Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Palmerston Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell on the city's municipal plan for the next year, including a 2,9% rates rise

Transcript

Palmerston Mayor Athina Pascoe-Bell on the city's municipal plan for the next year, including a 2,9% rates rise · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: You did hear yesterday on the show that obviously the
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Darwin City councilor handed down their budget and their municipal plan.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: We know that the rates have gone up four point
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: five percent for Darwin for those living in the Darwen area.
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: But out there in Palmiston as well.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: I know a lot of you who listened to the
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: show live in Palmerston, and the Palmerston Council also delivered
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: their municipal plan a little while ago. And joining me
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: on the line to tell us a little bit more
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: about what was included in it is the Mayor of Palmerston,
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: Athena pasco Bell.
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: Good morning to you.
• 0:32
  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie Athena.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: I know that you guys handed down at your municipal
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: plan a little while ago. I believe that the rate
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: increase out there in Palmerston was two point nine percent,
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: is that correct?
• 0:46
  Speaker 4: That's what we are looking at.
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: So these are still out for public consultation, but we
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: are looking at two point nine percent and an increase
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: to the minimum rate of thirty dollars.
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: And so Athena, we're at that two point nine percent.
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: What does that of even out to or what does
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: that work out to be one for the average household
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: per year.
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: Well, as I said, the minimum will be thirty dollars,
• 1:09
  Speaker 3: but most households will see less than fifty dollars over
• 1:13
  Speaker 3: the year, so a dollar a week. We've been working
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: really hard to keep our budget low.
• 1:20
  Speaker 4: As you know, inflation has been.
• 1:23
  Speaker 3: A bit unexpected this last financial year and so we've
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: had to do whatever we can to make sure that
• 1:30
  Speaker 3: we don't cut any of our services. So we're going
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: to continue as the same service level, but obviously some
• 1:36
  Speaker 3: of those costs need to be absorbed because some of
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: our material and service costs have increased as well.
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: And has there been any change or any increase to
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: the waste charges.
• 1:50
  Speaker 3: We've left the waste charges the same the proposal for
• 1:55
  Speaker 3: next financial year. We do note that the City of
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: Darwin have significantly increased their charges for users of Shoal Bay,
• 2:06
  Speaker 3: so that's the commercial side of it, and all of
• 2:08
  Speaker 3: our wist goes to Shoal Bay.
• 2:11
  Speaker 4: But we will look at the absorbing that this year.
• 2:14
  Speaker 3: We do have a substantial amount of waste reserve, and
• 2:19
  Speaker 3: then we will see how it all hands out.
• 2:21
  Speaker 4: But what's really important with.
• 2:23
  Speaker 3: Waste is that we've spent well. We will be spending
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: about one and a half million dollars upgrading our archial
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: waste transfer facility in order to make it easier for
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: people to recycle and hopefully divert some of that waste
• 2:39
  Speaker 3: that goes to landfill. So you know, it's important as
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: part of our sustainability strategy that people get on.
• 2:46
  Speaker 4: Board with recycling.
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: We also have a waste sorry, a compost bin and
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: worm farm rebate out at the moment, So if you
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: haven't got a compost bin or worm farm and you
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: want one, we are giving a fifty dollars rebate at
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: the moment and this is all towards sustainability and reducing
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: what goes towards blandfield.
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: Well there you go. I like that idea. I reckon
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: that's a good one.
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: Now, when you talk about the infrastructure spend or what
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: is proposed when it comes to infrastructure, and I guess
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: that you know that investment out there in Palmerston, what
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: are you guys looking at.
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: We're looking at spending twenty seven million the next financial
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: year and that includes Swell, which is our swimming pool
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: project which will commence shortly. We hope we've also got
• 3:34
  Speaker 3: to the Kali Community Hub so the dog park and
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: pump track should begin the next financial year, improving shade and.
• 3:41
  Speaker 4: Accessibility for playground.
• 3:43
  Speaker 3: We're doing a lot of tree planting right across the
• 3:46
  Speaker 3: municipality and other sustainability sustainability projects such as Soul of
• 3:51
  Speaker 3: Power as well.
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: Now, what is the biggest focus do you think it's
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: a for your municipal plan for this financial year or
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: for the year.
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: I think it will be swells and that's alutely a
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: huge project to redevelop our.
• 4:06
  Speaker 4: Swimming pool and make it more user.
• 4:10
  Speaker 3: And family friendly as well, so it'll be accessible, there'll
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: be something there for every age group. We still do
• 4:17
  Speaker 3: have free access to our council facilities, so we know
• 4:21
  Speaker 3: it's tough times, but we've managed to keep free access,
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: so free community room, higher, free access to the pool
• 4:28
  Speaker 3: and we have free parking in the CBD. So we're
• 4:31
  Speaker 3: really trying to do the best that we can with
• 4:35
  Speaker 3: the current economic situation and the inflation, but.
• 4:39
  Speaker 4: We are giving back to the community.
• 4:41
  Speaker 3: Ramping up in the dry season, we always have our
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: very popular family friendly events such as flip nix and
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: different music events. So next weekend is our first on
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: Francis there and it will be Pride events, so you know,
• 4:57
  Speaker 3: we do put a lot back out into the community.
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: But Athena, I know that you said just a little
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: while ago that this is obviously all part of that
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: consultation process. How's the consultation gone so far? Have you
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: had a lot of feedback?
• 5:12
  Speaker 4: I haven't personally.
• 5:13
  Speaker 3: So the consultation is open until the second of June
• 5:16
  Speaker 3: and then Council will be presented with the responses from
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: the community.
• 5:21
  Speaker 4: After that point we do twenty eight.
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: Days worth of consultation, which is more than the local
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: government that requires us to do. And if you wanted
• 5:28
  Speaker 3: to have a stay on our plans for the next
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: twelve months, just jump onto the council website and find
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: the links.
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: Have you say, well, Lathena Pasco Bell, the Mayor of Palmerston,
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: We always appreciate your time. Thank you very much for
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: having a chat with us this morning.
• 5:44
  Speaker 4: Thanks Katie, thank you