Lane Cove Council Budget Papers 2023/2024 – See How Council Will Be Spending Your Rates Money

You might have received an email from the Lane Cove Council (LCC) alerting you to Lane Cove Council’s Delivery Program, Operational Plans, Budget and Draft Fees (the Budget Papers) and asking for your comments.

LCC Budget Papers must be approved before the start of each financial year.

Every NSW local council is guided by its ten-year Community Strategic Plan.  This Plan is the highest level of Strategic Planning undertaken by local councils and identifies the main priorities and aspirations of the community. The Plan sets out the objectives to achieve the community’s vision.  It is developed after community consultations.

The four-year Delivery Program is our councillors’ key ‘go-to’ document. It identifies all the key activities the council has committed to undertake over its four-year term. All plans, projects, activities and funding allocations of a council must be directly linked to the Delivery Program.

The Operational Plan is developed annually that details a Delivery Program, identifying individual projects and activities that will be undertaken in a specific financial year to achieve the commitments made in their four-year Delivery Program. If it is not in the operational Plan, then it is doubtful that a council will take on a new programme/or spend money on an unbudgeted item – they are reviewed each quarter.

The Operational Plan must include the council’s detailed annual budget, the council’s Statement of Revenue Policy (i.e. the rates and levies ) and charges (such as parking charges at LCC carparks or applications for tree removals) in the next financial year.

The Lane Cove Budget Papers consist of the following documents:

Draft 2023/23 Budget Overview

This is the high-level summary of the Budget Papers.  This document summarises where Lane Cove Council gets its money (i.e. rates and fees and charges, grants, revenue from investments and buildings it owns and operates like The Canopy).  This document also summarises plans for how and where Lane Cove Council spends its money each year.

The budget overview also includes a list of 2022/2023 Major Projects (see more below).

Draft 2023/24 Budget Summary

This document is the line-by-line detailed summary of the revenue/expenses.

Draft 2023/24 Delivery Program and Operational Plan 

This document combines the Delivery Program and Operational Plan.  The Delivery Program lists 6 Strategic areas established by the Lane Cove Community Strategic Plan – Our Natural Environment, Our Built Environment, Our Society, Our Culture, Our Local Economy and Our Council.

Operational Plan

The Operational Plan identifies the detailed actions to be taken in the 2023/24 financial year.

The Plan sets out recurring projects and includes the following new initiatives:

• Review of the Age-Friendly Strategy
• Develop a Social Inclusion Strategy
• Implement a watercraft hire arrangement to support the expansion of kayaking on Lane Cove River.
• Develop a Masterplan for Burns Bay Reserve and Stringybark Creek Reserve
• Introduce a Community Renewable Energy Program, including a Rebates Program
• Review and update the Lane Cove Development Control Plan to improve sustainability and incorporate provisions for the strategic rollout of EV charging infrastructure
• Continue the Renewable Energy Future Program in Lane Cove for community emissions
• Implement the Emissions Reduction Pathway Strategy for council emissions
• Develop an Affordable/Key Worker Housing Statement
• Introduce a ‘Car Free Sunday’ event
• Introduce a ‘Car Boot Community Market’
• Introduce a Problem Waste Collection Point within The Canopy Carpark
• Implement pilot ‘living seawalls’ at Tambourine Bay and Woodford Bay
• Implement a bushland encroachment reduction strategy
• Support activation of the Village Streetscapes Improvements
• Full implementation of new Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee
• Implement a Council Resolution Tracker. 
• Review the Procurement Policy
• Commence planning for the refurbishment of the Civic Centre
• Introduce a dedicated Call Centre to improve customer experience
• Launch new Council Website and Engagement HQ
• Review the Workforce Management Plan
• Transition to cashless facilities and remove merchant fees for credit card transactions

Bold means ITC readers requested/suggested the projects, or ITC advocated for/suggested the changes.

Draft Resourcing Strategy 

This document outlines Lane Cove Council’s resourcing strategy and includes the three plans below.

Draft Long Term Financial Plan

The 10-year Long Term Financial Plan has the following objectives

• Maintain or improve existing service levels to the community
• Maintain a strong cash position.
• Maintain an operating surplus in the annual budget
• Maintain a sufficient Employee Leave Entitlements Cash Reserve based on the age and entitlements of all staff by the Council’s Workforce Management Plan
• Capital expenditure on asset renewal, upgrades and extensions exceed depreciation to continue to reduce infrastructure backlog.
• That Council continues to reduce real operating costs per capita

It is noted in the Plan that:

“Council’s current financial position continues to remain sound. The audited Financial Statements as at 30 June 2022 indicated that Council’s internally restricted cash reserves totaled $60.8 million and its externally restricted cash reserves (such as developer contributions, grants and special levies) totaled $65.2 million and unrestricted cash of $3.9 million.”

Draft Asset Management Plan

This is an overarching document on how Lane Cove Council manages assets.  The executive summary states:

“In our asset portfolio, we have over 29,000 assets, with a value of over $745m (2022). Our asset portfolio includes roads, buildings, open space, stormwater, plant and fleet and other assets.

These assets enable us to provide services and facilities to the community to meet their needs and are measured through our asset performance, the asset value and asset condition.

Our asset performance has been positive, meeting the Office of Local Government asset sustainability measures and have been doing so for many years. Continued focus on these measures will be required, particularly with increased population forecast and the demands it brings in terms of asset consumption.

