Net surplus Council budget to advance weirs, IT system upgrades
Longreach Regional Council is forecasting a $408,000 net surplus in its 2023-24 Budget, handed down on Thursday.
Major initiatives to receive funding in the budget include design, approval and preliminary works on Council’s project to raise the weirs on the Thomson River at Longreach, and major improvements to Council’s IT systems and cybersecurity.
Rates, levies and charges will increase modestly, going up only 3.2% on average, a figure well below inflation. Continuing an initiative started last year, Council has minimised the impact of the rates increase to pensioners by adopting larger pensioner concessions.
As part of the budget Council will deliver $50.8m in operational services, and a $12.4m capital works program. Mayor Tony Rayner said Council has been managing its financial performance carefully.
“We’ve faced our fair share of challenges lately, but we’ve been very careful, and overall we’re in good shape. Inflation has been a challenge, so has the timing of some of our incoming grants, but we’ve worked hard to manage our performance and come through in a stable financial position.
“This budget has been put together to keep that work going and make sure we continue to deliver great core services, and still make improvements to assets and infrastructure for our community.”
Under the budget Council’s cash position will remain strong with $20.6m projected to be in the bank at the end of the 2023-24 financial year. Council stands to benefit from $5.5m in capital grants, plus over $24.2m in non-capital grants and contributions.
Cr Rayner said public works improvements in the budget are important to the community.
“As well as maintaining our existing service levels, there’s lots of improvements to community amenity as part of this budget” he said. “In Longreach, work will continue to improve facilities at Apex Park, there’s funding for a major refurbishment of the Longreach Squash Courts, and new footpath access linking the business district with the childcare centre. There’s money for a new shade structure at Beersheba Place, and new long distance coach stops in Longreach and Ilfracombe.
“Elsewhere there’s improvements to St Mary’s Street in Isisford and new rural property signage in the area, exclusion fencing for the town dams in Yaraka, plus a new multi-purpose sports facility and a major upgrade of the water tower in Ilfracombe.”
He said the budget also contained upgrades to some of the region’s roads.
“Our roads have had a lot of attention in recent years and it’s good to see that continuing in this budget with re-sheeting works for the Crossmoor and Isisford-Bimerah Roads, a reseal of the Silsoe Road, and improvements to several town streets across the region.”
Along with its 2023-24 Budget, Council also adopted a new Corporate Plan at the meeting on Thursday.
A Corporate Plan is the highest level organisational plan for local government, and serves to guide the strategic direction of the organisation in discharging its duties. Mayor Rayner said now was the right time for Council to have a new Corporate Plan.
“Our Corporate Plan was last developed and adopted in 2017. It’s typical for councils to adopt a 5-year planning window, and given that 5 years had elapsed since the adoption of the old plan, the adoption of a new Corporate Plan was one of our targets for this year.”
He said the document was a plan for Council and its officers.
“While it does outline some of our aspirations for the community, the Corporate Plan is really Council’s plan. It sets a strategic direction for everyone in the organisation going forward.
“Of course, there are many strategies that will come out of the plan which will each require engagement with the community, as and when they are progressed, over the coming five years.”
The Mayor identified the raising of the town weirs on the Thomson River at Longreach as Council’s top strategic priority.
“Water security is one of our most important strategic goals for the region, and our plan is to raise the town weirs at Longreach by one metre, increasing storage by 28 percent.”
He said Council had budgeted for studies, design, and engineering as part of a rigorous approval process.
“We’ve been working on this proposal for many years and we’re ready now to start a formal application process, which will involve a lot of work that has been included in this budget.”
The budget also contains a major upgrade to Council’s IT systems and cybersecurity. Cr Rayner said upgrades would be spread across multiple budgets.
“It’s important to stay up to date with technology, but we also think there are ways we can use technology to be more efficient and deliver better service, we've already made some progress but that’s what our IT upgrade program will build on. It will take a little while but we think it’s a good investment in our systems and processes.
“Ultimately, it’s about building the capacity of our team and giving them the tools to work smarter for our community.”
The full Longreach Regional Council Budget 2023-2024, as well as the Corporate Plan 2024-2028, will be available from Council’s website in due course.