Car parking charges will increase throughout much of Geelong as part of the City of Greater Geelong’s draft 2021-22 budget.
On-street parking will increase from $3.10 to $3.20 per hour and daily parking at Haymarket will increase from $13.50 to $13.70. A Haymarket monthly permit will increase by 10 per cent to $2728.
Parking fines will increase from $83 to $85.
Commercial fees are being frozen in areas such as swim, sport and leisure centres, community fair play seasonal hire, golf, community halls, Breamlea Caravan Park and the National Wool Museum.
Full dog and cat registrations are still $195 and $149 respectively.
The proposed budget’s capital works program will invest $379 million on roads, footpaths, kerbs, channels and drains and land acquisitions.
The proposed budget has allocated $5.3 million to LED street lighting and smart controls, $3.2 million towards a digital modernisation program and $1.725 million to the shared trails master plan.
Rates will rise by an average of 1.5 per cent and will net council $269.5 million.
An average household can expect to pay $1334.75 next financial year, excluding waste collections services, which will cost $360.95.
Mayor Stephanie Asher said council was confident the draft budget would ensure the council was well-placed to meet the challenges and opportunities ahead.
“We are delivering this fair and responsive budget against the backdrop of one of the toughest years in living memory,” Cr Asher said.
“It strikes the right balance between locking-in financial sustainability and directing investment towards community infrastructure to support liveable and sustainable communities, while recognising COVID-recovery support remains an essential priority.”
The draft budget papers forecasts a deficit of $7.9 million in 2021-22, down from $19.7 million this financial year. The council expects the budget to return to surplus in 2022-23.
Finance portfolio chair, Anthony Aitken, said the council had faced significant challenges when setting its budget.
“Two of the major challenging areas are that last year’s COVID-19 recovery budget caused the city to operate with a major deficit, and a second challenge is ageing infrastructure across the whole municipality,” Cr Aitken said.
“We are returning the council budget to surplus in 2022-23 and we are announcing the start of an unprecedented asset renewal program with this budget.
“Over the next four years we are investing heavily in renewing assets in the city from Anakie to Grovedale, from St Leonards to Ocean Grove and reducing the asset renewal gap, while investing in our new communities like Armstrong Creek.
“This is a budget that repairs the city’s financial position with a commitment to return to surplus and shares asset renewal and investment across the whole municipality.”
