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Thursday, 1 July, 2021
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Moon launch lands
Lifetime of love
Look… Hu’s off to Tokyo
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SPORT
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Winter Arts Festival
Plans adopted The City of Casey’s administrators have voted unanimously to approve a suite of planning and strategy documents designed to steer the council into the future. At a special council meeting on Tuesday 29 June, the three administrators voted to adopt the final suite of corporate planning documents, including its annual budget and council plan 2021-25. Chair of administrators Noelene Duff began the meeting by reflecting on the process that had taken place to deliver the documents to the council. She said “extensive community consultation” had taken place via the Shape Your City engagement program to shape the documents before they reached the meeting floor and thanked all the staff involved. Ms Duff said new communities and new parts of communities were being established in Casey on a daily basis, and council staff had engaged in creative means to reach them. Moving the motion to adopt the sweeping suite of documents, administrator Miguel Belmar thanked those who had made submissions on the documents earlier this month. “I’m mindful that tonight we’re adopting motions that set up long-term strategies for the community,” he said. The council budget includes a general rates increase across the City of Casey of 1.5 per cent, in line with state government regulations. Mr Belmar said careful analysis had shown with this increase, the council would be able to meet its commitments into the future.
He said hardship provisions – which were passed in the same council meeting after the approval of the budget and strategic documents – would assist those struggling to make their rate payments. Fellow administrator Cameron Boardman said valid issues had been raised during public consultation on the documents and the budget. He reiterated comments made in earlier council meetings that the council had considered a variety of options before settling on a 1.5 per cent increase in rates, noting their impact on the council’s forward financial plan and “ambitious and largest ever capital works budget”. Mr Boardman said the administrators “thoroughly believe” the option was in the best interests of the municipality. He too praised the community consultation which had shaped the documents. “This is setting the benchmark of how community consultation in the future will be conducted. I think it’s unparalleled anywhere in local government,” he said. The Shape Your City program ran over six months from 2020-21 and fed into the Casey Long-Term Community Vision 2031 and the Council Plan 2021-25. Other strategic documents endorsed at the meeting included the: Draft Annual Action Plan 2021/22. Strategic Resource Plan 2021-2024 (which includes the Draft Budget 2021/2022, Capital Works Plan 2021/2022 and Draft 10 Year Finance Plan). Continued on page 8
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Picture: GARY SISSONS
Scooting in for a fun time By Danielle Kutchel Two-year-old Coltyn from Berwick was having a ball on his new scooter at Wilson Botanic Gardens last week.
Although he’s only been on the scooter for around two weeks, he’s already a pro, if this picture is anything to go by! Look inside for more snaps from our beautiful Botanic Gardens.
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