IT is that time of year once again where budgets are front of mind across the board. Individuals, families and businesses will all be looking to their tax returns, incremental pay rises may start to roll in, and perhaps most importantly in our region, councils will finalise their annual business plans for the year ahead.
Those plans and budgets have been a hot topic across all of our council areas, with the question of how to balance the necessity of rate increases with the bottom line for residents and councils alike.
Last week, we saw Adelaide Plains Council (APC) ratepay- ers protest proposed rate rises in Mallala by crowding the council chambers with tractors.
Community consultation for APC residents continues into this week on the back of robust conversations between elected members, council staff and ratepayers.
In contrast, The Barossa Council almost flew under the radar in adopting its annual business plan and budget for the next financial year.
This week, budgets are under further scrutiny with a very rare move coming out of Light Regional Council (LRC).
As can be seen in this edition, Light’s elected members actually rejected the proposed annual business plan and budget in favour of further workshopping and potential changes.
It was, by no means, a unanimous decision with some councillors quite comfortable with where the budget sat, but the majority felt LRC could do more to reduce spending and rates.
LRC is now expected to hold a further information session for its elected members and how that will play out for ratepayers remains to be seen.
While that all unfolds, similar to The Barossa Council, Town of Gawler has seemed to also slip by unnoticed with relatively little discussion surrounding the adoption of its budget.
Gawler’s elected members got fired up over how to end the discretionary rate rebate with the Gawler and Barossa Jockey Club, with discussions taking up a fair chunk of proceedings.
Following that, aside from some praise for council staff’s work on the budget, the adoption process was done almost in the blink of an eye.
To the south, City of Playford also saw some robust discussion before passing its budget, with a pair of councillors wanting to see rates reduced but not having the numbers to make it happen.
Regardless of how councils set their finances, families across the region will need just as much, if not more, planning to stay above water in a brutal economy which is hurting many a bottom line.
