The Kempsey community will see ongoing improvements around the shire in the coming financial year as Council prepares for tough financial decisions.
At their June ordinary meeting, Kempsey Shire Council adopted a vital body of work for the coming financial year in the form of the 2023-24 Operational Plan which continues the work to deliver the community’s 20-year vision as outlined in the Community Strategic Plan 2042: Your Future.
The 2023-24 financial year will see the delivery of a large capital works program across the shire amounting to almost $120 million that will result in a variety of new and replacement assets, facilities, and infrastructure.
Many projects outlined are only financially possible due to external grant funding. The overall 2023-24 capital expenditure budget of $120M includes $55M recovered through income streams such as federal and state government grants.
Craig Milburn, Kempsey Shire Council General Manager, said Council’s budget represented a challenging trade off between essential community works and terrible economic conditions.
“Community surveys show there is an expectation Council should invest more in roads, bridges and transport followed by stormwater and drainage and this budget delivers on those expectations,” said Mr Milburn.
“These are project that require multimillion dollar expenditure to make a measurable difference to our residents experience. There is no such thing as an easy budget but I join our Councillors in commending staff for a plan that delivers vital projects in the face of challenges from the cost of living crisis, to unexpected state government financial hurdles in the from of the Emergency Services Levy.”
The adopted suite of planning and reporting documents were placed on public exhibition from 21 April to 21 May and outline capital projects including:
- Continued multi-million-dollar investment in maintaining and improving the shire’s road network
- Continuing to deliver the Fixing Country Bridges Program
- Significant investment in implementation of Council’s Waste Masterplan
- Progression of major water and sewer infrastructure projects including:
- Stuarts Point Sewerage Scheme,
- Central Kempsey Wastewater Treatment Plan,
- Crescent Head Water Treatment Plant,
- Steuart McIntyre Dam Water Treatment Plant,
- Willawarrin Water Treatment Plant,
- Bellbrook Water Treatment Plant and
- Clybucca Reservoir Refurbishment.
- Riverside Park Foreshore and riverbank stabilisation
- Kempsey Regional Saleyards infrastructure upgrade
- Macleay Valley Coast Holiday Parks maintenance and improvements
- Implementation of the Verge/Eden Street sports complex masterplan
- Horseshoe Bay headland carpark and walkway as part of the masterplan implementation
- Kemp Street Sporting Complex upgrades
As part of their plans, Councillors approved a general rate increase of 3.7% as well as increases to specific levies, including a significant increase of approximately 13% to the sewer levy.
The sewer levy increase comes after a jump in the estimate for essential sewer capital program planned for the next 10 years in light of increased costs. The program is now estimated to cost almost $250 million, including the Central Kempsey Wastewater Treatment Plant project, which is now estimated to have a total project cost of approximately $150 million.
Mr Milburn said the decision to raise rates and levies was not taken lightly and committed to measures to improve the financial position.
“These plans represent the best solution to a huge financial challenge where Council needs to deliver services and infrastructure across a massive land area while ensuring a financially safe future under sever economic pressure,” said Mr Milburn.
“It is never an easy decision to raise rates, especially during a cost of living crisis, however Council faces numerous financial pressures including rising costs of materials, labour and interest rates.”
Council will undertake a rate review from July to November to identify and address anomalies in the current structure. This is in addition to significant measures that have been taken over the last five years to address Council’s financial sustainability.
The coming year will also see Council continue to focus on delivering continuous business improvements as part of the Financial Sustainability, Internal Audit and Service Review programs. This includes ongoing investigation into a special rate variation.
These investigations are fundamental to ensuring Council continues to meet the expectations of the community in a financially sustainable way over the long term. Council has committed to ongoing communication with the community on the issue in the months to come.
Details on the individual projects and the overall planning documents can be found on Council’s website
