Skatepark not in budget mix
A new skatepark and extra money for shade sails look unlikely for 2018-19 as Bunbury City Council is set to consider several budget items tonight.
As part of a 15-year financial plan, councillors have put forward their requests for projects to be considered in the near future.
Based on the council’s “financial capacity and project priorities”, several requests will tonight be recommended to be deferred or not supported at all.
The council will be advised to defer a request for a $1 million skatepark project in its 2018-19 Budget to allow the Youth Advisory Council to investigate possible options.
A request for $20,000 to install retractable bollards to close a section of the Victoria Street cafe strip will also be recommended to be put off as part of 2020-21 planned upgrades.
Increasing the amount for installation of shade sails in public open spaces from $50,000 to $80,000 will not be supported by council staff.
While a request to increase the budget for the expansion of path networks by $260,000 each year for the next three years and $360,000 a year from 2022 to 2033 will also be recommended for refusal.
Mayor Gary Brennan said the requests had been considered by City of Bunbury officers and it was now up to the council to have “discipline” with its spending.
“They’re items that have been put up by members of council for consideration and the officers have gone through and made recommendations on what to include or not to include or defer,” Mr Brennan said.
“Clearly, as pointed out by the officers, we can’t fund it all and that’s where the discipline comes into it from elected members.
“There’s not a huge amount of discretion for elected members to insert projects that we would like to.”
Mr Brennan said the Youth Advisory Council had been tasked with the research and consultation for a skatepark project, but it was “interesting” that there was not one request for a skatepark in the council’s recently adopted Strategic Community Plan.
“I think it’s appropriate for Bunbury’s youth to take that on board as a project which the Youth Advisory Council has done,” he said.
“They’ll do the research and the consultation with the users who skate and they’ll come back to us with a recommendation sometime during this calendar year.
“And then we can say ‘righto, let’s move’ – that may be changing the existing skatepark around or looking at a new location, there’s a whole raft of options.
“So let’s leave it to the young people to decide what they’d like to do and then bring it to us.
“Interestingly, in our strategic community plan there was not one request for a skate park, not one.”
The council will be recommended to support several requests including $15,000 to replace cricket nets at Forrest Park and a $50,000 contribution to Bunbury Meals on Wheels and Senior Citizens Centre subject to a business plan.
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