The completion of some of Kwinana’s biggest ever capital works projects has been identified as a major contributor to more than $100 million of expenditure outlined in the recently adopted Town of Kwinana 2011/12 budget, following a Special Council Meeting held last night.
$101 million of expenditure has been identified for the new financial year but remarkably only $24m (23%) will be made up from rates.
Kwinana Mayor Carol Adams said contributions and grants from the State and Federal Governments and the private sector have helped lessen the burden on households while still allowing Kwinana to power forward with its biggest projects to date.
“$33 million has been raised through grants and contributions and these funds have primarily been provided for major capital works projects such as the Community Resource and Knowledge Centre and Youth Space,” Mayor Adams said.
“I would particularly like to express the Town’s gratitude to the State and Federal governments for showing unwavering commitment to the progression of the Kwinana community and allowing us to move toward City status with the knowledge that we are fully supported by our fellow tiers of government.”
Mayor Adams continued, saying a rate rise was inevitable but that Council had worked diligently to provide residents with the best value for money.
“On average ratepayers will receive a 5.45% increase in rates and whilst council understands that times are certainly tough for a lot of families we trust that our community is seeing good value for their dollar,” Mayor Adams said.
“It should be noted that 1% of this rate rise can be directly attributed to increases in utility charges by the State Government which unfortunately are passed on to ratepayers as well.”
Over the 2011/12 financial year the Town of Kwinana will hold official openings for both the $7.5m Youth Space and the $22m Knowledge Centre and will continue working on several road networks which will provide superior connectivity in the Kwinana Town Centre.
A range of previously planned projects will also continue throughout the year including the upgrade of Wells Park and the progression of community centres in Bertram and Wellard.
“Kwinana is one of a select few hyper growth councils in the nation. These multi million dollar projects will ensure that as our community continues to prosper, so too do we enhance the level of infrastructure and facilities throughout Kwinana, ensuring that the future for our residents is not just acceptable, but is the envy of many other communities in the Perth region,” Mayor Adams concluded.