Help shape Council's Budget 2024-2025
Our annual budget makes day-to-day life in Frankston City possible. It funds important services like roads, parks, waste and recycling, economic development, arts and events, aged services, early education and many other things.
Council is currently developing our 2024-2025 Budget, which is the fourth and final year Budget under our 2021-2025 Council Plan. With so many initiatives already delivered in years 1-3 of this Council Plan, we're seeking your input on priorities for our fourth year spend.
Review the Draft 2024-2025 Council Plan and Budget, or summary below, and make a written and/or verbal submission by 4pm 22 May 2024.
What is the focus of our Draft 2024-2025 Budget?
Council’s Draft 2024-2025 Council Plan and Budget are all about balance and sustainability.
The Draft Budget proposes to:
- Deliver on the projects and services we’ve committed to in our Council Plan and strategic programs.
- Ensure we maintain a financially sustainable position in the face of continued economic pressures.
- Ensure that major projects like the Eric Bell and Lloyd Park Pavilions will be completed in the next few months.
- Include 12 key capital works projects (for the full list, see Appendix B in the Draft 2024-2025 Budget).
- Continues to fund PARC’s Can Swim subsidised program, and plans for additional demand for kindergarten services.
- Focus on a range of internal initiatives to increase efficiencies and reduced costs. Examples include the digitisation of more than 170 forms to streamline our business processes, and online automation of tools used by Council's 80 Direct Care workers.
This Draft Budget also includes several initiatives that will reactivate our municipality, support businesses, maintain community assets and drive sustainability. They include:
What did we hear in our Stage 1 engagement?
Between 13 February – 14 March 2024, we asked our community to review what Council has already delivered under its 2021-2025 Council Plan, and let us know what you would like to see more, less or the same of in our fourth year.
Your input has helped us to prioritise funding in our Draft 2024-2025 Budget, and is also feeding into the development of our new Council Plan (learn more here).
Engagement process
Stage 1 of the Budget 2024-2025 engagement was run as an online survey, with the option for community members to provide hard copy responses, or input via phone or email.
The engagement was promoted via Council’s social media posts, Frankston City E-News, an article in Bayside News, Engage Frankston notifications, and in a number of targeted Council newsletters. Information and hard copy surveys were also available in Frankston’s Customer Service Centre and Frankston Library.
Review our Stage 1 online survey here.
Engagement outcomes
In our Stage 1 engagement, we received 24 contributions to our online survey, and 1 written submission. The written submission will be used as part of our Stage 2 engagement (submissions will be presented at the Council Meeting on 20 May 2024 ).
We asked our community to review what Council has already delivered under its 2021-2025 Council Plan, under each of the six themes, for the first three years of the Plan. We then asked our community to let us know what you would like to see more, less or the same of in our fourth year.
The responses can be summarised as follows:
As shown in the above graph, more than 58% of respondents requested more focus from Council on community safety, and sports and recreation, and over 50% requested the same level of service in community development and community health.
Comments as to why the community responded in this way included references to more focus on:
- Community centres and the Pines swimming pool
- Community support
- Community engagement
- Road safety
- Health and mental health
- Family violence
- Maintaining community assets.
Council has identified the following initiatives and year 4 actions in its draft 2024-2025 Council Plan and Budget. Initiatives that directly respond to community requests for ‘more’ focus on community safety and sports and recreation are shown in bold.
As shown in the above graph, more than 66% of respondents requested the same level of service in arts and culture, and over 62% requested the same level of service in community health and community development.
Comments as to why the community responded in this way included references to more focus on:
- Affordable events and festivals
- Diverse and cultural events
- Positive art
- Community health
- Aged care
Council has identified the following initiatives and year 4 actions in its draft 2024-2025 Council Plan and Budget. Initiatives that directly respond to community requests for ‘more’ focus on community safety and sports and recreation are shown in bold.
As shown in the above graph, more than 54% of respondents requested more focus on integrated water, and over 50% requested the same level of service in biodiversity and open space and waste and recycling. Climate change action had the same number of responses (41%) for both ‘more’ and ‘the same’.
Comments as to why the community responded in this way included references to more focus on:
- Environment
- Waste
- Recycling
- Sustainability
- Integrated Water
Council has identified the following initiatives and year 4 actions in its draft 2024-2025 Council Plan and Budget. Initiatives that directly respond to community requests for ‘more’ focus on community safety and sports and recreation are shown in bold.
As shown in the above graph, more than 52% of respondents requested more focus on transport connectivity. Over 52% requested the same level of service in city planning. Parking had the same number of responses (48%) for both ‘more’ and ‘the same’.
Comments as to why the community responded in this way included references to more focus on:
- Parking
- Public transport
- Nepean Highway
- Transport connectivity.
Comments also indicated a preference for less focus on e-scooters and e-bikes.
Council has identified the following initiatives and year 4 actions in its draft 2024-2025 Council Plan and Budget. Initiatives that directly respond to community requests for ‘more’ focus on community safety and sports and recreation are shown in bold.
As shown in the above graph, more than 65% of respondents requested more focus on economic development. Over 65% requested the same level of service in arts and culture. City planning had a similar number of responses (44% and 48%) for both ‘more’ and ‘the same’.
Comments as to why the community responded in this way included references to more focus on:
- Higher density residential
- Businesses
- Nepean Highway.
Council has identified the following initiatives and year 4 actions in its draft 2024-2025 Council Plan and Budget. Initiatives that directly respond to community requests for ‘more’ focus on community safety and sports and recreation are shown in bold.
As shown in the above graph, 50% of respondents requested more focus on governance. Between 50-60% requested the same level of service in financial management, asset management, technology and information, and people, culture and workforce.
This theme had the highest numbers of ‘less’ votes, with:
- 17% requesting less focus on council strategy and performance
- 13% requesting less focus on people, culture and workforce
- 12.5% requesting less focus on technology and information and customer service.
Comments as to why the community responded in this way included references to more focus on:
- Community engagement
- Asset management
- Financial management
- Face to face opportunities
- Customer service
- Effective technology.
Comments as to why the community responded in this way included references to more focus on:
Council has identified the following initiatives and year 4 actions in its draft 2024-2025 Council Plan and Budget. Initiatives that directly respond to community requests for ‘more’ focus on community safety and sports and recreation are shown in bold.
