Ipswich City Council vows to keep core services for community

29 June 2020

Ipswich City Councillors have committed not to cut core services or jobs in the 2020-21 Budget.

Mayor Teresa Harding said there had been significant debate on the budget given the current economic climate, and that tough decisions had been made, but council would be strongly focused on delivering value for the city.

“We are pleased to launch the inaugural three-year capital program, a first for this council,” she said.

“This will ensure that infrastructure and public works are properly prioritised and delivered to improve community assets.

“We are also passionate about ensuring the organisation delivers a new level of exceptional services to the community and will be working hard to achieve this.”

The budget features a significant investment of $230 million in capital works; $26 million of this will be spent on road maintenance and rehabilitation.

This includes filling 5,000 potholes, repairing and resurfacing a network of over 1,500km of sealed roads and about 300km of gravel road maintenance, and making sure more than 26,000 streetlights are shining bright across the region.

“Council will be completing the much anticipated realignment of Marsden Parade, which will see a new, four-way signalised intersection at Brisbane and Gordon Streets,” Mayor Harding said.

“We’re investing $13 million across the city on strategic transport infrastructure to make our city more connected and to ease congestion.

“We’re delivering on the important projects that keep people safer on our roads and improve public amenities.”

The mayor said Ipswich would also benefit from State and Federal Government stimulus packages which would help fund roads and infrastructure, plus community based projects.

“This budget has been developed collaboratively by councillors and council officers in a short-time frame under some exceptional and unprecedented circumstances,” she said.