Budget brouhaha

Kylie Kitchen

A two per cent reduction in the proposed Macedon Ranges rate rise was met with instant community backlash as council adopted its 2013/14 budget on Wednesday night. 

At the special meeting, the adopted budget was amended from the document which was exhibited to residents. 

Residents filled the gallery and expressed dismay over decisions to again propose UL Daly Nature Reserve as the Gisborne Early Years Hub site and to sell four parcels of open space reserve in Gisborne (Wyralla Crescent, Namnan Way and Gardiner Street) to fund a planned netball courts project. 

Cr Henry McLaughlin made the submission to the budget (as a councillor and resident) that resulted in the Daly Reserve decision, and subsequent rate rise reduction. 

"The reality is though council, at the end of the day, we are the ones who have been elected to make the decisions and those decisions are tough decisions," he said.

"The council delivers a number of significant projects. The pockets of ratepayers are not bottomless and neither is the council budget. 

"The budget is about balance. Councillors this is a true balance."

Council cut the rate rise by saving $700,000 on the purchase of a new site for the Gisborne early years hub. 

It returned to its original proposal to make Daly Reserve the hub site, despite voting not to do so at a November 2012 meeting. The budget now allocates $25,000 for a masterplan on Daly Reserve. 

Cr Jennifer Anderson said there are other ways to reduce rates.

"What we're debating is have we got any other solutions," she said. 

"I have concerns for Daly Reserve and what might happen if we put the hub back on the agenda there."

Cr Russell Mowatt said the council has failed the community in lack of consultation and in going back on a decision made last year. 

Cr Sally Piper called it a good governance issue. 

"No wonder there's so many people in the gallery here tonight, they probably don't even know what's going on," she said. 

"I'm sorry to Daly Reserve and I'm sorry to the parcels of land that have been sold. So no, it's not balanced, it hasn't followed process and I'm very disappointed."

Cr Piper proposed a compromise to sell only one of the four parcels of land, which was lost in the vote. 

"Residents should not have to have their open space taken away from them to fund infrastructure for a town that is growing too quickly," she said. 

"Once our land is built on that's it, the concrete jungle is here to stay."

Cr John Letchford told council there are "$65 million reasons" to praise the budget. 

"My community says 'thank you if you can reduce the rates in the budget'," he said. 

"Councillors I suggest you start singing the praises of the budget.

"The budget is a complex process. We had so many conflicting submissions to judge this on."

Kyneton was a winner in the budget, with joint funding proposals for the Kyneton Bluestone Theatre and the Kyneton Community Park project. The theatre is promised a $90,000 council contribution to support a potential $290,000 government grant. The park will receive a $100,000 council contribution to support an application for a $300,000 government grant.

The budget includes more than $17 million in capital works, with $6.2 million in road and bridge works.

Council confirmed its $550,000 budget contribution to infrastructure upgrades at Hanging Rock, $764,000 to upgrade Woodend's Gilbert Gordon Oval, and $800,000 in playground projects in Kyneton and Romsey.

Other capital works include the Gisborne shire office extension ($800,000), footpath renewal program ($220,000), and the Tylden multipurpose courts ($210,000).

Among the 26 new initiatives is the implementation of the State Government's new residential zones ($40,000), and the Macedon Ranges Climate Change Action Plan ($40,000).

Council voted 5-4 on the budget (including the Daly Reserve decision). Those for were Crs McLaughlin, Letchford, mayor Roger Jukes, Graham Hackett and John Connor. Those against were Crs Piper, Mowatt, Anderson and Morabito.

Council voted 6-3 in the Gisborne land sales decision. Those for were Crs McLaughlin, Letchford, Jukes, Hackett, Connor and Morabito. Those against were Crs Piper, Mowatt, and Anderson.