THE Berri Barmera Council has officially adopted its Annual Business Plan and Budget for the 2020/21 financial year, approving a nil increase to the rate in the dollar and a range of financial support measures.
The budget was adopted unanimously by elected members at a special meeting of council last Tuesday, and included only minor adjustments to the draft plan.
Planned upgrades for Colin Jennings Apex Park, slated to cost about $300,000, will now be fully funded by the Federal Government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program.
Three carry-forward projects were also added to the list for this financial year, including $30,000 for native vegetation management, $72,500 for the Wilabalangaloo walking trail and $100,000 for the Berri river-front retrofit.
Costings for the retrofit, originally expected to begin at the end of the 2019/20 financial year, were presented to council in a confidential report during June’s Strategic Assets and Major Projects Committee meeting, with tender documentation currently being organised.
Berri Barmera Council chief executive officer Karyn Burton said the council could begin to work on projects for this financial year now that the budget had been adopted.
“We are going to concentrate on our drought funding projects because we only have until December 31 to get them done and they are some pretty big projects,” she said.
The projects funded through the Drought Communities Program, which received approval last month, include a council-wide hard waste collection and irrigation upgrades at the Berri and Barmera ovals.
Due to a Federal Government decision to pay half of the 2020/21 Financial Assistance Grants in May, this year’s budget shows an operating deficit of $1,336,010, while the underlying budget operating result is a surplus of $29,184.
Council received five written submissions from the community on the draft annual business plan and budget during a four-week consultation period.