Budget 2022

The period for community consultation on the 2022 Draft Budget has now  concluded. A report on the community response will be presented to Council at a meeting in June 2022.

• Orange pensioners benefit from Council rates rebate

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  Pensioners in Orange will benefit from more than $1.5 million in rate reductions under this year’s draft Council budget.

  The draft budget for 2022/23 is currently on exhibition for community comment until 19 May.

  Orange Mayor Jason Hamling said the rates rebate was an important part of the Council income plans.

  “The state government provides for rates support for pensioners but the amount offered voluntarily by Orange City Council amounts to more than double that,” Cr Hamling said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the pensioner rebate gets overlooked among the rest of the Council’s spending plans, and I’d certainly encourage any pensioner who doesn’t know about it to find out more and apply.”

  The NSW Government provides a compulsory pensioner rebate for every council area in the state. In Orange this gives pensioners a rates discount worth $1,169,386. The cost of this discount is shared between the state government ($644,522) and Orange City Council ($524,864).

  On top of the compulsory rebate, Orange City Council is among a number of councils that provide an additional rebate worth an extra $479,897.

  Around 2700 or 16% of Orange’s 16,000 Orange residences are eligible to receive a rebate, which gives an average total discount of around $605 per year for rates and water accounts.

  “The system for applying for a rebate is straightforward, and I’d encourage any eligible pensioner to find out more,” Cr Hamling said.

  Residents only need to apply once. The form gives the Council permission to check their eligibility every year after that.

  “If people hadn’t heard about this and are applying for the first time, Council will also credit them this benefit for the last two years,” Cr Hamling said..

  
  

  MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PENSIONER REBATE:

  Under state regulations, eligible pensioners are someone with:

  • a Pensioner Concession Card issued by Services Australia (Centrelink) or
  • a Department of Veterans Affairs Gold Card embossed with either TPI (Totally

  Permanently Incapacitated) or EDA (Extreme Disablement Adjustment) and who own and occupy their residence as their sole or principal place of living.

  The NSW Government statutory rebate is:

  • a 50% rebate on rates and domestic waste management charges to a maximum of $250, and
  • a 50% rebate on water and sewer charges to a maximum of $87.50 each.

  In addition, Orange City Council offers a further local (voluntary) rebate to eligible pensioners, which varies depending on when they bought their residence.

  Eligible pensioners who were owner-occupiers before 30 June 2006 receive an additional rebate worth 10% of their total rates bill. A rebate worth 5% of their total rates bill is offered to pensioners who became owner-occupiers after this date.

  The Pensioner Rebate Application form can be downloaded here. Applicants must bring the completed form to the Council office so that their Pensioner Card can be sighted.

• Council returns to ‘conventional’ budget, makes progress on key projects

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  After two years of budgets designed to assist the community to recover from COVID-19, Orange City Council’s financial plans for the coming financial year return to a routine budget aimed at making progress on key major projects.

  The latest Council meeting (19 April) voted to put the proposed budget for the 2022/23 financial year on display for community comment.

  The draft budget reveals plans to spend $68.1 million on capital projects in the coming year, with a consolidated operating deficit of $931,748. The projects will be funded by a mix of government grants, council reserves and property sales.

  The major capital projects that will see progress during the next 12 months are:

  • new sporting precinct,
  • the Orange Regional Conservatorium, and
  • the next stage of the southern feeder road, west from Anson Street ($14.7 million).

  The list of key projects planned for next year includes:

  • $6 million for a new water reservoir and underground pipes to bring water to the new Shiralee housing area
  • $2 million for upgrades at the Orange Regional Airport
  • $2.1 million to build the next stage of the Euchareena Road landfill site
  • $2.1 million for upgrades to the Water Treatment Plant
  • $5 million for more progress on the FutureCity CBD upgrade

  Orange Mayor Jason Hamling said he was pleased the coming year would see more progress on a number of key projects.

  “Due to the election in December, this budget has come together in a shorter than usual period of time,” Cr Jason Hamling said. “While this budget is ‘business as usual’, I’m pleased the funds are there to see more progress on the sports precinct. It’s expected we’ll be looking at a mini budget in September this year to bring a range of late developments into the mix.”

  “We have a significant budget deficit this year but that’s about continuing to deliver the facilities that are needed in a contemporary city like Orange.”

