Cardinia Shire Council adopts 2024-25 Budget

The 2024–25 budget strives to balance Council’s response to financial challenges while prioritising existing services and infrastructure and delivering a range of projects to help achieve the community’s vision.

Cardinia Shire Mayor Cr Jack Kowarzik thanked the community for their feedback on the budget, which was available for public viewing and comment from 16 April until 17 May.

“The 2024-25 budget is the final annual budget of this Council's four-year term, and it aligns with Cardinia Shire’s Council Plan 2021–25 and Community Vision to deliver on the community’s aspirations,” Mayor Kowarzik said.

“The overarching objective of the budget is to keep rates and charges as affordable as possible, while continuing to deliver a wide range of valued services, programs and infrastructure to our community.

“This year, like in previous years, we’re seeing increases in the cost of living affecting our community.

“Therefore, we’ve worked hard to develop a budget that meets the needs of our community, while working within the constraints of limited revenue sources and the rate cap.”

Mayor Kowarzik said a number of changes had been made to the draft budget in response to community feedback:

• $240,000 will be identified in the 2024-25 Capital Works Program to continue access upgrade projects, including the installation of the Koo Wee Rup pool pod.
• $300,000 to be brought forward from the 2025-26 capital plan as a community capital grant allocation for the Koo Wee Rup Netball Club.
• $500,000 transfer from Council’s strategic reserves to enable the completion of the storm debris clean-up.

Budget highlights

Council prepares four-year rolling budgets, reviewed annually, to deliver on the community’s priorities outlined in its 2021–2025 Council Plan.

The 2024-25 Budget includes $82.3 million towards a number of significant capital works projects, including $21 million worth of projects carried forward from 2023-24. Of this, $64.7 million is allocated for asset renewals and upgrades.

Key initiatives and projects included in the budget include:

• $21.7 million for the renewal of existing assets including roads, drains, paths, playgrounds, and swimming pools.
• Construction of Stage 1a Pakenham Revitalisation project
• $9.3 million to continue delivering the ‘Sealing of the Hills’ project.
• Commencing construction of the Upper Beaconsfield Recreation Reserve Pavilion and delivering Cora Lynn Reserve Pavilion.
• Completion of Officer District Park.
• Coordinating health and wellbeing initiatives across the shire in line with the priorities set in Cardinia Shire’s Liveability Plan 2017-29.
• Funding the 2024 Council elections and development of the new Council Plan 2025-29.
• Increasing the operational funding for trees and open drains maintenance programs

To enable Council to provide this support and investment, a general rates revenue increase of 2.75% has been adopted, in line with the Victorian Government rate cap.

Mayor Kowarzik said the budget would enable Council to deliver valued services, projects and infrastructure for the community while ensuring Council remained financially sustainable in the long term.

“We remain committed to balancing these challenges to achieve the best possible outcome for our community,” Mayor Kowarzik said.

“Council has worked hard to develop a responsible budget that meets community requirements and expectations, while ensuring that we safeguard our financial sustainability in years to come so that we can continue to meet the needs of our community into the future.”