Enlightiling Community Insight into Draft Blacktown City Council 2015-2016 Annual Budget - Feed Back Is Required - Have Your Say!

This evening I was invited by the Mayor, Councillor Stephen Bali, to the 'Community Insight' Meeting, to hear and understand how Blacktown City Council receives all income and spends it on expenses: basically on wages and community works programs, maintenance on roads, parks, shares, lighting in parks, cycle ways and paths, recycling and rubbish removal, library and swimming pool services, drainage construction, stormwater management, community facilities and many more.
 
Announced by the Mayor tonight, with the interesting crowd listening attentively, was the increased  budget  to $502M.

As quoted to myself by a Council Officer: 

Mayor Councillor Stephen Bali

"The draft 2015/16 budget is our largest ever budget at $502 million, reflecting the exceptional growth of our City, with record spending on infrastructure renewal for our city’s vital transport and community assets.

Our budget will inform how we are working on building sustainable communities and making sure we deliver quality services expected by our growing community."

For myself to come out with a budget that covers over 332,000 population, would be impossible and I am not qualified.

**Funds outsourced for the 2015-2016 annual budget is as follows:

• $19.4M for recreational and community facilities
• $37.5M for drainage construction and stormwater management
• $38.2M for roads construction and ancillary facilities
• $38.3M Waste Removal and Street Cleaning
• $17.7M Childcare services
• $20.1M Aquatic leisure and recreation services
• $1M       Animal Holding Facility
• $48,000 Youth Ambassadors Program- 12 x $1,500 Tertiary scholarships and six scholarships for students of University ownof Western Sydney
• Assets Renewal (Work In Progress)  reduced from $80M to $50M

**Budget Launch 2015, Community Insight,19 May 2015,    
    Blacktown City Council

*In short summary for 2013/201:

• $359M Revenue
• $441M Expenditure
• $2.9B Infrastructure Assets
• $91M Liabilities
• $3.18B Total Equity

*Take a closer look booklet Blacktown City Council Community 

  Report 2014. 

Various expenses were provide by the Mayor and the General Manager, Kerry Robinson also expanded on these expenses and income with complete description.

Then came guest speaker Richard Denniss, Executive Director of The Australia Institute, giving easy explained understanding and meanings of economics and community.

That was simply when you look in Google Maps from the top of the world you can see communities not economics/budgets - yet there are results of interactions between people of purchasing and selling. The community is important as we can see the community, budgets and the economic processes we cannot see. 

(Left-Right) General Manager, Kerry Robinson, Mayor Councillor Stephen Bali and Richard Denniss 'The Australian Institute'

An interesting point that he raised was in our LGA and population of current 332,000 we do not have a Convention Centre and this is something that attract a lot of businesses, organisations into our area as well as creating jobs.

Now, our community can have 'our say on the Draft 2015/16 Operational Plan and Budget on www.yoursay.blacktown.nsw.gov.au

I do suggest do not be shy and if you want changes with Blacktown LGA, please provide your feedback I already have! 

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