IPSWICH City Council is poised to take back the honours of Queensland’s fastest-growing local government area in terms of population and last week’s Budget aims to cater for the growth of the city.
Mayor Teresa Harding was down with Covid-19 and out of the Chamber when the Budget was handed down, with Councillor Paul Tully stepping up to chair as the Finance and Governance Committee Chair – as part of his 45th Council Budget.
But Cr Harding spoke on the Budget and what it meant for the city.
“Ipswich has the highest rate of growth over the next 20 years of any council in Queensland, and this Budget was carefully considered to manage this significant growth now and into the future,” she said.
“We are not a large council like some of our neighbours, therefore this rapid population growth puts incredible pressure on Council to continue to deliver the infrastructure, assets and services needed to ensure our city can grow sustainably.
“Council has endorsed a $663 million budget supported by a general rate rise of 5.45 per cent. This equates to an average increase to the residential rates and charges bill of $2.58 per week per household.
“We are cognisant of the cost-of-living pressures facing our residents,” Cr Harding said.
“Therefore, we have offset this for our most vulnerable residents with a 5.45 per cent increase in the pensioner concession for all eligible pensioners.
“Importantly, we have kept our rate increase the same for owner-occupiers as for landlords to better protect tenants from future rent hikes.
“This Budget means we can continue to deliver for our community with a $204 million capital works program, including the largest road upgrades to our local network that this city has ever seen.”
Cr Harding thanked residents for their patience as the duplication of the Springfield Parkway and Springfield Greenbank Arterial and the expansion of Redbank Plains Road continued.
“Council is proud to now add the much-needed upgrades of Ripley and Fischer roads, Ripley, and the intersection of Mary and William streets, Blackstone, to this list,” she said.
“We continue to boost our commitment to local sporting fields, parks and community facilities with $12 million in this year’s Budget to meet the growing demand for these assets.
This includes half a million dollars each for the upgrades of the Tivoli Sporting Complex and Redbank Plains Recreation Reserve this year, with $18 million proposed for investment over the next three years.
“We’ve committed almost $20 million across our three-year capital works program to increase capacity in our waste infrastructure and reduce our dependency on landfill,” Cr Harding said.
“Council will also deliver more free and low-cost events and activities to help stretch family budgets further.
“This Budget has been firmly focused on the financial sustainability of our council in the face of rising construction and operating costs, while ensuring we step up to the incredible challenge of catering for the significant growth of our city in the coming decades.”
