KINGSTON Council’s infrastructure budget blew out by more than $17 million in the last financial year. Council released its annual report for the 2023/2024 financial year last week. It revealed that council spent $70.5 million of taxpayer money on its infrastructure projects – the adopted budget for 2023/2024 set aside $53 million for capital works.
The annual report read that the increased costs were “mainly due to $3.8 million unbudgeted strategic land acquisitions not known at the time of budget and an additional $10.7 million buildings expenditure carried over from the previous year.”
Kingston Council finished up the financial year with a surplus of $14 million. Among its major expenditure was $9.6 million on roads and footpaths, $3.8 million to begin construction of the North Cheltenham Early Years Centre, $5.5 million to complete the Regents Park Reserve Pavilion, $6.2 million on drainage, $6.3 million on the GR Bricker Pavilion, and $6.8 million to begin stage two of the Dingley Village Community Precinct project.
Kingston Council CEO Peter Bean said that hundreds of community submissions were helping shape council’s future spending. “We are looking confidently forward, having recently adopted a responsible 2024/2025 budget, including an $85.7 million capital works program, that reflects the wishes and needs of our community. The budget was drafted on the back of 459 community submissions made through our Talking Kingston platform,” he said.
“In 2023–24, we’ve been overseeing a $71.7 million capital budget and a $266.3 million annual operating expenditure budget. The past year has been one of continued improvement and change within the organisation. In an incredibly challenging and volatile construction market, I’m proud that we’ve delivered 100 per cent of our planned capital works program.
“Better infrastructure delivered efficiently is what we are doing and what we will continue to strive for. The array of projects and services, big and small, delivered this year show we are keeping our promises and continuing to build a vibrant, healthy, safe, prosperous and sustainable Kingston.”
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 23 October 2024