by Cam Lucadou-Wells
Greater Dandenong Council didn’t make a submission to a state parliamentary inquiry in local government funding, but continues to lobby against cost-shifting and rate-capping, says chief executive Jacqui Weatherill.
Rather than an individual submission, the council contributed to the Municipal Association of Victoria and the FinPro submissions to the inquiry.
Weatherill said she meets regularly with Local Government Victoria and raises these issues.
“Council has consistently advocated around cost shifting and the constraints of rate capping with increasing costs.
“(Council) officers and councillors are also in frequent conversations with Victorian MPs about the challenges faced by the local government sector.”
FinPro – the peak body for local government finance professionals in Victoria – submitted to the inquiry that councils’ “financial challenges” would lead to cuts to libraries, local roads, maternal child health nurses, planning, parks and playgrounds.
The 2.75 per cent rate cap was insufficient to cover increasing costs such as labour costs, construction, insurance and service delivery, FinPro stated.
“This puts pressure on councils to limit capital expenditure, defer projects and reduce services”.
