2022-26 Budget

This budget was adopted by Council on 27 June 2022, following community consultation on the draft document in April and May.

Background

In early 2021 Imagine Cardinia and Imagine Cardinia People’s Panel helped us identify priorities for the Council Plan, Financial Plan and Council Budget 2021-2025. In order to deliver on the community priorities through the Council Plan, Council prepares 4 year rolling budgets which are adopted annually.

Late last year we asked you whether the adopted Budget and Council Plan priorities were still meeting your needs. We thank you again for taking the time to provide us with important feedback on the focus areas for the proposed Council Budget for 2022-2026. You identified the following community priorities through this process:

• Empowering our communities to be healthy, connected, and resilient
• Creating liveable spaces and places
• Supporting our biodiversity to thrive
• Supporting our productive land and employment land to grow local industries
• Practising responsible leadership

In April and May 2022 we asked for your thoughts about the draft 2022-2026 budget. After considering your feedback we we have now endorsed the 2022-2026 Budget. We thank you for your contributions.

You can access a copy from the Document Library on the right.

Budget highlights

To deliver on the community’s priorities through the Council Plan 2021–25, Council prepares four-year rolling budgets, which undergo community consultation and are adopted annually.

The budget reflects Council’s prudent fiscal management, which has enabled more than $318m of capital works over four years to be included in the budget and all vital community services to be maintained or enhanced.

The capital works program for the financial year 2022–23 is $99.49m (including $30.17m carryover from 2021-22), with $47m budgeted for all roads and intersection upgrade programs, including the $16m ‘Princes Highway Intersection upgrades’ and $10m ‘Sealing the Hills’ programs funded in partnership with the Australian Government.

Other capital works budget allocations for 2022–23 include:

• recreation, leisure, and community facilities – $10m
• drains and bridges – $1.5m
• footpaths and cycleways – $1.9m
• parks, open space and streetscapes – $5.5m
• property, including construction and upgrades of buildings, such as sporting pavilions – $27m

The 2022–23 Budget also includes allocations for the following key projects:

• Better Local Roads - Princes Highway intersection upgrades – $16m
• Better Local Roads - Sealing the Hills – $10m
• Roads Sealing Program – Better Local Roads: Strategic Sealed Roads – $7m
• Cardinia Youth Hub – $3.9m
• Officer District Park Masterplan – $3.3m
• Koo Wee Rup Bowls & Community Facility – $3.6m
• Toun-nun Integrated Children’s Facility (Brunt Road) – $3.2m
• Kurmboon Integrated Children’s Facility (Timbertop) – $2.5m
• Cora Lynn Pavilion – $2.3m
• Bunyip Soccer Sports Field Redevelopment – $1.5m
• Worrell Reserve Master Plan design – $150k

General rates in 2022–23 will increase 1.75 per cent, in line with the Victorian Government’s rate cap this year. This figure is (0.75%) lower than the December 2021 Melbourne Consumer Price Index (CPI), which puts additional pressure on Victorian councils to deliver services with significantly reduced revenue.

Reflecting the Victorian Government’s 12.5 per cent increase to the landfill levy, the residential garbage charge is $326.80 for a 120L bin in 2022–23. The green waste charge will increase marginally from $126.60 to $129.00.

For more information and to view the 2022–26 Budget, visit www.cardinia.vic.gov.au/budget

In reviewing and adopting the budget annually, Council considers the following:

• Key strategic documents including:
  • Budget 2021–2025
  • Revenue and Rating Plan 2021–2025
  • Financial Plan 2021–2031
  • Council Plan 2021–2025 and
  • Community Vision 2040.
• Rate capping – Essential Services Commission sets the rate cap every year. The rate cap limits the maximum amount a council can increase general rates and municipal charges.
• Annual CPI (Consumer Price Index) movement.
• Actions from new Masterplans and Adopted Strategies.
• Statutory Rate increases, for example Superannuation Guarantee increase, WorkCover rate
• New contractual expenditure and change of scope of contracts.
• Utilities.
• New legislative requirements, for example Asset Management Plan and Workforce Plan.
• Council Subscriptions.
• Fees and Charges updated in line with Statutory and Non Statutory parameters.
• Populations changes and impacts.
• Grant income received.
• Capital Budget changes.
• Enterprise Bargaining Implications.
• Results of previous community engagement activities including Imagine Cardinia.