Supporting Community Infrastructure Projects

People may think Council loves approving large developments because this equates to more rate payers and therefore more funds, but this is not the case…

Although new approved developments do increase the amount of rates a council will receive, it also increases the population and this increases the need for services and infrastructure.

Budget

Council budgets are not that dissimilar to household budgets, except they need to be even more thoroughly assessed because:

(a) all money collected from rate payers by the council is considered public finances and therefore has stringent regulations to ensure processes comply with legislation.

(b) the majority of revenue for rural councils (as opposed to metro councils), come from ratepayers (which includes the Macedon Ranges), so careful consideration needs to be made what council spends its money on including priority projects, maintenance and services.

Infrastructure

Because of the budget constraints and as part of financial sustainability, I believe a Councillor, as an elected representative, should be aware of existing infrastructure and its current and future use, benefit and cost to maintain, before considering new infrastructure.

Are current buildings being used to their maximum capacity?

Could other user groups share a building more efficiently?

Which assets need repair more quickly than others?

Are there particular asset classes that are known to need more investment to keep them maintained at a high standard?

Roads, Footpaths and Buildings

Existing roads, footpaths and buildings, in my opinion, need to be the highest priority for safety and risk mitigation.

And again, it is not just about building new infrastructure but goes back to maintenance.

Maintenance of roads, footpaths and buildings to the required standards is important for the safety of all and this comes at a cost in the budget and something that needs to be considered in decision making.

Community Feedback

Feedback from community groups about new assets and/or services they would like, including cultural centres, public open space and sporting facilities, assists Councillors when trying to determine what new assets or services may be the priority at the time.

External Grant Funding

Council relies on external grant funding from the State and Federal Government for specific projects and this can be topped up by fundraising from community groups (such as the Kyneton Community Park Project Community Vision).

I am often asked why we need external consultants or feasibility studies or residents/groups want xyz and believe it should be prioritised.

But there is a bigger picture at play when it comes to allocating funding that from public finances.

Unfortunately there are many preliminary steps required before anything near construction can commence:

To advocate and attract government funding, a project needs to be nearing an implementation stage.
To reach an implementation stage, there needs to be feasibility studies and/or concept designs prepared.
To obtain feasibility studies and/or concept designs there needs to be funding allocated.
Without the benefit of retrospective government funding, these studies and designs have no other option but to come from rate payer revenue.

Good Governance and Transparency

The community deserves to have their say on potential projects as part of thorough community consultation. This is not red tape or bureaucratic delays. This is good governance and transparency and includes:

knowing what alternative options exist within the shire
the cost to potentially build and maintain new infrastructure
what current and future demands are there likely to be

The Risk of Fast Tracking a Project

It is a bad idea to try to fast track a project, as all ideas should undergo broader community consultation.

Would anyone like it if Council fast tracked a giant tower block beside their house just because a petition was signed wanting a place for increased housing? I do not think so.

If Council misses a stage in consultation, then a project is unlikely to gain broader community support, and could be at risk of never getting funding, or even worse, being dropped by Council all together.

Projects and the Councillor’s Role

Any project, that comes before a Councillor, once elected, must be looked at wholistically.

For example, even if I had ‘promised’ a particular outcome prior to being elected, if the outcome was not the best decision after due diligence and community consultation I would need to change my ‘promise’ for want of a better word. This is why I try not to promise anything and perhaps because of this, focus areas could be perceived as being vague.

Many people in many of our towns feel their town does not get the infrastructure it needs and that funds all go to the two bigger towns.

Council staff and elected representatives work together, along with taking into consideration community budget submissions to determine short and long term priorities for each town and the whole shire.

Working towards new infrastructure takes time and is subject to available funding.

An elected Councillor supports the community and the projects they want to champion by working with them to keep the momentum going and influencing others who may be able to bring funding to the project.

Councillors should explain the processes involved and not make promises they cannot keep.

It is a councillor’s role to keep the interested community group informed and to work with them on ways to present new ideas to progress the project.