Wollongong City Council will roll out $91 million worth of works and capital project over the next year, after councillors adopted their sixth and final annual budget this week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The capital works budget has been reduced slightly – by about $4 million – since the annual plan was exhibited in March.
According to council staff, this is mainly due to $2 million in savings made during the early construction for West Dapto’s Fairwater to Fowlers Road bridge extension, and the early expenditure of $1 million on the Whytes Gully tip expansion.
The overall budget has also been affected by a number of changes made due to submissions from the public.
They include $60,000 over the next two years to support cruise ship visits and $240,000 to improve Dapto’s town centre, as well as money to build a new fence in Bellambi and extend the city WiFi network.
These, along with early delivery (in 2016/17) of federal grants, will result in an overall deficit of $8.4 million in 2017/18, instead of the forecast deficit of $700,000.
Household rates will rise by 1.5 per cent across the city, however the amount for individual properties may rise by more or less due to changes in land valuations which occurred last year.
One new project to be funded is an “enhanced city centre maintenance” team, which will include cleaners and maintenance crews who will be deployed across the city centre to target small projects.
Labor councillor David Brown applauded the new crews, which he said it would stop the CBD from “looking shabby” between major council works.
“We do big maintenance in this city quite well, but I think the smaller things can fall between the cracks,” he said. “People notice simple things like broken drains, broken footpaths that make the place look shabby, so having a team that are dedicated to getting those things done quickly is a good way of spending council money.”
“If you don’t fix a problem it will compound: if people notice rubbish lying around they’re more likely to throw it out themselves.”
To start the program, Cr Brown has put in a request for the new crew to repair the walkway next to Wollongong’s cinemas, which is marred by rusty poles, uneven footpaths and lights which are no longer working.
He hoped the concept could be rolled out in other town centres if it’s successful.
Where the money will be spent
- Roads: $13.8 million
- West Dapto: $9 million
- Paths: $18.4 million
- Car parks: $2.4 million
- Stormwater and floodplain: $6.6 million
- Buildings: $14.4 million
- Parks, gardens and sportsfields: $4.8 million
- Beaches/pools: $2.8 million
- Waste: $5.5million
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
