(30/6/17) Roads, rubbish, responsiveness and renewal the priorities in 2017-18 council budget | City of Fremantle
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30 June 2017
(30/6/17) Roads, rubbish, responsiveness and renewal the priorities in 2017-18 council budget
  • Modest 1.9% rate increase across all rate categories
  • Strong focus on roads, waste services and recycling and delivering more efficient and responsive services to the suburbs
  • $101.3m expenditure which includes $20m on capital projects
  • $10.6m to commence construction of new $50m civic administration and library building to renew the centre of Fremantle and provide a boost to the local economy.

Fremantle Council this week adopted its 2017-18 budget which balances the financial requirements of the upcoming $270m Kings Square Renewal project with a renewed focus on delivering efficient and responsive essential services to suburban areas.

A key feature of the budget is a modest 1.9% rate increase at around CPI to minimise financial stress on residents and businesses. This is one of the lowest rate increases in the last 20 years the Fremantle Council has delivered.

The budget includes $79.6m for provision of services and $20m in capital expenditure including $10.6m to begin the once-in-a-generation construction of new community facilities in Kings Square.

Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt said the budget has two key elements. One was a major investment in the renewal of the Fremantle city centre, the other a strong focus on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of core services to residents in Fremantle’s suburbs.

“Over the last few years council has concentrated on getting the city centre of Fremantle working again. With a number of new developments and the $270m Kings Square renewal starting this year we feel this recovery is now on the right track. This has enabled this budget to have more of a ‘back to basics’ focus,” said Mayor Pettitt.

“It’s a tough economic climate for everyone so in preparing the 2017-18 budget, council wanted to ensure we kept rate rises to a minimum but in doing so, not affect service levels and support for the local economy,” Mayor Pettitt said.

“We’ve prepared a budget which focuses on delivering some great services to our communuity. This will include one of the most comprehensive verge mowing services in the Perth metropolitan area as well as enhanced rubbish and recycling services for residents.

“There has also been a big budget boost for greening our city and parklands as we seek to plant more trees and meet our target of 20% tree cover by 2020. In addition we will be spending $1.07m at Cantonment Hill to make this the Kings Park of the south for families from all over the region.

“An additional $597k will be put towards additional staff resources dedicated to maintaining popular community open spaces in the city centre and suburbs.

“We’ve also made sure we continue to provide support to our local economy through the addition of more parking bays in and around the Fremantle city centre and continuing our strong tradition of activating Fremantle via our $1 million world-class festival and events program.

Key projects/initiatives (2017-18)

Roads and footpaths

  • $1.9m for road improvements in the city centre and suburban areas
  • $421k for new and upgraded footpaths

Parking

  • $990k to deliver 165 new inner city car bays at the Stan Reilly site (corner South Terrace and Parry Streets)
  • $70k to provide overflow parking at Leighton Beach to ease congestion issues during summer months
  • $40k to provide a temporary car park in North Fremantle

Waste services and verge management

  • $597k to improve staff resources to manage suburban open spaces including a new rapid response team for city and suburban areas
  • $70k to increase hours of operation of City’s recycling centre
  • $160k to reimplement residential verge mowing in suburban areas – one of only two councils in WA who provide this service.

Parks and green spaces

  • $5.4m for maintenance of Fremantle’s parks and open spaces
  • $1.07m to continue to upgrade Cantonment Hill into a high-quality community open space
  • $150k to replace play equipment at parks
  • $130k to upgrade parks in Hilton and White Gum Valley
  • $32k to add a lawn area at Bathers Beach

Arts and culture

  • $3.4m for operational expenses, events and exhibitions at the Fremantle Arts Centre
  • $1m for community festivals and events
  • $205k contribution to a major new international public art exhibition in Fremantle

Community facilities

  • $1.8m to begin construction of a modern, multipurpose community and sporting facility at Fremantle Park

For more detailed information on the key projects/initiatives visit the agendas and minutes page.

For the budget and fees and charges visit the strategic and key documents page.

Find out more about the Kings Square Fremantle Renewal.