Budget 2019

15 May 2019

Orange residents have one month to have a say on the 2019/20 budget after Councillors voted to put the draft plan on exhibition.

The draft delivery/operational plan delivers a modest surplus, includes funding for large-scale projects such as the CBD upgrade, Sir Jack Brabham Park playground and community buildings, as well as $1 million towards a road reseal program and $75,000 towards an upgrade at Gosling Creek.

Orange Mayor Reg Kidd said there were several big-ticket items but in some cases, part of the funding was dependent on grants from the state and federal government.

“Many of these projects are ‘shovel-ready’ and it’s vital we have the money put aside on the eventuality these grants are awarded to us,” Cr Kidd said.

‘Alongside these high-profile initiatives, it’s good that we’re also planning to tackle more maintenance of local community facilities like the Adventure playground, the ELF, the Botanic Gardens buildings and car parks, and tree replacement.”

Orange City Council’s Finance Committee Chair Cr Joanne McRae said the Council was in a sound financial position.

“This budget will aim to deliver the high standard of service Orange residents expect, taking the increases in rates in line with state government limits,” Cr McRae said.

“It’s important to note that the draft budget includes a number of projects which are contingent on state or federal grant funding. Council will need to ensure we have funds available to meet any co-funding requirements when grants are successful, and we will make decisions about funding through loans or reserves when only part-funding is received.”

“When compared to the state average, Orange City Council spends more per capita on environment, community, recreational, cultural, library and community safety services.”

Rates recommended to rise

Overall, residential rates will increase by an average of$1.34 a week, or $69.62 per year, including water and sewer.

Business rates will increase by an average of $253.71 per year or $4.88 per week.

Rates will increase by 2.98 %. On top of the NSW Government’s rate-pegging limit of 2.7% is an amount to deal with the expected extra costs of dealing with waste.

At the end of August this year, a NSW Government subsidy, put in place to deal with the impact of the China Sword Policy on Australian recycled waste, comes to an end. The ongoing processing costs of and extra $60.00/tonne have to be met through a necessary increase on the domestic recycling charge. Council and Netwaste are continuing to investigate alternative options for processing recycled waste.

Major projects

Some budget highlights* include:

• CBD upgrade - $15.5 million
• William Maker Drive roundabout - $5.1 million
• Smart water meters - $150,000
• Wade Park development - $2 million
• Orange Regional Gallery - $4 million
• Southern Feeder Road - $15.1 million
• Footpath upgrades - $350,000

Cr McRae said the Council had recently made significant savings in terms of charges through phone use and insurance and it will continue to investigate opportunities to save money.

“A major focus moving forward for the Council will be to identify new efficiency opportunities to reduce the impact of price growth while accommodating growing community expectations,” she said.

“The proposed list of council ‘Fees and Charges’ is an important part of the budget for people to look at. If there’s a community facility you’re using regularly, you can check the proposed fees for the coming year and have your say in a budget submission.”

The draft delivery/operational plan will be on exhibition for community comment until 12 June.

*Note that some projects are subject to securing government grants, and some are to be delivered over a number of years.

Council offered a range of user pays services such as childcare, venue hire, pool use, theatre costs and development application admin fees.

Each year the fees Council charges residents and user group is assessed and in some cases the fees rise and in some cases they stay the same or are reduced.

All the proposed fees and charges can be found by downloading this document.

The below list are some highlighted proposed changes.

If you'd like to have your say on the changes make sure you go to the 'make a comment' section of this page.

