Minute With The Mayor - Mayor Ramon Jayo

UNDERSTANDING COUNCIL’S BUDGET AND THE CHOICES WE MUST MAKE

Council has now begun preparing the 2026-27 Budget, which must be adopted before 1 July 2026. Recent discussion around capital works has shown there is genuine interest in how Council sets priorities and also some understandable confusion about how the budget process works. This column is about lifting the lid on that process.

The annual budget is not just a financial document; it is how Council authorises every service it delivers and every dollar it spends. It determines what gets maintained, what gets renewed, what can be built, and just as importantly, what has to wait.

The very purpose of local government is to deliver services to community.  

Services that communities need to function on a daily basis and to be sustainable in the long term.  

Council provides town planning, environmental health, animal management, pest and weed control, roads and footpaths, street lighting, waste and recycling, stormwater drainage, parks and sporting fields, swimming pools, community halls, cemeteries, libraries, cultural facilities, coastal care, food safety inspections, and water and sewerage services. These are not abstract concepts, they are the everyday services that keep the community functioning.

To deliver those services, Council must also maintain significant assets: roads, bridges, buildings, pools, water treatment facilities and sewerage infrastructure. These assets age from the moment they are built, and they requireongoing maintenance and eventual replacement.

That is why financial sustainability matters. Legislation requires Council to plan not just for the year ahead, but for the long term ensuring we can maintain infrastructure and continue delivering services well into the future.

We do this through Asset Management Plans, which assess the condition of every major asset, identify maintenance needs, and set out when components will need replacement and at what cost. These plans are reviewed continuously and sit at the centre of our budgeting decisions.

While Council receives some funding from State and Federal Governments, most services are funded through rates paid by the community. And in the current economic climate — with rising interest rates, increasing fuel prices, higher construction and import costs, and ongoing global uncertainty — affordability has never been more important.

That is why every budget comes down to balancing needs versus wants. Essential services like water, sewerage, roads, drainage and libraries must always come first. Projects that enhance lifestyle and amenity are important, but they must be timed responsibly and funded in a way the community can afford.

Every decision involves trade‑offs. If we overreach, the only alternatives are cutting services or sharply increasing rates, neither of which are acceptable outcomes.

Our job is to manage what we have well, protect essential services, and carefully position Council for future growth but responsibly, sustainably, and with the community firmly front of mind.

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