By Peter Douglas
Yarra Ranges Council has unleashed the largest capital works program this council has ever delivered, according to chief executive officer, Glenn Patterson.
In what promises to be a boon for the region, a $57.54 million capital works commitment, with $11.2 million carried forward from the 2016/17 financial year, is being billed as one that will maintain and improve the region’s world-class open spaces.
In unveiling the 2017/18 draft Budget, along with the Council Plan and Long Term Financial Plan, Mr Patterson said this year’s editions balanced the demands of operating in a rate-capped environment, with the need to deliver a strong capital works program.
Among the major projects set for a boost include the Belgrave Multi-Purpose Health Hub ($1.5 million), a new playground in Queens Park in Healesville ($306,000) and $4.4 million for the first stages of the $28 million civic centre redevelopment.
Mr Patterson told the ‘Mail’ he believed the draft budget was not only exciting for the region, but was fiscally responsible.
“When it comes to our long-term financial indicators … we’ve got a setting in the Financial Plan to make sure that’s in the low-risk category,” he said.
“Even with taking on the office redevelopment project and other major projects, it still stays in the low-risk category and I think that’s really important.
“Delivered in full, this will be the largest capital works program this council has delivered; and that increases in the following year, and starts to back off after that.”
Mr Patterson said the draft budget had been created around operating within a rate cap of two per cent.
“We do that in a number of ways – we manage our labour costs very closely and we’ve conducted an in-depth service review,” he said.
“We’ve chopped out over $1 million in direct costs over the last 12 months from service reviews.
“Sometimes we look at different options, so it might be us continuing to provide the service, but just using better technology, or better processes.
“Sometimes it’s about partnering with others, or outsourcing.”
Mr Patterson cited examples such as council moving away from directly providing family and youth counselling services, and family day care services.
“We’re kind of going back to first principals and starting to rebuild and redesign the way we provide our services,” he said.
Corporate services director Troy Edwards said this year’s draft budget had taken into consideration some 3000 responses from community consultation.
“From school kids to older residents, they’ve been providing feedback about what they saw as the value of the Yarra Ranges,” he said.
“We see that on the Council Plan – things like playgrounds for parks, footpaths, drains … those flavours came out in the capital program as well.”
Mayor Noel Cliff said the new Council Plan and draft budget were produced with the community in mind, in line with a recently developed Vision and Values Statement.
“We gathered almost 3000 responses from community members and used their feedback to make a statement that recognises the importance of community connections, vibrant culture, accessible services and protecting the natural environment,” he said.
The draft budget was released to the community for consultation on Thursday 11 May, with the consultation period ending Thursday 8 June.
