The Break O’Day Council will spend about $3 million investing in the region through out this financial year.
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Mayor Mick Tucker believes the council has delivered a budget that gives ratepayers “bang for their buck”.
It is proposed $1 million will be spent on Parnella Landslip Mitigation works.
Cr Tucker said the project involved “quite a bit of work”.
“The works over there are to try and stop any run off from eroding the hillcrest Parnella face which is contributing towards landslip,” he said.
Funding for stage two of St Marys streetscape works have also been budgeted for.
“Tidy towns make successful communities. It’s really important that when you’ve got tired infrastructure and footpaths to really upgrade and keep everything updated for the benefit of the community,” Cr Tucker said.
The works will go to tender shortly, with Cr Tucker hoping the works are completed in this financial year and will include kerb and gutter, stormwater works, new exposed aggregate footpaths, street furniture and landscaping.
More than $408,000 will be spent on resheeting unseal roads in the municipality and 4525,000 will be spent on resealing.
“Resheeting is only putting more material back on the road which we get out of our own quarries. It’s crushed metal and we actually sheet the road with it then grade it and roll it. When you reseal you’re using a bitumen surface,” Cr Tucker said.
The funds for the St Helens Mountain Bike network were also budgeted.
Cr Tucker said he was happy with this year’s budget.
“I think our rate payers should be very pleased with a modest increase in rates and the amount of good things we’re doing right across the municipality which is going to help improve the growth in our community,” he said.
“We’re really, really prudent with what we spend. We try to spend it wisely and we’re very cautious and careful about raising our rates.”
Cr Tucker said the council was aiming for a small surplus at the end of the year.
“A surplus is something we always strive for … We try to get good outcomes for everybody,” he said.
Rates increased by 2 per cent, which was lower than the CPI.