Proposed 2023-24 Budget
Consultation has concluded
Mansfield Shire Council adopted the 2023-24 Budget at its Ordinary Council Meeting held Tuesday 27 June 2023. A copy of the adopted budget can be found at www.mansfield.vic.gov.au/Budget-2023-24
Community members are invited to consider the Proposed 2023-24 Budget.
The budget outlines what Council will deliver over the next 12 months including new initiatives and core services and how they will be funded.
You can view the Proposed 2023-24 Budget on the right hand side of this page under Budget Documents. If you require a physical copy of the proposed budget, please contact Council by phone on 03 5775 8555 to request that a print copy be made available for collection.
Submissions will be accepted up to 5:00 pm on Wednesday 7 June 2023.
Highlights of the Proposed Budget 2022-23
The 2023-24 budget proposes a 3.5% rate increase, in line with the State Government Rate Cap with a total operating expenditure of $25 million and a $15.58 million Capital Works Program.
Key Infrastructure Projects
The key infrastructure projects include in the Proposed 2023-24 Budget are:
- Upgrades to Highton Lane and sealing of Rifle Butts Road – IMPACT Route Year 1 works
- Mansfield Station Precinct – new Heritage Museum Building Stage 1 construction and Pump Track design
- Mt Buller Service Road upgrade and improved carparking
- Heavy Vehicle Alternate Route (HVAR) Stage 2 completion (completion of upgrades to Greenvale Lane, Mt Battery Road and Dead Horse Lane)
- Lords Reserve Pavilion (over two financial years) and Lords Oval drainage (subject to funding applications)
- Lords Reserve Public Toilet upgrade
- Mansfield Emergency Services Precinct – allocation for Resilience Centre design and construction (subject to external grant funding)
- Bonnie Doon Recreation Reserve and Community Hall Masterplan
- Merton Recreational Reserve - Public Toilet facilities renewal
- Pedestrian safety improvements - Monkey Gully Road, Malcolm Street, and Goughs Bay township
- Streetscape renewal works in Jamieson and Mansfield High Street (design works).
- Purchase of land for vehicle access to new High St carpark from Collopy St, Mansfield
- Connection of services and sale of land at Lot 1, 141 Lakins Road, Mansfield
- LED Street Lights and Solar Panels on Field Services Depot (Climate Action Plan).
- Street Tree Planting Program.
- Continued expenditure on stormwater, bridges and culverts to address identified flooding issues, and complete assessment and design works for large culverts including Graves Road.
- Extensive program of road network maintenance and renewal, including reconstruction and design works for Buttercup Road, Merrijig and township sealing works in Gough’s Bay (Gough’s Cres and Katherine Street).
New Initiatives
In addition to the planned delivery of services, Council will invest in new service initiatives to support our growing community including:
- Continuation of the Outlying Communities Infrastructure Grant, with an increase from $50,000 to $75,000 providing opportunities for our outlying community groups to apply for funds to improve community infrastructure.
- Increasing Library opening hours and programs in the newly refurbished Library.
- Providing increased Field Services resources to improve fire access tracks, expand street sweeping services and enable completion of in-house road renewal works.
- Extension of the Community Connections role until June 2024 to provide support following the relinquishment of Home and Community Care Services to Mansfield District Hospital.
- Additional permanent full time Statutory Planning Officer to improve service provision and timelines for planning permits.
- Delivery of an expanded Strategic Planning Program including strategic plans for Gough’s Bay and the Delatite Valley.
- Purchase of kitchen caddies in preparation for the rollout of new FOGO (green waste) service in July 2024.
- Events program to support new events to the Shire including the Mansfield Holden Nationals and increased support for community events.
- Regional Collaborative Digital Program to provide upgraded and more effective IT services across the 4 councils, improving planning and customer service capability.
- Implementation of new software to improve carbon emissions tracking and reporting.
- Expanded tree inspection resources and management program with an in-house arborist.
- Digitisation program for building and septic files to eliminate risk of loss of manual records
Waste Charge
Council’s costs to transport, process and dispose of waste and recycling have increased significantly over recent years. Since 2019-20 the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) landfill levy has increased from $33.03 per tonne to $62.95 per tonne in 2022-23.
These cost increases have had a significant impact on Council’s recovery of waste service costs. This together with increases in fuel and kerbside collection costs for our growing community means that Council is proposing to increase the waste charge for households in 2023-24.
The majority of ratepayers have a 120L kerbside rubbish bin and currently pay $495; this cost will increase by approximately 9% in 2023-24. The proposed cost is comparable to waste service charges at neighbouring councils.
Below is a breakdown of what households will pay dependant on their landfill bin size:
- Kerbside rubbish collection - 80L bin: $447.80
- Kerbside rubbish collection - 120L bin: $541.47
- Kerbside rubbish collection - 240L bin: $822.46
Response to Community Consultation
Council ran a community consultation from 20 January – 17 February prior to the preparation of the Budget in which 102 submissions were received. Council has listened to the community in developing the proposed Budget 2023/24, to include:
- Increased Library hours and programs.
