The primary focus of the 2020-21 budget has been focused on consolidation and responsible long-term financial sustainability while striving to deliver the best possible levels of service delivery for our community. This has included improving the alignment with the goals and strategies of the Livingstone 2050 Community Plan, undertaking a community engagement exercise on budget priorities, and Councillors working with officers through a series of thirteen (13) budget workshops on ever facet of the budget.
Given the challenges our community has faced over the last seven (7) years, including the impacts of several major disaster events and the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it has made it more important than ever that Livingstone Shire Council’s 2020-21 is a responsible budget that ensures there is adequate revenue to fund expenditure that meets the needs of our community and also supports them through these difficult times.
In bringing down this budget it is appropriate to reflect on the necessary and deliberate strategies of previous budgets. Those strategies were focused on regaining the Shire’s economic momentum lost through the forced amalgamation process, meeting the significant cost burden imposed on our community in regaining our independence and the subsequent imperatives of reconstruction to existing and major new infrastructure following Tropical Cyclone Marcia. Council has remained mindful of the challenges the community have had to face with bushfires, coronavirus pandemic and other increases in the general cost of living.
