Council's $153 million 2021/22 budget includes a raft of new initiatives to support the community and provide what residents asked for during the budget consultation process.
The popular Connecting Noosa Christmas Convoy is set to return for the 2021 festive season. It's among a host of new initiatives funded in the 2021/22 budget, which Council adopted today.
The Community Grants program receives an $80,000 boost, while the hugely successful Connecting Noosa Christmas Convoy will be back for the 2021 festive season.
"Our grants program supports so many projects that enrich our way of life, improve our local environment and bring our community together. Residents told us they wanted more funding for the grants program and so I'm pleased to announce that we're delivering on that," Mayor Clare Stewart said.
"Meanwhile, the Connecting Noosa Christmas Convoy started as a way to fill a void left by the cancellation of popular Christmas events in 2020 due to the pandemic, by bringing Christmas cheer to our streets in partnership with our local emergency services.
"But the event was so well received and strongly supported we're delighted to be able to make it an annual event, starting with a relatively small investment this year," the Mayor said.
"We're also beefing up our bushfire defences with funding to implement a more proactive prescribed burn regime for our bushland reserves to better protect lives and property from the threat of fine.
"We're funding new equipment, more staff training and a new fire management officer role to enable us to carry out our own controlled burns without relying on private contractors."
The budget includes another $50,000 to further Council's 2026 net-zero emissions goal as well as support the community's efforts to reduce emissions.
There's $30,000 for a new all-terrain vehicle for Council's Local Laws team to allow them to better enforce local laws in harder-to-access environments, such as beaches.
"We've budgeted for additional resources to manage the roll-out of the new short-term accommodation Local Law, as better management of short-term stay properties is still a source of concern for our residents and something the state government is not addressing."
The budget also includes funds to develop a destination management framework to support Noosa's tourism industry.
"Tourism is a key economic driver for our shire so it's important we support the industry as best we can," the Mayor said.
"We'll work closely with stakeholders to develop the framework, to ensure that we manage Noosa's success as a tourism destination in a way that preserves the local lifestyle and the visitor experience."
