Geelong council has approved its 2023-24 budget, fully restoring funding for Kardinia Aquatic Centre and lifesavers but only partially so for the Geelong Regional Library Corporation (GRLC).
At a tense and sometimes fractious council meeting on Tuesday June 27 councillors by turns goaded and attempted to soothe a public gallery bent on having its voice heard.
Before the vote to adopt what Cr Belinda Moloney described as “a real spicy budget”, Save Geelong West Library spokesperson Angela Carr warned voters would remember councillors’ words and actions when next year’s election came around.
“Tonight we are asking councillors to think very carefully about voting in this budget because you will be doing so against the wishes of the broader library community,” she said.
“You need to remember that we vote you in or vote you out. So we are asking councillors to take this matter very seriously and commit to fully funding libraries.”
Council ultimately approved a budget that left GRLC with a $406,000 shortfall, with only Cr Melissa Cadwell voting against it.
Councillors and city officers emphasised the impact of the recent and unexpected state government decision to increase the WorkCover premium cap for claims by 70 per cent, which will have an estimated $2.47 million impact on the city’s finances.
Geelong mayor Trent Sullivan said there were “no unassigned dollars in the budget”.
“Community consultation is…a vitally important part of this budget,” he said.
“We are spending the same large, assigned amount that was put forth at the start of this council term. The problem is, as with all of our dollars, it just doesn’t go as far as it used to.
“Every dollar has to come from somewhere. When it comes to decision making, we must… make sure that the dollar is getting the best value and that we are putting as much as we can into the deserved areas.”
GRLC board chair Liz Pattison thanked the community for its work in advocating for library funding and confirmed that no libraries would close or cut weekend hours.
“With the $406,000 shortfall that remains, the organisation will now work to assess where these savings can be made, including assessing existing staff vacancies and assessing other discretionary costs,” she said.
