The City of Onkaparinga has proposed to maintain a CPI rate increase as it seeks the community’s feedback on council’s draft Annual Business Plan (ABP) and Budget 2022–23.
City of Onkaparinga Acting Mayor Simon McMahon has encouraged everyone in the region to provide feedback online at council’s Your Say page until Thursday 23 June.
“We made a commitment to keep rates to CPI and stick to our Long Term Financial Plan principles, which is steering council on a path to financial sustainability while responsibly managing our debt,” Acting Mayor McMahon said.
“That’s what’s reflected in the 4.7 per cent rate revenue increase applied to City of Onkaparinga's draft 2022-23 operating budget, which is now out for community consultation.
“This is a balanced decision—a balance between our commitment to keep rates to CPI and to cover the increase in our costs to meet the needs of our city.
“To ensure we keep rates to CPI, this year we’re going to absorb the growth cost pressures in our city, which this year represents an additional 0.6 per cent.
“If we didn’t find a way to absorb this, it would have pushed the rate increase to 5.3 per cent.
“Instead, we’ll find an additional $820,000 in savings to ensure we can deliver a rate revenue increase that remains aligned to CPI at 4.7 per cent.”
Some of the major projects and initiatives to be delivered within the $214.82 million budget include:
- undertaking investigations, design and engagement for the upgrade of Knox Park in Morphett Vale to create a multi-use, shared sporting facility
- continued upgrade of Hackham South East roads and infrastructure in conjunction with adjacent residential development works
- undertaking planning and design for the refurbishment of the Hopgood Theatre in 2022–23
- delivering council’s inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan 2022–23 to take meaningful action to advance reconciliation
- planting 6000 street and reserve trees to increase the city’s tree canopy cover by 20 percent by 2035
- delivering a Climate Change Response Plan, which will drive evidence-based, practical action over the year and into the future
- investing $19.2 million on maintaining roads and $2.5 million to construct new and renew existing footpaths
- investing $3.4 million on revamping playgrounds and reserves
- investing $2.12 million on road safety projects across the city including traffic calming treatments, crossings, bollards, line marking, signage and traffic management investigations
- continuing to deliver essential services to support vulnerable people in Onkaparinga’s communities, including at council’s youth, community and positive ageing centres, and libraries.
Major projects carried forward from 2021–22 (originally budgeted for in 2021–22 with unspent budgets carried forward for use int 2022–23) include:
- designing and constructing a section of the shared-use Coast Park trail between the unclad beach carpark at Maslin Beach and Port Willunga foreshore.
- designing and constructing the 1.37km Witton Bluff section of Coast Park around the base of Witton Bluff from Christies Beach to Port Noarlunga
- delivering new facilities for existing aquatic user groups, improving and providing safer river access, upgrading vehicle and trailer parking, constructing new public toilets, and deliver public art at Port Noarlunga’s Wearing Street Precinct (construction subject to external funding, land transfer and necessary approvals)
- continued delivery of the Aldinga Sports Master Plan.
Council’s draft ABP outlines how council will spend your rates to deliver essential services and projects across the City of Onkaparinga.
The ABP’s actions are aligned with the vision set out in council’s Community Plan 2030, backed by a suite of strategic plans and the voices of the community (e.g. residents that took council’s Community Survey 2021).
You can review City of Onkaparinga’s draft Annual Business Plan and provide feedback until Thursday 23 June at council’s Your Say page.
Pictured
An image taken on the route of the soon-to-be-completed Flat to Vale Trail, which features on the front cover of the draft Annual Business Plan and Budget 2022-23.