Council sets financially responsible budget
Moonee Valley City Council has adopted its 2024-25 budget, with a focus on “setting up Moonee Valley for the future”, as the incumbent Council nears the end of its four-year term in October.
At its meeting on Tuesday, 25 June, the Council adopted the budget, following a public consultation period on the Draft Budget that attracted a record number of 107 submissions.
Councillors thanked community members for their dedication in developing well-considered submissions.
City of Moonee Valley Mayor, Cr Pierce Tyson, said the Council had made “tough decisions to deliver a budget that was financially sustainable for the long term”.
“With consistently high inflation and the escalating cost of materials and labour, this year we have focused on setting up Moonee Valley for the future,” Mayor Tyson said.
“We recognise the impact that the cost-of-living crisis has had on our residents, and this Budget has been prepared to deliver on the projects that are most important to locals.”
The Budget includes total revenue of $227.48 million, with $222.11 million to be spent on critical community services and $48.78 million on capital works.
Some key capital works projects include:
- Clifton Park Pavilion improvements – $6.15 million (of a total estimated cost of $9.95 million)
- local roads renewal – $5.91 million
- pedestrian and shared path improvements – $5.02 million
- drainage improvements – $2.48 million
- Ascot Vale Library redevelopment – $1.58 million (of a total estimated project cost of $6.71 million)
- building renewals and upgrades – $1.49 million
- leisure facilities renewal and upgrades – $1.07 million
- Essendon Rowing Club female change room upgrade – $969,000
- The beginning of the Early Years Building Blocks fit-out program – $400,000.
The budget also provides funds to address sustainability and the climate emergency, including:
- $1.1 million for tree planting to cool and green the city, contributing to a 30 per cent canopy cover goal by 2040
- $350,000 on greenhouse gas emission reduction initiatives that will reduce Council’s carbon emissions and energy costs
- $500,000 allocated to the Community Carbon Emissions Reduction Reserve.
Mayor Tyson highlighted the Building Blocks program to upgrade and rebuild kindergartens across Moonee Valley, in a partnership that will see more than $20 million in Victorian Government funding contributed across five years.
“Education is the best investment we can make for our children, and I am so proud of the work our kindergarten and childcare workers do for our local community,” Mayor Tyson said.
“Council is looking forward to working with our families and the Victorian Government in building state-of-the-art facilities they deserve.”
Mayor Tyson thanked councillors, council officers and CEO Helen Sui for their “hard work” on the budget in the past six months.
“A lot of people say councils are rates, roads and rubbish, but we do so much more than that,” he said.
“We’ve put a very financially responsible budget to our community, and we leave the City of Moonee Valley – in our last budget for the Council – in a sustainable state for our essential services.”
– ENDS
(Issued Wednesday, 03 July 2024)
Media enquiries:
Jo Roberts, Team Leader, Media and Strategic Communications
Mobile 0416 156 566; Email: media@mvcc.vic.gov.au