Wollondilly Council will consider its draft Operational Plan and
Budget at Tuesday night's meeting, with the focus for the year
ahead on the key areas of roads, planning for growth,
supporting economic development and improving
organisational performance.
Part of Council's Delivery Plan, the Operational Plan outlines
how Council will continue to deliver important ongoing
services for the Wollondilly community in the 2022/23 financial
year.
Mayor Matt Gould said, "Wollondilly is in a major period of
growth and transformation, and this Council is committed to
enhancing service delivery and organisational performance."
"We have heard from the community and we know that
improving the Shire's road network is a clear priority, so we
will be investing $21.1M in capital works and maintenance of
our major roads and bridges, and we expect to receive further
grants which will lead to this being a record investment."
"Under the draft Plan, Council is updating our roads strategy,
with an even greater investment in preventative maintenance,
fixing priority issues quicker, as well as maintaining our
significant capital road renewal program investment. We're
planning an additional roads crew focused on roadside
vegetation management and drainage together with more
investment in road maintenance and an improved surveillance
process to address community concerns," he said.
The Budget includes an extensive ongoing and significant
$34.4M capital investment across the Shire, with just some of
the highlights in addition to our roads including:
• Old Menangle School site playground and landscaping
construction and building design
• Dudley Chesham all abilities playground and Multipurpose building design
• Picton to Tahmoor Shared Cycleway completion
• Wollondilly Performing Arts Centre commencement
• Birahlee Park Yanderra Playground upgrade
• Botanic Gardens upgrades including accessible
amenities, stage, pathways and inclusive playspace
• Waterplay park in Barralier Park, The Oaks design
• Appin Sportsground netball courts and floodlighting
• Numerous footpath projects including Avon Dam Road
and Silverdale Rd as well as kerb & gutter
"Councillors have spent significant time since being elected
working collaboratively with the staff to develop this Plan and I
look forward to sharing it with the community for feedback,"
Mayor Gould said.
The Draft Budget outlines that Council remains in a sound
financial position, with a forecast surplus budget result of
$52K.
The Operational Plan also outlines Council's approach to
better manage growth, with additional investment in strategic
planning to manage for the demands of growth while
protecting and enhancing what makes the Shire unique.
Wollondilly is experiencing year on year growth in the number
of Development Applications and there is pressure on the
organisation to maintain and improve service delivery.
Additional resourcing within the Development Services team
in 2022/23 together with a planning approval digitisation and
integration project will help deliver more efficient and higher
quality customer service.
The ongoing construction of the Wollondilly Cultural Precinct
represents an exciting phase for Wollondilly, with
opportunities for Council to improve and enhance the services
it provides to the community. In 2022/23, the focus is on
preparing for a new pre-school service, following the
completion of the Children's Services building.
The 2022/23 Budget has been prepared to deliver the actions
contained in the Operational Plan and to address the future
challenges of growth.
Wollondilly has experienced a series of emergency situations
in recent years including drought, bushfires, the Covid-19
pandemic, storms and floods; all of which have negatively
impacted its budget. Council has proactively made allowances
for natural disasters and emergencies in the 2022/23 budget
and Long Term Financial Plan, to mitigate potential future
negative economic impacts.
The draft Operational Plan and Budget will go on Public
Exhibition following Tuesday night's Council meeting, with
residents invited to have their say on the plan for the year.
