‘Balanced’ budget worth the wait

RESIDENTIAL rates in the City of Canning are set to rise by 2.5%, one per cent less than originally predicted.

In July this year the City proposed a 3.5% rate increase, which if adopted, would have put them on par with the Town of Cottesloe as one of the highest in the Metropolitan area.

Under the 2019-2020 budget announced last night, the average household would experience a $0.72 increase a week – or $37.65 for the year.

Mayor Paul Ng said the City’s balanced budget would help achieve the City’s strategic community plan and aligned its long term financial plan.

The total budget for the upcoming financial year is $146M, with community facilities ($24M), urban forests, parks and sporting reserves ($16M), transport infrastructure ($16M) and waste and recycling ($15.9M) the big winners.

About $4.9M will be spent on the City’s town centre transformation, $3.6M for community safety and $1.9M has been reserved for local events.

Mr Ng said the City would also complete four major projects this financial year – including Cecil Avenue West, Wharf Street Basin, Lake Street Urban Stream and stage two of Southern Link Road.

“The budget is a collaborative effort,’’ he said.

“The City is mindful of economic factors on households whilst still maintaining a high level of infrastructure and service for our community.”

“Our vision is to create long-term financial stability for the City and this budget supports the future of our City, whilst continuing to provide value for money for our ratepayers.”

The City is offering ratepayers the opportunity to win their rates for free ($2,000 for residential and $5,000 for non-residential) just by paying their rates on time.

For more comprehensive list of projects that form part of this year’s budget, plus a budget highlights video visit canning.wa.gov.au/finances