By Eleanor Wilson
New parks, IBAC investigation recommendations and the Melbourne City Football Club Community Initiative Program have helped shape the City of Casey’s 2022-23 Budget and Annual Action Plan.
The council announced an operating budget of $433.19 million to go toward priority services for the community, as well as a $125.45 million Capital Works Program to deliver key infrastructure throughout the City of Casey.
The draft budget will provide $42 million towards child, youth and family services, $51 million towards waste management,$22 million towards community connections and health and wellbeing, $19 million toward road maintenance and $12 million towards sports and leisure
Key community project funding for the Capital Works Program include $5.7 million to develop Casey Fields regional soccer stage, $4.68 million to Clyde North Family and Community Centre (West), $3.4 million to a new family & community centre in Clyde Township, $1.8 million to the renewal of the Gwendoline Children’s Centre, $2.14 million to Pearcedale Reserve Pavillion and $2 million to Cranbourne West Sports Reserve in Lochaven.
The council will invest $29.1 million into roads through the budget, with $3.6 million to the Ballarto Road and South Gippsland Highway intersection and $2.4 million to the Clyde and Hardys Road intersection.
“We are continuing to provide significant capital works and continuing to invest in our community,” council administrator Miguel Belmar said.
“I invite the community to be involved in the submission and public exhibition process.”
The draft budget runs alongside council’s Annual Action plan, which outlines its key focus points for 2022-23, which includes delivering three new recreation reserves in Clyde, Cranbourne West and Botanic Ridge, transitioning the service model of the Casey Cardinia Libraries Corporation, supporting the first year of the Melbourne City Football Club Community Initiatives program and implementing community-led initiatives within the Gender Equality and Prevention of Violence Against Women Strategy.
It also outlines aims to actively contribute to the Greater Southeast Melbourne group of Councils work for strategic, regional outcomes, and respond to recommendations provided through the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC) Operation Sandon investigation.
The council said it plans to borrow $21 million from the State endorsed Treasury Corporation of Victoria to assist with projects in the 2022-23 budget.
“With a steady financial position and as a large and growing municipality, it is financially responsible to borrow to partially finance capital projects to spread the cost of projects over a number of years. The Draft Budget therefore recommends a low-interest, State-guaranteed, 10-year Treasury Corporation of Victoria (TCV) loan of $21 million for critical capital works in 2022/23,” City of Casey chair of administrators Noelene Duff said.
The draft budget documents are open to community consideration between 25 April and 17 May, after which a council meeting on 31 May will consider community comments before budget proceeding are finalised in late June.
