2023/24 City of Perth Budget

Before our election in 2020, the City had a track record of delivering barely 50% of its annual works program. Your rates bill went up while half of what was promised was forgotten.

Fixing the City’s budget while improving project delivery is a core focus of our Council team under the leadership of Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas.

Our plan is working. We hit a project completion rate of 90% in 2022/23 delivered by the lowest rates increase of any major metropolitan council.

However, our job is never finished and there’s always more to do.

That's why Council has endorsed our 2023/24 Budget with the lowest rate increase possible while investing $298 million in the future of Perth.

Our Budget comes at a time when some are rightfully feeling anxious about the economy. We’ve been hit with 12 interest rate rises since 2022?with inflation in Perth peaking at 7.4 per cent?earlier in 2023.

Sadly, and despite its multi-billion-dollar surplus, the State Government keeps putting up fees and charges. This includes the Emergency Services Levy going up by another 5 per cent, taking it to a 20 per cent increase in four years.

Ratepayers must also pay the State Government an extra 7.5 per cent in street light fees and over $640,000 more this year alone in the Perth Parking Levy, taking our annual PPL liability to over $18.5 million.

The reason why the Perth Parking Levy is such a hot button issue is because for every dollar we pay in this State Government tax and get nothing in return, that's a dollar that does NOT go towards subsidising your rates bill.

Considering this environment, we have been mindful to limit our spending growth. Between 2020/21 and 2023/24, the City’s increase in spending has been limited to roughly six per cent in total and with no debt. For context, the State increased its spending by 13.5 per cent during the same period.

Over the coming weeks, ratepayers will receive their rates notice and more information on how we are carefully spending your money.

In the meantime, the full Budget pack including the list of project deliverables for the year can be viewed here.?

As usual if you need any support with the City of Perth, please get in touch.

Cr Brent Fleeton - City of Perth