The Community Summit

The City of Greater Geraldton, like other local governments in Western Australia, is facing the difficult challenge of achieving financial sustainability in an environment of reduced funding, escalating costs and increasing community expectation. Within this environment, the City of Greater Geraldton is challenged with balancing the needs and aspirations of a growing community, with community ability and willingness to pay.

The City’s 2014-15 budget forecast a net operating loss from ordinary activities of $6.85m. Based on the City’s current adopted Long Term Financial Plan, which incorporates an annual rate revenue rise of 5.2% (excluding growth factor), Council does not expect to be in a break-even position until 2021-22. The City of Greater Geraldton’s financial position means that many community needs and aspirations are unlikely to be delivered within the short term and that some very difficult choices, about which services can be continued and which must be discontinued or reduced, must be made.

Changes in the external environment that have impacted upon the City’s budget have necessitated a further review with a focus on the range of non-mandatory services provided by the City. These changes include;

Significant reductions in State and Federal Government funding;
Escalating costs, particularly utility costs; and
A large backlog of essential infrastructure renewal.

Additionally, the City recognises the need to ensure rates rises are kept at manageable levels while still providing services that best align with community priorities. Therefore, the City needed to engage further with the community to better understand community prioritisation of the non-mandatory services it delivers. The Community Summit process was developed to provide an opportunity for the community to have informed and considered input thereby ensuring services are aligned with community need, aspiration and importantly, community willingness and capacity to pay.

Read the Community Summit Report - Outcomes and Recommendations

Individual report attachments below.

Attachment 1 - Random Sampling Methodology Report

Attachment 2 - March 4 Workshop Agenda

Attachment 3 - Community Criteria for Assessing Services

Attachment 4 - The difference between mandatory and non-mandatory services

Attachment 5 - Revised Community Assessment Criteria

Attachment 6 - Services Description Booklet

Attachment 7 - CEO Responses to Questions

Attachment 8 - Preliminary List of Prioritised Services

Attachment 9 - Recommendations and Voting Results

Attachment 10 - One Minute Participant Recommendations