Not only does Cockburn have some of the lowest rates in Perth, but it delivers ratepayers value for money through high-quality services and facilities
Soundings eNews JUNE 2022 | View this in your browser
What does our 2022-23 budget mean for residents and businesses in Cockburn?
On Thursday 23 June Council held a Special Council Meeting to adopt the 2022-23 Annual Budget, including rates, the Workforce Plan and the Corporate Business Plan which details next year’s projects. In a year where the nation is facing high inflation, rising interest rates, high construction costs, and a tight labour market the City of Cockburn’s 2022-23 rates will continue to be some of the lowest in Perth. Not only does Cockburn have some of the lowest rates in Perth, but it delivers ratepayers value for money through high-quality local services and facilities for residents and businesses. What does the City provide its community? We maintain:
330 parks and 28 sporting reserves214 playgrounds38,500 park and verge trees921km of road and 845km of footpaths140 City owned facilities/centresPort Coogee Marina. We provide one of the best waste collection services in WA:Weekly general waste and recycling bin collectionsFortnightly green waste collectionsVerge collectionsSix trailer passes for the Henderson Waste Recovery Park (HWRP). We provide free or heavily subsidised community services:Cockburn ARCCockburn Health and Community FacilityThree librariesSeniors Centre and Youth CentreFamily day care, and family and parenting servicesA frail aged care serviceVolunteer centre. We provide a City-run community response service, CoSafe. CoSafe will continue to prioritise its patrols to hotspot areas, and with the addition of mobile CCTV cameras, CoSafe's quick response and reach throughout the community will continue to improve. We fund $1.4m for community grants and donations. This program financially supports local not-for-profit, incorporated community groups and organisations to provide projects, programs or activities that benefit residents of Cockburn. The City also provides its residents and ratepayers with several unique services that most other councils do not provide, including: Cockburn Aquatic and Recreation Centre (ARC)Port Coogee MarinaHenderson Waste Recovery ParkCockburn Health and Community Facility with a GP Super Clinic The Wetlands Centre and WA Wildlife Marine infrastructure – Omeo Dive Trail, public jetties, shark barrierWaste and environmental education programs Financial counselling services Commercial waste collection for businesses. What projects are scheduled for 2022-23? As a sensible response to the prevailing market conditions of high inflation, high construction costs, and a tight labour market, the City has delayed or deferred several capital works projects. Despite these delays, the City will still spend $50.8m on improvement projects including, but not limited to:Hammond Road duplication (between Branch Circus and Bartram Road), Success - $11.2mSmart LED streetlight replacement - $12.06mRoadworks - $2.81m Coogee Beach Masterplan - $1.44mPark upgrades - $1.32m 14 playground renewals - $0.49m Urban Forrest Plan (shade cover in Cockburn) and streetscapes - $1.1m New and upgraded bike and walking paths - $1.21mParking upgrades at Cockburn ARC - $0.48m Resident group projects - $0.44m
The City will also be going out to tender for the Malabar Park BMX facility in 2022 and will refer back to Council for consideration of funding once the cost is known. For more on what projects are scheduled for your suburb in 2022-23, visit our 'what's happening in my suburb' page. To see in detail what the City has planned for next year you can view the City’s Corporate Business Plan. Want a more manageable way to pay your rates? SmartRates The City offers a range of rate payment options, including SmartRates which allows ratepayers to make weekly, fortnightly or four weekly direct debit payments, providing greater convenience and assisting rates affordability. To sign up, visit our rates page on the website. Paperless billing (eRates) To save further on your bills, sign up to eRates to get paperless billing. By choosing to receive your rates via email you will save $7.50 on your bill! Sign up here. Financial Counselling The City provides a financial counselling service for individuals, families and businesses facing financial difficulties.
