By Matthew Sims
Casey Council has endorsed the upcoming budget for the Casey Cardinia Library Corporation (CCLC), detailing a $118,997 deficit for the 2023-24 period due to the withdrawal of Cardinia Council from the corporation on 1 November 2022.
At its council meeting on Tuesday 16 May, administrators passed a motion to approve the CCLC Draft Budget 2023-2024, an update of the CCLC Library Plan 2021-2025 (updated 2023) and the CCLC Draft Strategic Resource Plan 2023-2027 documents, as well as note the 2023 update of the CCLC Facilities Development Plan 2023-2027 document.
The 2023-24 budget detailed a total revenue of $9,603,487, including a $7,198,580 contribution from Casey Council and a $2,207,392 investment from the State Government.
The total expenditure outlined in the budget was $9,722,484, including $6,607,846 in employee costs, $102,960 in promotions and marketing and $1,505,013 in library materials.
The CCLC currently services the community at the Bunjil Place Library, Cranbourne Library, Doveton Library, Endeavour Hills Library and Hampton Park Library.
Administrator Miguel Belmar said it was positive to see the reports detail ongoing improvement goals across the five facilities.
“The community can be assured that there is a focus on continual improvement of our library facilities,“ he said.
“It’s an excellent report that sets out how the library is going to do the work that it continues to need to do and to provide services to the community in its new structure.
“I note in particular that there has been a reduction in income because of the separation from Cardinia.“
According to the 2023 update of the CCLC Library Plan 2021-2025, Casey was forecasted to grow by 40 per cent between 2023 and 2041, from 392,236 to 551,362, with hotspots being in new residential areas around Clyde and Cranbourne.
About 30 per cent of residents in Casey were under 19 years old, with the median age at 34, with children found at 57 per cent of Casey households.
The communities served by CCLC speak more than 140 languages and are from more than 150 cultural groups.
According to the plan, the CCLC aimed to achieve four main strategic goals: to create safe, welcoming spaces which provide free access to information, knowledge and resources, to strengthen partnerships and encourage innovation, to contribute to thriving, healthy and inclusive communities and to strengthen its capacity to lead, adapt and innovate to meet changing community needs.
The CCLC has projected it would have more than 980,000 visits for the 2022-23 year and outlined a target of 1,030,335 by 2025-26.
In terms of memberships, the CCLC has projected it would have 89,400 for 2022-23, with a target to reach 102,065 by 2025-26.
Administrator Cameron Boardman congratulated the Casey Council and CCLC staff for their efforts in adapting to the new corporate structure.
“It is something that, from a community usability basis, we are extremely proud of,“ he said.
“It’s not just a place, these days, to borrow books and to use for community facilities.
“There is a range of digital services, there are meeting facilities, there are community events.“
In its Facilities Development Plan 2023-2027 document, the CCLC outlined that while its current libraries were located in Narre Warren, Hampton Park, Endeavour Hills, Doveton and Cranbourne there are large, fast growing residential areas remained without a more traditional library, outlining opportunities to investigate how existing infrastructure can be utilised for outreach or
co-located library facilities, particularly in the fast-growing areas of Clyde North, Cranbourne and Cranbourne West.
