Media Response |

- City of Ballarat Chief Executive Officer Justine Linley

The City of Ballarat does not practice ward accounting or ward funding.

With regard to roads and civil infrastructure, Council operates its asset renewal program in accordance with requirements stipulated in the Local Government Act 1989 and the Road Management Act 2004.

All local road authorities are required to adhere to the requirements of the Act, to undertake condition reporting and to have an adopted Road Management Plan.  Roads and associated civil infrastructure such as drains and culverts are repaired, resheeted, reconstructed and rehabilitated as part of the Road Management Plan.

Notice of the adoption of the current City of Ballarat Road Management Plan was published in the Victorian Government Gazette on 2 March 2017 and is available on the City of Ballarat website http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/4271097/road_management_plan_2017.pdf

As advised every year during the preparation of and public consultation for the Council budget, the issue of Council’s widening infrastructure renewal gap is discussed.

We are the custodians of $1.9 billion-worth of community assets. We should be spending $83.4 million per year just to sustain what we have. We can only afford to spend $43.4 million each year – which means a gap of $40 million each year.

We have a current capital and projects list of almost 220 projects representing $1.3 billion of required investment. Without significant state and federal government investment we will struggle to meet either our vision or our purpose. We need a better share of the tax dollar. 

On this basis, Council very much welcomes the State Government’s commitment to large scale investment into trees and community facilities projects in Sebastopol (over $5 million) and Wendouree West (over $7 million), into significant road upgrades in Delacombe, Buninyong and Sebastopol (over $58 million) and in lighting for Lake Wendouree and safer accessible paths in Victoria Park (over $2 million).

The efforts of our local state MPs in Michaela Settle and Juliana Addison are very much appreciated in securing this community infrastructure investment throughout Ballarat.

For the 2018/19 financial year, Council budgeted for expenditure of close to $2 million across the municipality on road maintenance and associated drainage and open space assets, with income from sources other than rates of almost $500,000.

With a growing City, Council also budgeted for expenditure of $13.1 million for parks and gardens facilities throughout the municipality, $11.3 million on roads and bridges (capital not maintenance), $827,000 on drainage and $550,000 on footpaths.

We have also received a query on the cost of upkeep of Lake Wendouree. Lake Wendouree is a significant local and regional asset, used extensively by residents across the City and is a tourism and sporting drawcard.

Council invests approximately $1 million annually on weed cutting/removal, maintenance of the lake and surrounds and preparation to enable the large number of water activities and events held at Lake Wendouree almost every day of the year.

The pavement width in Spencer Street like all other streets constructed in that era has approximately a 25-year wearing surface life. Council records reveal that the surface will require resurfacing within a five-year window based on condition reports.