Our asset value and condition has improved over the years and places us in a positive position to continue expanding our asset portfolio:

• Council’s asset renewal backlog is currently estimated to be $14.2m, representing 1.9% of Council’s total asset value
• The current replacement value of our infrastructure assets is estimated at $650m • Buildings and road related assets make up over 68% of our total asset stock by value; with stormwater assets making up a further 15%
•  We plan to spend $181m over the next 10 years on renewals/upgrades ($80m) and new assets ($101m). 80% of our assets are either in Condition 1 (Excellent) or Condition 2 (Good) and do not require immediate replacement or renewal.”

Draft Workforce Management Plan 

This Plan identifies Lane Cove Council’s people requirements, including skills and employment practices. The Plan details principles of human resource management, workforce planning and capability building. It outlines how Lane Cove Council will develop and maintain its employee base that meets current and future organisational and community needs.

Rates Increase

The Rates and Annual Charges for 2023/24 include a general rate increase of 3.7%, as determined by IPART.

It is proposed to levy two (2) Ordinary Rates in 2023/24 in accordance with S.492 and S.497(a) of the Local Government Act.

An Ordinary Residential Rate of  0.075639 cents in the dollar, on the Land Value of all Rateable Land categorised as Residential in accordance with S.516 of the Local Government Act, (with the exception of heritage properties which are rated on their heritage value), with a Minimum Rate of $984.70, to yield $23,285,775.

An Ordinary Business Rate of 0.491169 cents in the dollar, on the Land Value of all Rateable Land categorised as Business in accordance with S.516 of the Local Government Act, with a Minimum Rate of $1,005.85 to yield $6,224,774.

Read the IPART report here if you would like to know how rate increases are calculated.

It is proposed to levy a Car Parking Special Rate on Business premises in Lane Cove of 0.178247 cents in dollar with a minimum rate of $2 per assessment, to yield $186,667. This revenue will continue to offset the recent investment in carparking now available within the Village (e.g. The Canopy Car Park).

Lane Cove Council Fees and Charges

Some fees/charges are set by other legislation and cannot be changed (i.e. development application fees) however you may like to comment on charges that impact you.

For example:

Are you looking to remove  1 -3 trees (that are not in a dangerous position or overhanging a house) – the application fee has increased from $85 to $130.00

Do you want to hire a local council hall (for example, having a party in Waterview Community Centre near Hughes Park) – see how much it will cost?

The fees and charges also include Car Parking Fees for Council-Owned Car Parks in Lane Cove Village – parking rates have remained the same over three hours.

Review the fees and charges on page 141 of the Delivery Programme and Operational Plan.

Stormwater Levy

A stormwater levy applies to provide additional funds to implement stormwater projects as identified in the municipal wide flood study. It is proposed to levy a stormwater levy of $25 per residential or business property and $12.50 per residential strata unit. The levy is proposed to raise $330,887. This levy is the same as last year.

Major Projects

Sustainability Levy

In 2007 Lane Cove Council introduced a Sustainability Levy. The Levy was introduced with 79% support of the community to fast-track actions identified within the Lane Cove Council’s Sustainability Action Plan.

Many sustainability focussed projects and programs have been directly funded by the Levy and may not have been undertaken if it wasn’t for the introduction of a Sustainability Action Plan.

Council’s Sustainability Levy will generate approximately $1.3m to deliver the following projects in 2023/24;

Operating

• Community Wellbeing Survey

• Every Child a Bushland Experience

• Feral Animal Control

• Greener Apartments

• HarbourCare

• Love Where You Live

• Powerful Owl Project Support

• Rope Access Noxious Weed Control

• Streamwatch and National Waterbug Blitz Programs

• Sustainability Communication

•Sustainability Events

• Sustainability Lane

• Sustainability Reporting

• Village Graffiti Reduction Program

• Volunteer Bushcare Program

• Warraroon Wetlands Restoration

• Native Garden/Disability Support Program

• Urban Rewilding Linkage Project

• Solar for Business

• Sustainable Building Advisory Service

• Lovetts Reserve Biodiversity Protection

• On the Verge (previously called Nature Strip Conversion Project)

• Resilient Sydney Membership

• Contribution to the Coastal Management Program

• Saltmarsh Restoration

• Climate Resilience Events and Communications

• Business Support

• Canopy Recycling Station

• Bush Friends Casual Supervision

• Bushwalk Tracks Safety Audit Contribution

• Warraroon Reserve Insect Survey

• Installing Solar with Confidence

• Lane Cove Goes Circular

Capital

• Ventemans Reach Contaminated Sites – Remediation and Replacement Boardwalk

• Woodford Bay Erosion Control

• Skate Park Upcycled Sculpture

• Sustainable Council Buildings

• Villages – Public Art Program

• Sustainability Contribution to the new Sports and Recreation Facility

Get Involved and Give Your Feedback

Have Your Say

You can have your say by:

• Completing the online survey 

Alternatively, you can make a submission to the General Manager quoting the reference ‘SU9278‘, by:

• Post: PO Box 20, Lane Cove 1595
• Email: [email protected]

The consultation closes 7 June 2023.

What Happens After The Council Feedback Period Closes?

Your feedback will be reviewed and reported to the Lane Cove Councillors.  The feedback will be discussed at the June 2023 Lane Cove Council Meeting.

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