support ongoing delivery of services to the community. Of this, Council is proposing to invest $80.132 million as part of its capital works program. A quarter of this would go on roads and footpaths and includes:

• $6 million to complete the Cowper Street upgrade
• $6.45 million to continue infrastructure redevelopment for the Joseph Road Precinct
• $959,000 on bicycle paths.

Close to $17 million is proposed for parks and gardens ($8.610m), sport and recreation facilities ($4.017m), and public realm and streetscape upgrades ($4.633m).

The ‘Budget Breakdown’ below explains in more detail how we are proposing to allocate these funds.

The Proposed Budget is premised on a 2.75% increase in total rates revenue collected in line with the rates cap allowed for by State Government.

You can provide formal feedback and opt to be heard by Council, or share general comments with us, before midnight Wednesday 15 May 2024.

Because understanding your priorities early helps us better reflect the needs and outcomes for the community as a whole, in late 2023, we asked our community to rank the variety of services Council delivers in order of importance to them.

There was also an option to provide more detailed feedback.

Closely aligned with what we heard last year, of the 183 responses the highest-ranked areas were:

• open space
• sustainability and the environment
• cycling and pedestrian infrastructure
• city amenity and safety
• health, wellbeing and recreation.

For more detail download the Engagement Summary Report.