Community afforded a final say in budget process

Community feedback is helping to inform the finalisation of Scenic Rim Regional Council's 2023-2024 Budget as it strives to minimise rates increases.

Following community consultation sessions at Boonah, Beaudesert and Tamborine Mountain this month, community members had a final opportunity to present submissions at Council's Ordinary Meeting today.

Scenic Rim Mayor Greg Christensen said more than 100 people had provided feedback on the Draft 2023-2024 Budget during the series of community consultation sessions with the overwhelming majority commenting favourably on Council's proposed allocation of its financial resources for the coming year.

"Members of the community expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to provide feedback before the finalisation of the budget, which has been a first for our region," he said.

"The feedback received will enable us to fine-tune our budget settings to try and minimise rates increases as far as possible.

"It has also pointed to ways in which we can maximise value through small measures that will enhance our service delivery to the community without having a major impact on our bottom line."

Mayor Christensen said the draft budget community consultation reflected Council's commitment to open and responsive government and is the next step on Council’s journey of transparency in its financial decision making and builds on the commitment to release the annual 10-year Capital Works Program which we commenced from 2018-2019 onwards.

"Having received final feedback today, as well as through the online community engagement platform, Let's Talk Scenic Rim, and the budget consultation sessions, Council must now focus on finding a balance between what is important to the community and what is affordable," he said.

“It’s important to recognise that, as Council, we effectively collect three per cent of all revenue but we have carriage of a much larger percentage of public infrastructure.

“We desperately need support from other levels of government to be increased to deal with the many things that are now the responsibility of local government that were not so in previous generations.”

Mayor Christensen thanked the community members who had presented their submissions at today’s meeting as well as those who had contributed to the total of 38 formal submissions received by Council on the draft budget.

“I would like to express the deep appreciation of Council to everyone who took the time to join us today and at the community consultations and who made the effort to write detailed submissions which we will now consider,” he said.

The final budget will be presented for endorsement at a special Council meeting on 14 June 2023.