Planning for the future
The 2011–16 Five-Year Financial Plan is the Council’s medium-term blueprint for delivering services and maintaining assets in our growing municipality.
The plan helps guarantee financial sustainability without the community having to absorb any unplanned rate increases or cuts to services.
Council undertook an intensive community consultation process in developing the upcoming Five-Year Financial Plan. The goal was to seek feedback on preferred rate increases, possible changes to services and assets, and the potential adoption of strategies to create alternative sources of revenue.
Council surveyed a random selection of residents from every suburb in Moreland by phone to gain a snapshot of community views. Others took the opportunity to provide feedback via an information pack and survey delivered to all households.
When asked how they thought Moreland might attract sources of revenue other than rates, residents were clear about their preferences. Developer contributions, commercial leasing of Council-owned facilities and differential rates on commercial or industrial properties were the favoured methods.
There was very little support for increasing fees and charges on what most consider essential services, such as waste collection and care for the elderly and children.
Most residents stated that they understood that Moreland needed to remain financially sustainable and, as a result, most respondents opted for a preferred rate increase that would enable Council to achieve that goal, with 6.0–6.5% being the preferred increase of more than half of all respondents.
