By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
GREATER Dandenong Council’s draft 2014-’15 budget has walked a fine line, putting downpayments on major projects without piling up debt.
The bottom line for ratepayers is a 5.9 per cent rate rise average – 5.8 per cent for residents and 12.1 per cent for the municipality’s 62 farm owners – with no “visible” cuts to services and a leaner capital works program.
The median residential rate hike is $45 on a $380,000 property.
Ratepayers will be charged up to $18 more in waste fees if they opt for similar size garbage bins in 2014-’15. However, those who downsize their bins can save up to $52.70.
The council, saddled with a $66 million debt largely from its recently-opened civic centre, has baulked at any more borrowings until at least June 2018.
By that time, it hopes to have built its $30 million Springvale civic project – a library, refurbished town hall and community plaza – without adding to its debt.
In its draft 2014-’15 budget, the council will invest $1.1 million towards planning, design and early works for the project.
Corporate services director Mick Jaensch says he hopes much of the project funds will be reaped from the sale of a 20,000-square-metre former council depot site next to the town hall.
He said he was “comfortable” with the council’s forecast debt levels – “at the high end at the moment” but to be reduced to $51 million by June 2018.
The budget provides for the first steps of several long-term projects, such as a $960,000 skate park as part of the Ross Reserve master plan, Noble Park.
The skate park is said to include Melbourne’s second ‘snake run’ – a meandering, undulating concrete canyon.
The council has also plunged $200,000 into planning for a community hub, with maternity and early childhood health services, into its Keysborough South growth area.
Other highlights include:
– An extra $100,000 for Christmas street decorations – including festooning the Dandenong civic centre’s nine pine trees.
– $50,0000 for New Year’s Eve fireworks and celebrations at Dandenong’s civic centre square
– A long-awaited pavilion and changing rooms – albeit a $400,000 temporary one – at Tatterson Park, and $1 million pavilions at Edinburgh and Greaves reserves.
– $3 million (including $2 million from the state government) for three new kindergartens at Dandenong Park, Dandenong West and Springvale Rise primary schools.
– Adult cricket matches will return to Lois Twohig Reserve this summer, with a $145,000 fence to be installed to protect neighbouring residents.
– $1.5 million in footpath renewal – up by $500,000.
– Greater Dandenong sustainability awards to be introduced.
– $430,000 partial-funding for traffic signals at Robinson Street-Princes Highway intersection
On the future to-do list – but not in this coming budget – is a redevelopment of Oasis Aquatic Centre and a community hub at the former Dandenong council offices in Clow Street.
Mr Jaensch said there was no “direct budget item” providing for $1 million-plus replacement lifts in Springvale’s “No.8 car park”.
The existing lifts have been malfunctioning due to overcrowding, vandalism and technical breakdowns, the council stated last week.
Mr Jaensch said if the existing lifts continued to malfunction, funds would be found to replace them.
“We didn’t want to have a contingency budget (for that amount),” he said.
Public submissions for the draft budget close on 28 May. The council will adopt its 2014-’15 budget on 23 June.
