Annual Budget 2024/25: understanding community priorities

Published on 17 November 2023

As we start to prepare for the Annual Budget 2024/25, Council is seeking to understand community funding priorities to help determine resources and allocations for services, projects and capital works.

While our Annual Budget ensures Council delivers important services and facilities to the community in a financially-sustainable way that meets the needs of our residents, preparing it can be something of a balancing act.

Council must consider all the demands for services and how they will be paid for, while meeting legal and policy requirements, along with ratepayer expectations.

Mayor, Cr Cuc Lam said by reaching out to residents early to help inform the development of the Proposed Budget Council hopes to achieve better outcomes for the community as a whole.

“From open space, sustainability and environment, roads, rubbish or libraries – we want to know where your priorities lie,” she said, noting “this is an opportunity to reinforce areas of importance as opposed to a vote determining what areas will receive funding and which won’t.”

Seeking our community’s feedback at the top and bottom of the budget development process helps ensure their needs are better reflected in the final Budget. Last year, more than 200 contributions were received during the initial phase of community engagement to help inform the Proposed Budget – this was three times higher than any previous engagement.

Given its popularity from last year, Council is once again utilising the ‘fund it’ tool on the digital engagement platform Your City Your Voice. With it, residents can allocate 100 points across their five priority areas. Residents can also provide more detailed feedback by way of a formal feedback form.

Council will come back to the community in April 2024 to share the Proposed Budget 2024/25 for comment.

The first round of engagement closes on midnight Friday 1 December 2023. Share your service area priorities and find more information at yourcityyourvoice.com.au/budget24-25.

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