Yarra Ranges Shire Council
Council has endorsed its 2024-25 Council Budget, setting in motion the next 12 months of projects, works and services for the Yarra Ranges community.
Councillors voted to endorse the 2024-25 Council Budget on Tuesday, 25 June, following community engagement and feedback throughout late-April and May. During this time, 22 public submissions were received.
Cr Todorov said that the Budget is one of the most important documents for Council, outlining the year ahead in programming works and priorities.
“Our Budget is created on behalf of, and with the assistance of, our communities and our 150,000 community members, spread over 55 towns – each of these with their own diverse needs and wants for the future. We’ve heard, loud and clear, that people want more focus on infrastructure – roads, footpaths and drainage – and maintenance and upgrades of the assets we have.
“We know that fixing drains is a key issue, which is why this budget significantly increases our investment in drainage and related infrastructure upgrades throughout the municipality to $16.2 million over the next six years. This work will take time and planning, but it will remain a major focus over the coming years.” said Cr Todorov.
Specifically in response to a community submission, funding from general drainage improvements will be dedicated to investigation and design of drainage improvement works in Chapel Street, Lilydale ($50,000 in 2024-25, with an additional $250,000 for construction works in 2025-26).
“I’d like to thank all of our community members who took the time to read the budget, share their thoughts or speak to their submission at our meeting in May,” Cr Todorov said.
As well as drainage, the key themes from our community feedback have also been reflected in the Budget and include:
- Maintaining our roads, footpaths, and trails ($22 million – up 13% from 2023-24)
- Improving and maintaining parks, trees, sporting facilities, bushlands and reserves ($22 million – up 8% from 2023-24)
- Caring for the environment and responding to climate change, including emergency management ($6 million – up 17% from 2023-24)
- Programs and activities to support the community through all stages of life ($18 million, up 4% from 2023-24)
“We have an engaged, passionate and vocal community, and it’s an important part of the Budget process to seek feedback from the community and respond appropriately,” said Cr Todorov.
The Budget balances Council’s core works and infrastructure projects alongside a constrained financial environment, with construction and insurance costs increasing by 30 per cent, cuts to funding from other levels of government and a rate cap of 2.75 per cent.
“Times are tough for our communities. The cost-of-living crisis is impacting us all as costs increase, so we’ve made some hard decisions to keep us fiscally responsible; this means smaller projects and investigating more ways of increasing revenue.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that Council has a Hardship Policy and Council’s website has more details if you need to speak to our officers or apply for hardship.
“There aren’t many flashy projects in this year’s budget – we’ve held or reduced our investment in several areas to ensure we can continue to provide services and maintain our important infrastructure, meeting the priorities of the community but balancing our finances responsibly.
“But rest assured, we’ll continue to deliver more than 120 services in one of the largest, most diverse local government areas in Victoria,” said Cr Todorov.
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