17 June 2016

Circular Head Mayor Daryl Quilliam said Council last night passed the Annual Plan and Budget Estimates for 2016/2017 with a balanced approach in mind.

“While infrastructure costs continue to increase, Council has continued to take a balanced approach with the general rate set at 1.87%, which is consistent with the Local Government Association of Tasmania’s 2016 Council Cost Index,” Mayor Quilliam said.

“As usual, this increase is largely influenced as by ongoing costs of maintaining and upgrading of more than 760km of roads in our Municipal Area.”

Mayor Quilliam said Council continued to look at ways to how it can meet increasing costs and the level of service provision in the community while minimising any increases in the amount of rates paid by households.

“Council continues to have a resource sharing arrangement in place with Waratah-Wynyard Council and shares some services with Burnie City Council,” Mayor Quilliam said.

“We are also working with Waratah-Wynyard, Kentish and Latrobe Councils on a combined review of our resource sharing arrangements and also on a larger regional perspective with the Cradle Coast Authority.

“This review, combined with a workforce plan, will ensure that Council is taking the best approach to balancing the needs of our community, while keeping costs at a minimum.”

Mayor Quilliam said while it was unfortunate that last year saw the closure of the Circular Head War Memorial Swimming Pool, this is just one example of an issue that will be able to be addressed.

“Both major parties have put forward funding promises towards the establishment of a new $12 million pool next to the Smithton Sports Centre, which means that we can now proceed with more confidence” Mayor Quilliam said.

“In saying that, we will continue to lobby the State Government to match the contribution to the project.”

Mayor Quilliam said the financial year will be guided by a lot of planning that Council has been putting in place over the past few years.

“Firstly, Council has been working with King Island, Waratah-Wynyard, West Coast and the Burnie City Council on the Sustainable Murchison Community Plan, which will provide an overarching vision for the next 25 years for our region, and more locally,” Mayor Quilliam said.

“This work will be complemented by the fact that we will be able to move forward with addressing recreational and sporting issues through our Open Space, Sport and Recreation Plan and asset management through the Strategic Asset Management Plan.”

The Sustainable Murchison Community Plan will also influence the creation of Council’s next Strategic Plan in the first half of the financial year, which will guide its priorities over the next 10 years.

“Council’s Strategic Plan is important because it will help to ensure that we are able to achieve and report on a number of outcomes that meet the expectations of this community,” Mayor Quilliam said.

The major projects for the 2016/2017 financial year include:

• $750,000 Upper Gibson St renewal
• $680,000 Trowutta Rd reconstruction (between Duck River bridges at Browns and Giddens Road)
• $663,000 Rural road resealing
• $434,000 Bridge replacements
• $345,000 Grant St upgrade including entrance to recreation ground, parking and school crossing
• •$285,000 Irishtown Rd renewal (Pulbeena)
• •$112,000 Renewal of infrastructure at sporting facilities
• •$100,000 Seal Gardiner St Arthur River
• $55,000 Seal Pelican Lane
• •$50,000  Central area development plans for Smithton and Stanley
• •$50,000 Smithton Landscape Development strategy implementation
• •$35,000 Upgrade of the Sampson Avenue/Goldie St intersection
• •$33,000 Arthur River parking upgrade
• •$12,000 Replacement of BBQs at King Park Stanley