Whether it is our personal budgeting or a $520 million Council budget, the fine balancing act of meeting expenditure needs from income that is often under great pressure, is just as challenging.

Having now participated in 11 council budgets, the last three as spokesperson for Corporate Services, I can say that for many reasons the budget brought down by Council last week has been the most challenging and momentous.
With the effects of the global financial crisis still with us, and being mindful of the difficult times many of our ratepayers are experiencing, Council has nevertheless responded in this budget to the State’s legislative requirements and increasing community calls for a single rating policy across the region. Council’s challenges with this budget have also been impacted by expected reductions in the amount of State subsidies.  The following is a quick summary on the major rating issues.
General Rate: The general rate across all three former Council districts has now been aligned for properties in the same rating category and with the release of the State Governments most recent property valuations in March ratepayers in the same rating category (eg residential owner occupied) across the region will pay the same rate in the dollar.  Obviously the widely varying changes to valuations across the region from minus 20% to plus 120% will have a bearing on what outcome ratepayers experience with their general rates.  Because of the regional rating requirement, this outcome is beyond councils control although the significant business savings council has achieved over the last year along with continuing tight fiscal management has resulted in 50% of owner occupied residential ratepayers paying less in general rates than last year.  A further 43% will pay less than $2 per week increase.  To limit increases this year, a cap of 9% has been applied.
Waste:  Last year waste charges were equalised across the three Councils with this year’s budget bringing about an $11 increase to $228 (5.07%) for a 240litre Refuse/Recycling service.  Free additional domestic waste tipping for residents at transfer stations and landfill sites is retained.  Those households not serviced by a street collection will pay $5 more per year at $103 to access waste facilities (a rise of $5.1%).
Water and Sewerage:  No longer controlled by Council but by a new company, Unitywater established under the Queensland Government’s South East Queensland Water (Distribution and Retail Restructuring) Act 2009 (www.unitywater.com).  To help offset the financial pressures of the significant increase in water charges that we have all heard so much about, Council is providing from its accumulated water reserves a subsidy this year amounting to 50% of the increase in water and sewerage access charges.  A second subsidy of half this amount will be provided by Council in 2011/12.
Rural Fire Levy:  Most properties in the Dayboro Grapevine distribution area benefit from the presence of local volunteer fire brigades and will pay only $25 this year (unchanged from 2009/10).  This is much less than the $150 or so paid by residents in other urban and semi-urban areas of the region.
A Big Budget for Division 11
Roads, parks, carparks, pathways and sports in Divison 11are the big beneficiaries amongst this budgets $182 million dollar capital works programme with more than 6 million dollars being committed to projects within Division 11.
Further details on the budget will appear in a special budget edition of Moreton Living to issue shortly, and other information will be included in my future Division 11 newsletter, Millar’s Mailbag.  Copies of the Mayor’s and my budget speeches and press releases are available on the website www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au .
DAYBORO  SWIMMING  POOL
The winter closure of the swimming pool has allowed maintenance to be carried out and should all be complete by the end of July.  Three new skimmer boxes have been installed in the pool and the pool has been repainted, so all is in place ready for the normal reopening on the 1st September 2010.
SCOUTS  CARPARK  SEALING
The design for the sealing of the carpark is now complete and work is due to be undertaken in the next few months to seal the access road and existing carpark at the Dayboro Scouts Building.
DAYBORO  SHOW – ANOTHER  GOOD  YEAR
Congratulations to the Dayboro Show society and all those volunteers in the community who again worked so tirelessly to produce yet another great show in July.  The importance of these events to the overall history and social fabric of the communities they serve cannot be overstated, and they warrant the ongoing support of these communities for a whole range of reasons.  One can only hope that these small shows can continue to bring interest, happiness and strength to the spirit of the community.