TWO councillors will step forward at Wednesday night's meeting of Port Macquarie-Hastings Council and highlight where they believe the draft 2015-2016 budget for major infrastructure works has got it wrong.
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Cr Adam Roberts and Cr Sharon Griffiths will put forward a motion seeking to have several items removed from council's draft operational plan and replaced with big ticket items of community significance.
Among those is a push to construct a link road between Ocean Drive and the university precinct at Innes Lake to alleviate congestion on Lake Road, as well as another tier of carparking at Port Central and improved pedestrian safety at Lake Cathie and along Gordon Street.
Both Crs Roberts and Griffiths believe the draft budget proposed by council does not reflect the concerns and expectations of the community.
"Based on feedback we have received from community members across the LGA, the current draft budget doesn't meet the community expectation in a number of key areas," Cr Griffiths said.
"Everyone knows that Lake Road is a massive bottleneck and is in dire need of a solution. CBD parking has been an issue for many years and over several years now, we have received numerous requests from Lake Cathie residents asking council to address pedestrian safety issues in the village."
The draft operational plan outlines the activities, programs and capital works which the council has planned for the next financial year, along with the proposed fees and charges. It was placed on public exhibition and received more than 100 submissions including a petition with 300 signatures about the state of Lighthouse Road.
When the draft plan was exhibited, council's general manager, Craig Swift-McNair, reinforced that council's focus for the 2015-16 financial year was "to continue to deliver services in the most efficient and cost effective manner possible".
"This is a budget focused on getting the fundamentals right, providing value for money and securing our future financial management," he said.
"In particular, we are dedicated to getting the fundamentals, such as road maintenance and resealing right and extending the lifespan of assets the community already owns."
Cr Roberts said with local government elections next year, it is the last budget this council will deliver in its first four year term back after administration. And it needs to make a difference.
"We have made some gains in some areas but the progress the community expects us to tackle I don't think we are quite there yet," Cr Roberts told the Port News yesterday.
"We have an obligation as councillors to put forward ideas and suggestions to make this place a better place to live. And we've only got a short amount of time to do it."
Cr Roberts said the University Drive, linking Ocean Drive and the Oxley Highway is of critical importance given the increasing traffic bottleneck along Lake Road.
"The University Drive project could be the most significant project we deliver in this generation of council," he said when asked what he believes the current council's legacy will be after its four-year term.
"There have been plans for this link road for 10 to 15 years - now is the time to put our foot down and get something going. Until we allocate some actual funding, it's all just talk."
To achieve their wish list, Crs Roberts and Griffiths propose the removal or postponement of several infrastructure items from the draft budget. They include a gas capture project at Cairncross and the Kew Transfer Station project until cost estimates for the facility can be reviewed.
Cr Roberts said changes to the household waste management system and move to fortnightly red bin collection was a positive and successful business decision however does not see any future financial benefit for council in capturing gas.
He also believes council should attempt once again to sell the 'hole in the ground' next to Port Central to recoup and invest funds in more CBD carparking.
"Everybody knows carparking is an issue in the CBD, in particular for CBD workers. Economically there are hours of lost productivity every time employees have to go out and move their car during the day," he said.
The pair believe that by not adequately addressing the urgent backlog of infrastructure requirements such as the failing stormwater network, council could fall further behind financially as project costs continue to increase.
"What we will be asking all councillors to do (on Wednesday night) is to consider what we are proposing," Cr Roberts said. "We still have every opportunity to get it right."
The final operational plan for 2015-2016 will be considered at the June 17 council meeting.