• Childcare fees (long day care) - 5 per cent increase to $105 per day
• Occasional Care - 5.56 per cent increase to $9.50 per hour
• Choices at home (return outings in the Orange LGA) - 50 per cent decrease to $5.
• Choice at home (home pick-up each way) - 50 per cent decrease to $2
• Orange Aquatic Centre general admission - Adult - increase of 1.45 per cent to $7
• Orange Aqustic Centre general admission - Child - increase of 2.04 per cent to $5
• Orange Aquatic Centre 12 month family swim membership - no change - $1,309
• Orange Civic Theatre hire - performances Monday to Friday - increase of 1.69 per cent to $900
• Orange Function Centre Hire - Monday to Friday - increase of 1.81 per cent to $1,110
• Registration fee for a desexed pet - no increase - $57
• Registration fee for a non-desexed pet - no change - $207
• Pound fees - cat per night - no change - $35
• Pound fees - dog per night - no change $30

Designs are under way for a $2 million upgrade for Forest Road between Bloomfield and Cadia Road.

The first stage of the upgrade will start at the hospital and likely finish at the entrance to the Department of Primary Industries.

The section will look much like the recently completed Forest Road upgrade from Huntley Road to the hospital.

The second stage of the upgrade will continue to Cadia Road but it is unlikely to include kerb and gutter.

This major upgrade is dependent on government grants.

Council is proposing to include $20,000 in the 2019/20 financial year for a concept plan to be drawn up to look at the best ways of expanding the Sir Neville Howse Stadium (Anzac park sports facility).

Sport participation, particularly in netball, is expanding at a great rate in Orange.

The current Anzac Park facility may need expanding to accommodate the large number of games and tournaments across netball, basketball, futsal and roller derby.

The indoor stadium currently has four courts and Council would like to fund a concept plan to investigate expanding the facility to include five or six courts to accommodate the increase in demand.

The intention is to include a 'show court' in the concept design, or the design could include flexible/retractable seating to allow the new space to be as versatile as possible.

Orange City Council has included $68,000 in next year's budget to resurface the netball courts at the Sir Neville Howse Stadium.

The surface on the eight outdoor courts has a lifespan of about 10 years.

The courts are quickly approaching the ten-year milestone and will need an upgrade.

The courts are heavily used by both competition netball players and recreational players across all ages, as well as by families and individuals on weekends.

Orange City Council is investigating a range of ways to reduce its own water use.

In the 2019/20 financial year Council has budgeted for $150,000 worth of Smart Water Metres to be installed across a range of Council buildings which have generally high water readings, such as childcare centres, certain parks and gardens, the sewerage treatment plant and the Civic Centre office in Lords Place.

These meters give a ‘real-time’ reading on the buildings water use, which can be accessed online 24/7.

This means if there is a water leak, building operators will be alerted to it straight away and it can be fixed as soon as possible.

In many cases, particularly in residential houses, people aren’t aware there is a water leak until they receive their unusually high water bill.

These metres can also give an accurate reading on what time the most water is used compared to the least. This is information can be used to implement better water savings management plans.

Smart Water Metres are becoming increasingly popular across NSW Councils and in many areas have been introduced to residential homes.

A two-pronged plan to upgrade Wade Park is part of the proposed budget plan for 2019/20.

Capital projects listed in the budget include :

• $1.8 milion for the new Cricket Centre of Excellence
• $2 million for a new grandstand alongside the new cricket centre.

The council has recently approved the DA for the new cricket centre and is expected to award the construction tender in the coming months.

The proposal for an additional grandstand is currently unfunded and would rely on additional government grants.

The plan is to make use of the design of the cricket centre to build an additional structure over one side of the building to create a 400-seat grandstand.

The cricket centre is funded both by grant funding and from council resources. The proposed grandstand is 100% grant dependent.

A Council budget is a delicate balancing act between community and Council priorities, income, maintenance spending, maintaining high quality services and general operational costs.

Before the draft budget going on exhibition, Councillors and Council staff met on several occasions to come up with a list of priorities, a list of wishes and a list of items which may not be a priority this year but could be considered in the future.

Some of those items which did not make the budget this year include:

• Street art, statues and murals
• Former netball court redevelopment in Sale Street
• Sporting precinct
• Health precinct
• Community centre refurbishment
• A chair lift to the summit of Mount Canobolas
• A Cobb & Co Display
• Upgrades, staffing and maintenance for the Orange Ex-Services Club Pool
• Solar panel roll-out