Shire of Harvey adopts $98.2 million budget for 2024-25 with road and park maintenance among highest costs

The Shire of Harvey has locked in a 7 per cent rate rise for its residents after it passed its 2024-25 budget. Councillors adopted the shire’s financial plan at last week’s meeting, which will see the council spend $98.2 million between this month and June next year — down from the $131m budgeted in 2023-24. The shire’s total revenue from rates is set to increase by 9.77 per cent to nearly $30.5m. Residential and rural ratepayers will pay 7 per cent more when they receive this year’s rates notices, while businesses will see a 9 per cent increase. Land used for workforce accommodation will take the hardest hit at 11 per cent. The increased revenue will be used to pay for a number of projects and initiatives across the shire. The biggest hit to council’s bottom line is $25.6m set to be spent on maintaining road, footpath and drainage infrastructure, followed by $16.7m on building upgrades and new facilities. This includes $5.3m to restart the long-delayed Yarloop Workshops construction project and $3.6m to continue work on the Brunswick River Cottages. Drainage improvements to the Harvey Recreation Ground will cost $2m, while $770,000 is budgeted for improvements to Leschenault Recreation Park. Gardens and park maintenance is the third biggest expense for the shire at $14.2m. The waste facilities maintenance rate, which is used to pay for improvements at the Stanley and Richardson roads facilities, will increase from $50 to $70. Cr Robyn Coleman asked corporate services director Dean Winter what the impact would be on ratepayers if a 3 per cent rates discount was reintroduced. Mr Winter said the discount would cost the council $480,000. “If council wanted to bring that discount back into the draft budget, then they would need to increase all rates by roughly 2 per cent to allow the 60 per cent of ratepayers that actually utilise the discount to have that discount,” he said. Shire president Michelle Campbell successfully made a last-minute change to the budget, which will see the replacement rates payment incentive scheme prizes divided into 10 prizes of $1,000 each. “This budget is fiscally responsible and trims non-essential items, which council will consider in future, and largely powers the services ratepayers expect from local government,” she said. Rates will be due by September 27.