General News
27 May, 2023
The budget we have to have, says mayor
Horsham mayor Robyn Gulline says council this week delivered “the budget we had to have” while pushing through rate rises to the maximum allowable and calling on state and federal government to inject more funds into regional municipalities. On...
Horsham mayor Robyn Gulline says council this week delivered “the budget we had to have” while pushing through rate rises to the maximum allowable and calling on state and federal government to inject more funds into regional municipalities.
On Monday afternoon Horsham Rural City Council (HRCC) voted unanimously to put its draft budget out to public engagement for two weeks ahead of adopting it at the monthly meeting in June.
In preparing the draft, HRCC has applied an across-the-board rates increase of 3.5 per cent for the 2023–24 financial year – the full amount permitted under the Victorian Government’s legislated rate cap.
It projects total revenue of $62 million (up from $59.6 million in 2022–23) and expenditure of $56.1 million (against $55.6 million in 2022–23), leaving a surplus of $5.9 million at year’s end to lift the underlying operating deficit to $3.9 million.
“This budget shows how heavily reliant we are on operating grants of more than $17 million,” Cr Gulline said.
“If we don’t get some of that funding then those projects will not be going ahead.”
Speaking after the meeting, Cr Gulline said the consumer price index for councils was “well over 10, 12 per cent so only being able to raise rates by the maximum 3.5 per cent we are contained and curtailed in what we can do”.
In moving on Monday that the draft budget be received, Cr David Bowe said in his opinion it struck “a balance between providing services and cost of living”.
Cr Ian Ross said he was concerned that the $1 million allocated for resheeting of tertiary (gravel) roads was “not sufficient” despite the amount having been increased by $100,000 over the current year’s $900,000 spend.
Cr Les Power said he hoped that “out of our population of 20,000 residents, 10,000 (would) look at this draft” while it was displayed on the HRCC website and in hard copy at the council offices until the close of business on Friday June 9.
It is expected that HRCC will adopt the draft as its official 2023–24 budget when it next meets on June 26.