One of the most critical tasks we undertake at council is preparing our yearly budget.
The City of Greater Geelong’s 2024-25 Budget reflects careful planning and extensive community consultation, and aims to invest in our growing region while ensuring financial sustainability.
Over the past decade, Greater Geelong has experienced remarkable growth. It boasts the fastest increasing population in Victoria and one of the fastest in Australia.
Council is investing heavily to keep up with this growth and over the next four years, we plan to spend $752.6 million on capital projects.
Protecting our environment is also a key priority, and we are investing in sustainable growth by increasing green spaces, supporting biodiversity and leading our community in mitigating the impacts of climate change.
The 2024-25 Budget commits to investing $2.38 million over the next four years in the annual environment reserves improvement program.
This will go toward renewing a coastal infrastructure such as Ocean Grove Boat Ramp, along with assets in Barwon River Reserve and other reserves with approved master plans.
Council will also invest $500,000 in the Bellarine Trail network to advance the City’s Shared Trails Masterplan.
This investment will include the scoping and feasibility studies of township connections on the Bellarine, particularly between Portarlington and Drysdale.
Apart from providing an important transport link, the Bellarine Rail Trail provides the largest continuous link of indigenous vegetation on the Bellarine Peninsula – approximately 30km.
And we are seeing significant investment in many other ways to protect the Bellarine’s beautiful natural environment and native flora and fauna.
This financial year, we will finalise the Southeast Bellarine Biolink Project Master Plan and continue restoring many Council-run nature reserves, including Kingston Park and Yellow Gum Woodland in Ocean Grove.
We are also heavily investing in Sparrovale-Nubitj yoorree Wetlands, with $1.3 million budgeted for the ongoing maintenance, management and monitoring of the 550-hectare site.
Some of the planned actions include completing the public walking loop, upgrading the shed and shelters for community use, and establishing a new dog off-lead park.
Sparrovale-Nubitj yoorree Wetlands are important for our region’s biodiversity with almost 100 bird species observed on site, including the iconic brolga.
Sustainability is a key theme of Our Community Plan 2021-25 and a strong focus of our community’s 30-year Clever and Creative vision, and there is much to be proud of across the organisation.
We are committed to achieving carbon-neutral status in all city-managed operations by 2025 and last financial year the organisation’s operational carbon emissions dropped 29 per cent.
Meanwhile, our electricity usage generated zero emissions after we signed a 10-year contract to use renewable energy.
Other highlights include the replacement of 14,000 residential streetlights and 1300 main road streetlights with energy-efficient LED lights in the last financial year as part of one of the largest upgrade programs of its kind in Victoria.
Thank you to all who provided submissions in response to our draft budget in April.
As councillors we always strive to listen and your feedback is valued, you can contact me at jmason@geelongcity.vic.gov.au about any issues you may want to raise.
