Golden Plains Shire residents have asked quite a few questions about the draft Budget, and to honour our commitment to keeping you informed, we have addressed some of the more frequently asked questions below.
Why is our garbage charge increasing?
To make sure recycling can continue to be collected and processed, the garbage charge will increase to $330 for the 2018/19 financial year. The increase is necessary because, due to the global recycling crisis, we will now have to pay our recycler to accept our recycling material. Previously we were paid for this material which enabled Council to offset our recycling costs and keep the garbage charge as low as possible. The garbage charge is calculated on a cost-recovery basis. This is a global crisis and every Victorian will be affected. We have explored the recycling crisis in more detail on the back page of our Budget Summary document.
Why are we paying a different fee to other councils for recycling?
The global recycling crisis affects all Victorian councils, and small rural councils in particular.
Our garbage charge increase is due to the fact we will now have to pay our recycler to accept our recycling material. Previously we were paid for this material, which enabled Council to offset our recycling costs and keep the garbage charge as low as possible.
With the loss of recycling income, we have had to re-structure our waste management fee (the garbage charge) to cover the cost of delivering recycling services. We understand this affects residents and have tried to keep the increase as low as possible.
There are many reasons why waste management charges vary across councils. Each council has its own service model, collection frequencies, contracts, number of properties receiving a service and geographic distances to travel to collect waste and recycling.
Residents are reminded the garbage charge is cost recovery only – Council cannot make a profit out of delivering waste collection services.
Can Council guarantee that recycled material will not be going to landfill?
Our kerbside recycling is deposited at our recycling provider in Geelong and is not taken to landfill, so residents should continue to recycle as normal. We are in regular contact with our recycling provider and will continue to keep residents updated about the recycling situation and its effects on the community.
Why is so much spent on employee benefits?
Almost half (46%) of Council’s operating expenditure goes toward total staff costs, but this is expected for a service delivery organisation – it is people that deliver most of the services we offer, and providing services to and for the community is a key role of local government. Employee costs includes compulsory superannuation and work cover, and the majority of staff are involved in areas like the outdoor works team, child care and aged care.
How does Council make their decisions?
There are a few stages that Council works through to create a final Budget that is adopted and endorsed by Councillors. We have outlined them here:
- A draft Budget is created based on the Strategic Objectives set out in the Council Plan, drawing together information about every facet of Council and everything we do
- Councillors review the Budget and make suggestions for any changes
- At the April Council meeting (this year held on 24 April in Linton), Councillors formally agreed to put the draft Budget out for public exhibition (on our website, at our customer service centres and the Bannockburn Library).
- The draft Budget is open for review for a month and this is the opportunity for residents to have their say by making a submission on our online form, by email or in writing to Council. This year submissions are due by Monday 28 May.
- All submissions are supplied to Councillors to be considered as part of their decision making process
- Council will hear submissions (where the submitter has asked to speak) at a special meeting of Council at 6pm on 12 June 2018 at the Bannockburn Shire Hall, High Street, Bannockburn.
- The Budget, including any Council amendments, is presented to Council at the June Council meeting (this year on Tuesday 26 June) for formal adoption.
The process we follow is the Section 223 (s223) submission process, which is a formal statutory process under section 223 of the Local Government Act. Find out more here.
Why does Bannockburn get all the money?
Quite simply – they don’t! While Bannockburn is our biggest town, Council strives to ensure that spend and focus is shared throughout the Shire. Council and its communities are extensively involved in and committed to community development and recreation planning and projects. To see recent and ongoing projects in your area, visit our ‘Projects by local area’ fact sheet here.
What is the Municipal Charge for and how does it work?
The Municipal Charge is a flat charge included in residents' rates notices that is used to offset some of our administrative costs. The Municipal Charge has not increased this year; it remains $225 per property.
What does the Budget do for me?
Council’s Budget supports the work we do for the community. It seeks to maintain and improve services and infrastructure as well as deliver projects and services that are valued by our community, within the 2.25% rate increase mandated by the State Government. It is always difficult to achieve balance but we do our best for everyone in the Shire. You can find out more on our Budget summary document or in the draft Budget itself.
Do the people making the decisions live in the Golden Plains Shire?
Yes, all Councillors are Golden Plains residents; they come from Rokewood, Napoleons, Sutherlands Creek, Springdallah and Bannockburn. You can find out more about your Councillors here.
I want to have my say on the draft Budget; what do I do?
To make a submission to the Budget, you can fill out our online form, email [email protected] or post your submission to the Chief Executive Officer, PO Box 111, Bannockburn, 3331, by 28 May 2018.
Any increase would be the amount before any Child Care Subsidy you end up receiving
It's worth noting that any increase would be the amount before any Child Care Subsidy you end up receiving is applied. No matter what the child care fee ends up being, everyone using child care in Australia needs to apply for the new Child Care Subsidy, which replaces the Child Care Benefit/Child Care Rebate system as of 1 July 2018. You can see the new eligibility criteria here.
According to the Australian Government DHS website, "If your family earns $186,958 or less, you won’t have an annual cap on your CCS. If your family earns more than $186,958 and under $351,248 your CCS will be subsidised up to the annual cap of $10,190 per child each financial year." You can find out more here.
What would the extra money cover?
Council’s Early Years programs include a lot of benefits for children in our care; our service has a focus on play-based learning and wellbeing which responds to the needs of the child and family within the National Quality Standards and by providing access to family support services and program and family support (you can find out more abou the National Quality Framework here. Our children have access to amazing, professional educators who are paid above the award rates and who receive full employment benefits such as superannuation, leave entitlements and training and support programs which are important aspects of our focus on continual improvement. Future planning for the service includes addressing the natural outdoor environment to increase learning opportunities for children, and to begin cyclic replacement of floor coverings and painting as the older part of the building requires maintenance.
I'll be pulling my child out of child care
We ask that all families please consider keeping their children with us; Council definitely does care about the wellbeing of all our residents. If you would like to, please put in a submission so your thoughts and plans are recorded and considered by Council in their decision making about the proposed fee change; you can make a submission on our online form here.