- Infrastructure upgrades at Lord’s Oval.
- Support for feasibility study for a year-round aquatic facility (partnering with the YAFM committee).
- Woods Point emergency beacon (already delivered).
- Road reseals and upgrades including an upgrade of the Mt Buller service road, further works on Buttercup Road, and selected roads in the Gough’s Bay township.
- Upgrade of Highton Lane and sealing of Rifle Butts Road.
- Toilet block upgrade at Lords Reserve and Merton.
- Various streetscape, footpath and open space upgrades.
Proposed Rating Differentials
The Proposed 2023-24 Budget includes revised rating differentials as follows:
| Type or Class of Land | 2023/24 cents/$CIV | Differential Rate |
| General rate for rateable residential properties | 0.161000 | 100% |
| General rate for rateable commercial properties | 0.268900 | 167% |
| General rate for rateable vacant land | 0.293000 | 182% |
| General rate for rateable rural residential properties | 0.143300 | 89% |
| General rate for rateable farmland | 0.103000 | 64% |
How You Can Be Involved
Community Forums
Mansfield Shire residents and ratepayers are invited to attend a community budget information session to be facilitated by Councillors and senior officers regarding the Proposed 2023-24 Budget as follows:
| Venue | Date/Time |
| Mansfield: Council Chambers - 33 Highett Street, Mansfield | Wednesday 31 May 2023, 5.00pm |
| Online via Zoom | Wednesday 31 May 2023, 6.30pm |
To attend either of the above information sessions you must register your attendance via email at budget@mansfield.vic.gov.au, or call 5775 8555.
Ask a Question
You can ask a question about the Proposed Budget at the bottom of this page. Council will endeavour to answer questions each day during the working week.
The opportunity to ask a question will close at 5:00pm on 7 June 2023.
*Note that questions are not "submissions" and will not be presented to Council for consideration.
Submissions
Ratepayers and members of the community are welcomed to make a submission to the Proposed 2023-24 Budget.
Submissions can be made via the Make a Submission tab at the bottom of this page. Alternatively, submissions can be delivered by either of the following methods:
- Email: budget@mansfield.vic.gov.au
- Post: Private Bag 1000, Mansfield VIC 3724
Submissions delivered by email or post must be clearly identified as such and made in writing, addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, Kirsten Alexander.
All written submissions are public documents and will form part of a report to Council.
All submissions must be received by Council no later than 5:00pm 7 June 2023. Council is not obliged to consider any submissions received after this time.
What Happens Next?
The opportunity to ask a question or make a submission will close at 5:00pm on 7 June 2023.
Council will deliver and adopt the final Budget 2023-24 at the Council Meeting scheduled for Tuesday 27 June 2023.
Good morning
I can’t believe that our local shire want to jeopardise kids getting into sport in our town, sport is such a great thing for their mental and physical health.
Juniors sports get them out learning real life skills to take into their careers as adults, as in meeting new people, learning to work in a team and with others you may not necessarily like, taking instructions & feedback from teammates & coaches, umpires that you may not agree with but know you have to respect their decision, encouraging others to succeed and helping them get there, learning we don’t all just get a medal in life you have to work for it and work as a team.
Speaking from experience my girls would never have met as many kids in town from all the different schools if it hadn’t been for Junior sports, it’s taught them so much more than just how to throw a ball.
Junior sports is also social interaction for all of the parents and spectators, come along to the main oval on a Friday night and see all the kids out having fun at Auskick, Junior Footy & Netball at all their siblings running around and the parents all socialising with different people, its on a cold winters night but you can still look around and see people having a laugh and enjoying time watching their kids.
All of the local businesses that donate their good and money to our clubs to keep the sport affordable for all will now be affected also.
It just feels like a punch in the face to the countless volunteers that make junior sport happen every week, just on a Friday night we have 18 teams compete, so when you add it up with coaches & assistants, umpires, timekeepers, scorers, first aid, committee members & canteen helpers we have up to 60 people DONATE their time just to run our Friday night games to keep junior sports affordable for all, please reconsider this budget for our kids and their future
Thank you for your time and consideration
Kate Davies
Treasurer MJNC
Hello Councillors
Please listen to the voices of the people of this shire. This budget review that proposes the increase of fees for the use of sporting facilities in the shire is not sustainable to the many sporting clubs that use said facilities.
Increasing the fees so drastically will force the clubs to pass on these costs to the families. Families that are struggling to make mortgage payments, school fees, vehicle repairs, increasing grocery and fuel costs, not to mention electricity, insurance and general household bills. Many families have more than one child, and many of those children participate in more than one sport. We would potentially be looking at extra fees for each child, in each sport. You could be the driving force in destroying community sport in this area. The benefits community sport bring to the health and wellbeing of children have been well documented. If the choice is putting food on the table or being able to use the netball court or the football oval, or the basketball stadium for the uses they were built for but no one can afford, what do you think the choice will be? What is the point of having these facilities if no club can afford to use them. Listen to the people of the Shire. It is about time you did.
