If you are still grumbling about that huge rate increase from last year, it may make you feel a little better to know that Campbelltown Council is putting your hard earned dollars to good use.
With a month to go before the financial year expires, Mayor Paul Lake has told the South West Voice that council has spent almost $20 million so far on roads, buildings, parks and stormwater drainage.
He also said Campbelltown Council has assets valued at almost $2 billion.
In a wide ranging interview, Councillor Lake, arguably Campbelltown’s best mayor of the past 10 years, revealed that one of the big legacies of the double digit increase will be the creation of a series of super parks across the entire local government area.
“We just need everybody on the same page and will continue to make this a great place even better.’’
Councillor Lake also confirmed what everyone knows, that Campbelltown would be a stand alone council, saying:
“We are not amalgamating with anyone, not Camden, not anyone.’’
The mayor also discussed:
• What regional city status means for Campbelltown;
• Where the massive population increase over the next 15 years will come from;
• The appointment of a new general manager to replace 16 year veteran Paul Tosi and the start of a new era in council leadership;
• The possibility of a $120 million boutique all weather sport/entertainment facility to replace Campbelltown Sport Stadium;
• His plans for a major business forum to entice investors to Campbelltown;
Cr Lake told the Voice that he was very excited about council’s strategic plan to create big parks, devised in the wake of last year’s rate hike of almost 12 per cent.
“We already have some very good parks, like Koshigaya Park and Marsden Park and a few others.
“But we also have a lot of little parks which are hardly used and cost the earth to maintain.
“So under our new plan we will sell off some of these smaller parks and put the money into building the best possible parks.
“The facilities on each of these parks will be carefully targeted to the demographics of the catchment area to ensure each park is just right for its location.’’
Campbelltown Council has a total of 340 parks, as well as 93 playgrounds and two skate parks.
Cr Lake says council will look at parks in other areas, as well as its own great parks like Koshigaya, produce a model of a super park and then proceed to build them.
“Koshigaya is a great park but I think we can improve on it, starting with brand new toilet facilities as part of our asset repair and replacement program,’’ Cr Lake said.
“We will look at extra things like cycle paths for our new parks to make sure that they have everything a family needs to enjoy themselves.’’
In addition to parks, council is replacing or repairing roads, bridges and footpaths with the extra money raised by the rate increase of 2014.
Campbelltown Council has assets whose replacement value is $1.8 billion.
A sophisticated asset management system is also in place, which makes it easier to identify and repair or replace assets.
The Campbelltown City Council assets in May 2015 include:
Bridges – 145
Buildings – 224
Parks – 340
Playgrounds – 93
Stormwater pits – 22,000
Roads – 700 kilometres
Footpaths – 375 kilometres
Pipeline – 600 kilometres
Fleet and plant – 453
Detention basins – 90
Artwork – $7 million
Skate parks – 2
Cr Lake says all assets have their condition, value, importance level, and dimensions captured. This helps council in making a priority list.
“We are even able to do long term modelling of asset management for up to 10 years,’’ Cr Lake says.
The Waminda Oval amenities building and those at Milton Park in Ingleburn and Bradbury Oval, foyer refurbishment at Macquarie Fields pool, Minto Indoor Sports Centre refurbishment and new equipment units at playgrounds have been the first beneficiaries of the extra rate revenue, which is estimated to bring in more than $60 million over the next 10 years.
“Without that one off big rate increase we just would not have been able to have such a comprehensive program of asset repair and replacement ahead of some very big population increases,’’ Cr Lake said.
“This is an ongoing process where we keep renewing the assets as we go.
“Council has kept its own running costs under control over the last few years; overall number of total staff has not increased at all from around 600 people.
“What you have got to understand is that a normal rate increase – basically the inflation rate – only covers the increase in wages every year,’’ he said.
♦ Last year the state government conferred “regional city’’ status on Campbelltown, but does this have any tangible benefit?
“Well, what it does is move us up to the top of the pecking order along with Penrith, Parramatta and Liverpool,’’ says Cr Lake.
“It means the state government wants growth in regional cities like ours so it will be investing money into them, as well as government jobs.
“We are already seeing this with the establishment of a government service centre, which will include Roads and Maritime Services, so yes, it’s a good thing for Campbelltown to be a regional city,’’ he said.
♦ Cr Lake said that Campbelltown’s current population of 155,000 people was set to soar to 239,000 in 2035.
This is an increase of almost 85,000 in just 20 years.
“A lot of that will be in Macarthur South, we are looking at 10 to 12,000 homes there,’’ the mayor said.
“There will be new housing lots in Menangle Park, Willowdale, Edmondson Park, Blairmount and Mt Gilead.’’
As part of urban consolidation along railway and other transport corridors, thousands of apartments will also be built during the next 20 years.
But the mayor said the council was conscious of the need to have strict design standards applying to apartments.
♦ As part of the changing face of Campbelltown, for the first time since 1999 council will have a new general manager by the end of September.
Veteran GM Paul Tosi informed council of his plans to retire a few months ago.
“We are very happy with the response to the advertisements for the GM’s job,’’ says Cr Lake.
“We have some very good applicants from across the state and country, from other councils, as well as from within our council.
“We will have a new general manager by the end of September,’’ he said.
♦ The state government is presently trying to decide its major stadiums policy, with speculation it may do the unthinkable and spend $600 million rebuilding Allianz Stadium, formerly known as Sydney Football Stadium at Moore Park.
“Whatever they do, what I’d like is for the government to give us $120 million to develop Campbelltown Sports Stadium into not just a footy stadium, but a precinct of sport, entertainment, restaurants, gyms, physiotherapy, a whole range of things.
“It is in a great location down there next to Leumeah railway station – not something you could say about Moore Park or some other options the government is looking at – and it has the capacity for more parking as well.
“That’s what we will be pushing for here in Campbelltown,’’ Cr Lake said.
The mayor, who confirmed he will be running for council next year – for at least one more term – says he wants to organise a business forum before his mayoral term expires in September.
“I want to bring all the Campbelltown stakeholders together, the hospital, the university, to tell investors how much we have to offer them,” Cr Lake said.
“Here we are in Campbelltown, 50 kilometres from the city, we have the roads and rail, the amenities and the people.
“Our message to investors is: this is a great place to come to.
“This is one thing I really want to do before I finish my stint as mayor.
We have a great future ahead of us but we need investment, jobs, a children’s hospital that can serve the region – from Wollongong to Canberra and out west – and a forum like that will help.
