ALBURY Council plans to put a strong case forward to remain stand alone in the future, according to mayor Kevin Mack.
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The council has finalised a draft of its Fit for the Future submission to be lodged with the state government by June 30.
Based on financial performance over the past three years, the city meets five out of seven future benchmarks deeming it not fit for the future.
But it has forecast it will meet six out of seven by 2019-20.
Despite the shortfall in the “Building and Infrastructure Asset Renewal Ratio” benchmark, Cr Mack said he was confident the submission would avoid any mergers.
“We believe this council can stand alone and move into the future with confidence and I think ratepayers need to have that confidence in us to get the job done,” Cr Mack said.
“The smaller shires and councils around us have their own cases to answer.
“Because if you take one bad council and put it with a good council, basically you have two average councils, so I think ratepayers of Albury should not have to foot the bill for other smaller shires and councils to make them viable — it can’t happen.”
The submission comes after Minister for Local Government Paul Toole announced the Fit for the Future reform package in September last year.
He asked every council in NSW to submit a proposal to demonstrate how they would become and remain sustainable, work with the state government and provide services to meet the needs of their communities into the future.
The council’s general manager, Frank Zaknich, said Albury was projecting a balanced or surplus budget in the future which would help address infrastructure backlog.
“Albury is reasonably fortunate the age of its assets aren’t as old as others in surrounding areas, so we are able to spend the appropriate amount of money at the right time on these assets as opposed to over spending on asset maintenance and renewal,” Mr Zaknich said.
The council also presented a draft budget this week proposing a total cash spend of $122.3 million.
Big ticket items include $12.4 million on water and sewerage projects, $7.6 million on roads, drains, bridges and footpaths and $4 million on the NEXUS precinct.
It also proposes a 2.4 per cent general rate increase and will raise domestic waste, water and sewer charges.
The average residential property will pay an additional $207 annually ,or an additional $129 for those who have used a green waste bin during the past year.
Cr Mack said costs would inevitably increase every year.
“The rise of 8.6 per cent in terms of overall cost is not a great deal when you consider we are sticking to the rate peg of 2.4 per cent and the marginal costs on top of that are as a result of changing to the organic waste system and the rise in energy costs,” he said.
The council is seeking feedback on both the submission and the budget.