Dear Councillors,
The Friends of Mansfield Library welcome the inclusion in the budget of funding for additional staff and hours at the Mansfield Library. We believe it is essential to return the Library to precovid opening hours, and to add to these opening hours to meet the demands of the growing Mansfield community. We understand the budget will provide for an additional staff member at the Library and a slight increase to the opening hours above the precovid hours. This is a positive step forward for the Mansfield community and we endorse this budget measure.
Regards,
Deb Westphalen
Secretary
Friends of Mansfield Library
Dear Councillors,
As a representative of a local sporting club and as a parent of children involved in many sporting clubs in the community, the increase in fees in the propsed budget will impact young families and is of concern.
The result will be that clubs will be required to increase fees to participants. Local sporting club committees work incredibly hard to keep fees low to ensure strong participation from families, they work tirelessly to fundraise and attract grants to ensure the long term sustainability of their clubs. This fee increase will be detrimental in some cases to their sustainability.
The State Govt has a sporting grants program to assist and encourage participation by subsidising fees but only to the value of $200 with very limiting criteria for eligibility. For those that are eligible $200 doesn't go far on fees for a season or year depending on the sport. We are in a national cost of living crisis and many will still not be eligible for the program.
I would request that council and its councillors re consider the proposed fee increases in the interest of participation of the youth in our community in sports and rec.
We know that participation of young people in sports and clubs has a ripple effect on the health and wellbeing of the participants and their families. It ensures movement and exercise, a sense of belonging and builds a strong sense of community around children and their families.
Please take the time to engage with the community sporting clubs that will be impacted by these increases to understand the impact on the clubs financial sustainability and impact on participation should fees need to increase.
Thank you for your consideration.
Dear Councilors
Your proposal to charge the community for use of "public" facilities is an absolute outrage. The costs will have a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of our community. Sports groups will either be forced to pass on costs to participants, excluding families already struggling with the cost of living, or close completely. Since when did revenue become more important than community health and wellbeing? A healthy and fit community is a productive community. If you want revenue, invest in the health of your community instead of trying to make a quick buck by selling our kids' right to access and participate in sports.
Jacqueline MacIntosh
Dear Councillors,
Charging to use sports facilities will have a significant impact on community sports clubs. The cost of living is already rapidly rising, families are struggling to pay for food and housing. If sports clubs have to pay extra charges, the cost will be passed on to families, many will not be able to afford the extra costs. Mansfield already has a high proportion of pre-obese or obese adults compared to the Victorian average. If fees go up many families will have to stop their children from playing sport which will only increase obesity levels. As part of the Shire’s municipal public health and wellbeing action plan the strategies include ‘Promote opportunities for people to be physically active in the community’ and ‘Enhance the built environment and council assets to enable people to be physically active’, charging fees to use community sports facilities goes against both these strategies. I hope you will reconsider these fees and charges.
Kind regards,
Jessica Cios
Hi Councillors,
I’m very concerned about your fee increase of the hiring of facilities for the local clubs.
These clubs try there very best to keep their fees low so families can afford to have their children participate however if these fees are increased like your proposed clubs will have to forward this onto the families who are already struggling enough.
May be instead of slugging clubs and in turn families may be we not bother beautifying a round about or spending money on the botanical gardens which are fine the way they are and don’t need money wasted on them.
Kind Regards
Dear Councillors,
As President of the Mansfield Junior Netball Club I am extremely concerned to read of the new proposed fees for the hire of the Mansfield Netball Courts. Our club offers fun and affordable competitions all year round that aim to develop and improve the skills of all netballers within our community while also providing them with great opportunities. These proposed fees will not only have a significant financial impact on our club continuing but also on the families wishing to register and hope you reconsider.
Regards Leonie Berry
Hi Councillors,
I thought it best to follow up from my original submission in regards to the proposed hire fees of the Lords oval and Main recreation oval. As president of Mansfield Junior Football we are able to offer a sport to ALL children and families that is affordable and have always taken great pride in being able to do this. We are able to supply everything for a child to run out and enjoy a game of football. The new fees would impact on the junior football club quite significantly to the point where the question might be asked can we continue? Mansfield Junior Football is the backbone of junior sport in Mansfield and I hope you see that like we do as families do. Thanks. Nick Berry.
Hi there Councillors,
My question in relation to upcoming budget is the proposed new hire fees for the Lords oval and main recreation oval. Is this applicable to current sporting groups such as Mansfield Junior Football, which I am currently president of. Or is this for your one off user groups wanting to book these facilities? I thought it best to ask first before making a big statement without knowing all the correct facts, thanks for your time. Nick Berry