The elimination of several directors and managers in the early months of the current council did not slow down productivity in roads, sewage and infrastructure according to council. The Town & Country Journal received comments from residents questioning whether the change in top leadership caused a bottleneck in works earlier last year.
“No, vacancies at senior leadership level did not impact capital spending in the 2024/25 financial year,” was a council spokesperson’s response to our questions.
In the last meeting of council, no infrastructure services report was tabled. In a SDRC Performance Report, tabled at the last meeting, there were some red flags.
For instance, Council has underspent on capital expenditure on the replacement of assets with actual spending at 54% year to date and a target of 90% with only one quarter of the year remaining. The budget for capital works projects this financial year was roughly $66 million, but only 38.2% of that figure has been spent. Capital works includes project having to do with land, buildings, plant and equipment, roads, drains, bridges, water, sewerage and other assets.
“This is an approximation of the extent of which the infrastructure assets managed by the Council are being replaced as these reach the end of their useful lives,” the report reads.
A council spokesperson said that there were “challenges posed by above-average rainfall” and that some capital works are part of “multi-year projects that are not scheduled for completion by June 2025” and thus the timeline of expenditure and output is deceiving.
During the meeting, Cr Ross Bartley commented that “we are now two months away from our new financial year; I can’t see us expending that amount.” Cr Bartley also pushed back against the blaming of the weather. He insisted that the lack of productivity couldn’t be blamed on weather since “we’ve had to dry summer”.
“I’m curious when we’re going to deliver and how we’re going to manage a 50% carryover.”
“There was a delay in the commencement of projects,” the general manager explained, blaming rain and the cyclone and “starting from behind”.
“We are proceeding as quickly as we can.”
Cr Cynthia McDonald also noted the tardy spend of funds.
“I felt as though we were very much behind where we should be as we move into the new financial year.” Cr Joel Richters concurred.
Mayor Hamilton told The Town & Country Journal that spending on capital works “always picks up in the end [of the financial year]. As the general manager explained, council was significantly behind in October.”
The mayor then seemed to imply there was a connection to staff shortages.
“I think the indications are we will have some carry over which will part of this year’s budget process. As we have the GM of infrastructure in place that will improve significantly in the financial year.”
