Budget ‘ignores’ community needs
KEY community projects have been left in the dust for a focus on big-ticket items in the Townsville City Council budget, a councillor says.
Division 2 councillor Sue Blom believes the large cash splash on the Lansdown EcoIndustrial Precinct could have been put on the backburner in favour of projects like a second road into Bushland Beach.
The cash for Lansdown comes from both the state and federal governments.
Cr Blom, unable to attend the budget meeting because she was in isolation with Covid-19, said there were basic needs that required attention.
“We really need a second in-and-out (road at) Bushland Beach, and that could be achieved by bringing forward the connection and Townsville paying for it and then recouping that through infrastructure charges,” she said.
“When it gets to the critical point, if we have a prang … the residents are trapped in the community.
“The things that were ‘wants’ for our community weren’t in there.”
Cr Blom said the focus on Lansdown was at the expense of communities.
“I think some of that money that we’ve been able to secure could have been secured for much more highpriority jobs at this time,” she said. “But I am happy to be proven wrong.
“It could be what makes Townsville bigger, better, more important to the rest of Queensland, but at the moment we’ve got people hurting in our community that need other things.”
Division 10 councillor Fran O’callaghan was the only councillor present at the meeting to vote against the budget.
She wasn’t able to fit her whole reason for voting against it into the four minutes she was allotted, but later posted her full reasoning on social media.
Cr O’callaghan said the budget had Lansdown funding under a separate column to indicate it had been requested. The funding in this column was secured in the 2022-23 state budget, which was also released on Tuesday.
“I was not prepared to vote to adopt a budget of this local government area with requested – and not secured – funding amounts included within its capital works program,” Cr O’callaghan said.
She also flagged concerns with the capital works budget for Division 10.
“There are inadequate capital works for Division 10 such as road upgrades in Alligator Creek, or Roseneath, a suburb where residents were sent a detailed outline by council some years ago about the program for road sealing, but which then did not occur,” Cr O’callaghan said.
The councillor took issue with 10 other elements of the budget, including spending on arts and cultural events.
This year, the council put $39m towards arts, cultural and sporting events.
“I believe the budget for events is too high; the budget for grants and sponsorships is too high and there are also multiple sundry items in this area that I believe are wasteful and unnecessary,” she said.
“Under environmental health and regulatory projects, I believe the budget for microchipping of pets should be removed.
“The budget for community projects is too high.”