  “Ask any builder and they’ll tell you the price of steel and concrete has gone through the roof. As a council we’re working through the impact of what’s expected to be significant increases in the costs of key construction projects. We’re looking for solutions such as staging projects and seeking extra grant funding that will let us get on with the work. There’s no doubt we’ll be relying on support from other tiers of government to deliver projects such as the sports precinct and the conservatorium.”

  It’s intended that residential and business rates will rise by 2.5%. While the NSW Government’s Independent Pricing & Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) mandated a rate peg of 0.7%, last night’s meeting decided to apply for an additional special variation of 2.5%. If that is approved, average residential rates will increase by $39.82 per year, or by $1.33 per week, including water, waste and sewer charges. Average business rates will increase by $68.56 or $1.32 per week.

  According to a report to last night’s meeting, if the Council isn’t successful in achieving the 2.5% increase, there would be a reduction in the draft rates budget of approximately $620,000 in 2022/23 that would lead to a compound loss of income of over $7 million for the 10 year life of the Council’s long term financial plan.

  Orange City Council’s Finance Committee chair Cr Kevin Duffy said the modest rates increase was important.

  “The Council has to balance the delivery of services against the pain of any rates increase form residents,” Cr Kevin Duffy said.

  “As councillors we have to balance any impact against the need to keep the Council in a solid financial position where roads and footpaths can be maintained and major projects can be delivered.” “It makes more sense to have small rates rises than to pretend that avoiding rate increases isn’t simply pushing a problem further down the road.”

  The draft budget will be on exhibition for community comment for 28 days.

  A report about community submissions will be brought to a council meeting when the final budget will be considered in June.

  On YourSay Orange you can:

  • complete a short survey
  • make an online comment.

• Affordable housing, social equity and more facilities for young people are main priorities in new community ‘blueprint’

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  The Orange community wants Orange City Council to give greater priority to tackling affordable housing, providing more recreational options for young people and addressing problems surrounding poverty and social equity, according to the results of the ‘Future Orange’ community conversation.

  From November last year to March this year, Orange City Council ran a wide-ranging conversation with the community to produce the updated Community Strategic Plan (CSP).

  A string of new strategies have now been added to the draft CSP and last night’s Council meeting voted to put the new document on exhibition for community comment.

  According to an online survey, the top ‘challenges’ facing the Orange community in the coming years are:

  • Lack of social and affordable housing
  • Problems surrounding poverty and social equity
  • Lack of recreational options for young people, and
  • Giving a priority to the environment, employment growth and the business community

  Orange Mayor Cr Jason Hamling wants residents to help the Council make sure the new draft CSP is heading in the right direction.

  “We’ve actively engaged online and through a variety of face-to-face events to listen to the community, and a new blueprint for the future has been drafted,” Cr Jason Hamling said.

  “But this next stage is also crucial. This is where we go back to the community and check that what we’ve heard is actually what the community is saying.”

  “This CSP document will set the big-picture directions for Council in the coming years, so we want to be as sure as we can that we’ve got it right. It’s as simple as going to YourSay Orange and filling in a quick survey that will let residents have their say.

  “Are issues like housing, youth recreation, the environment and better roads the key challenges for the future, or is there something else that should also be given a priority?” he said.

  As part of the ‘Future Orange’ community conversation, more than 1,200 people took part in face-to-face events or completed an online survey, run by independent consultants Proctectura. A further 1,000 people visited the YourSay Orange site sharing 183 ideas and making suggestions by placing 120 pins on maps.

  The conversation also produced calls for:

  • Better all-year-round access to the Aquatic Centre’s 50-metre pool
  • Better roads, footpaths and cycleways
  • More electric vehicle charging stations
  • More local action to address the impact of climate change and
  • Better communication from Council.

  The CSP is part of the Integrated Planning & Reporting requirements produced by all council under the Local Government Act. Orange City Council has produced the required suite of long term financial management plans, a four-year Delivery Program and an annual operational plan to the IP&R suite as well as a workforce management strategy and an asset management strategy. As well as the CSP, last night’s meeting voted to place all the draft IP & R documents on exhibition for community comment.

  The draft documents will be on exhibition for community comment for 28 days. A report about the community submissions will be brought to a council meeting on 7 June when the CSP will be adopted.

  On YourSay Orange you can:

  • complete a short survey
  • make an online comment.