Council endorse Annual Budget 2019/20

The City of South Perth has formally adopted its 2019/20 Annual Budget, following the Council Meeting held on Tuesday 25 June 2019. 

The approved budget supports spending on major projects and new community facilities, as well as providing essential services and infrastructure to meet identified community needs.

Council endorsed a 1.0% increase in rates for all ratepayers within the City. 

Considering financial pressures on households in the current economy, the 1.0% resolution was lower than the 1.4% increase proposed in the draft Annual Budget last week. This reduction removes expenditure on works at the Collier Park Golf Course, to be considered at a Councillor Workshop in early July.

Delivering on the vision of being a City of active places and beautiful spaces, the budget considered the Strategic Community Plan 2017-2027 and includes spending on roads and paths, as well as lighting and technology, park and playground upgrades and renewal of foreshore assets.

Mayor Sue Doherty endorsed the budget, which considered community feedback the City received through various channels. 

“The 2019/20 budget allows the City to continue delivering essential services that meet community needs, as well as building on the quality assets and offerings within the City that make it a such a great  place to live, work and visit,” Mayor Doherty said. 

“The Council acknowledges its responsibility to the community and the importance of ensuring ratepayer funds are spent effectively and efficiently.” 

Key projects in the 2019/20 budget include:

Major projects

• $4.34 million Connect South Stage One works on the Mends Street Foreshore completion
• $600,000 Recreation and Aquatic Facility (RAF) design development 

Infrastructure

• $3.08 million roadworks, resurfacing and rehabilitation 
• $786,500 technology and lighting for safety and security
• $551,500 CCTV installation at South Perth Foreshore and Karawara (included as a component of technology and lighting)
• $500,000 streetscapes enhancement 
• $436,800 path installation, renewal and upgrades
• $380,000 Manning Hub Laneway and pedestrian access (included as a component of streetscapes)
• $349,000 Bruce Street resurfacing, between Saunders and Henley streets (included as a component of roadworks)
• $236,600 drainage improvements 
• $165,000 traffic management renewals and upgrades 

Community and sporting facilities

• $285,500 Old Mill upgrades and masterplan development 
• $95,000 Hensman Kindergarten remedial works 
• $95,000 Karawara Master Plan Stage 2 implementation
• $90,000 Challenger Reserve upgrades and master plan
• $50,000 Neil McDougall Park Lake – water sensitive urban design (WSUD) project   

Environment

• $1.4 million parks and reserves renewal and upgrades 
• $730,500 waste management initiatives 
• $600,000 Olives Reserve – Stage 1 construction completion and playground replacement (included as a component of parks and reserves)
• $120,000 Mt Henry Spit restoration and foreshore nourishment 

Your rates

In 2019/20 the rate increase for an average property in the City of South Perth will be 1.0%.  

Benchmarking against other metropolitan local governments, the City continues to be competitive. Local governments with lower rates typically have a large industrial or commercial rate base. In comparison, commercial properties in the City represent 13.1% of the total rate base.

To find out more about how rates are calculated and what they are used for, visit southperth.wa.gov.au/residents/rates-and-payments/aboutmyrates. 

Domestic rubbish service charge

The City has one of the lowest domestic rubbish service charges in the Perth metropolitan area.

A significant cost pressure has impacted on the domestic rubbish service charge for the coming year, meaning the fee will increase from $305 (2018/19) to $325, remaining one of the lowest of all metropolitan local governments that charge a separate fee. 

This increase is due in part to a 2.5% increase in waste collection charges, in accordance with the Provision of Waste Management Services contract approved by Council in April 2019. 

The City’s domestic rubbish service includes weekly rubbish pick-up, fortnightly recycling collection and two green waste and one general waste vergeside collections per year. 

In addition, resident ratepayers receive two green waste and one general waste voucher to the City’s Recycling Centre. 

Emergency Services Levy

The State Government’s Emergency Services Levy (ESL) will continue to appear on all local government rate notices, with monies collected forwarded directly to Fire & Emergency Services Authority (FESA). 

This charge is outside the control of local governments. It is set by the State Government and is not retained as revenue by the City. In 2019/20 it will increase by 2.7%, as announced by the State Government in May 2019.