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Speaker 1: You did hear yesterday on the show that obviously the

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Speaker 1: Darwin City councilor handed down their budget and their municipal plan.

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Speaker 1: We know that the rates have gone up four point

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Speaker 1: five percent for Darwin for those living in the Darwen area.

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Speaker 2: But out there in Palmiston as well.

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Speaker 1: I know a lot of you who listened to the

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Speaker 1: show live in Palmerston, and the Palmerston Council also delivered

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Speaker 1: their municipal plan a little while ago. And joining me

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Speaker 1: on the line to tell us a little bit more

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Speaker 1: about what was included in it is the Mayor of Palmerston,

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Speaker 1: Athena pasco Bell.

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Speaker 2: Good morning to you.

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Speaker 3: Good morning Katie Athena.

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Speaker 1: I know that you guys handed down at your municipal

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Speaker 1: plan a little while ago. I believe that the rate

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Speaker 1: increase out there in Palmerston was two point nine percent,

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Speaker 1: is that correct?

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Speaker 4: That's what we are looking at.

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Speaker 3: So these are still out for public consultation, but we

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Speaker 3: are looking at two point nine percent and an increase

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Speaker 3: to the minimum rate of thirty dollars.

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Speaker 2: And so Athena, we're at that two point nine percent.

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Speaker 1: What does that of even out to or what does

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Speaker 1: that work out to be one for the average household

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Speaker 1: per year.

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Speaker 3: Well, as I said, the minimum will be thirty dollars,

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Speaker 3: but most households will see less than fifty dollars over

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Speaker 3: the year, so a dollar a week. We've been working

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Speaker 3: really hard to keep our budget low.

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Speaker 4: As you know, inflation has been.

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Speaker 3: A bit unexpected this last financial year and so we've

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Speaker 3: had to do whatever we can to make sure that

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Speaker 3: we don't cut any of our services. So we're going

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Speaker 3: to continue as the same service level, but obviously some

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Speaker 3: of those costs need to be absorbed because some of

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Speaker 3: our material and service costs have increased as well.

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Speaker 1: And has there been any change or any increase to

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Speaker 1: the waste charges.

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Speaker 3: We've left the waste charges the same the proposal for

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Speaker 3: next financial year. We do note that the City of

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Speaker 3: Darwin have significantly increased their charges for users of Shoal Bay,

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Speaker 3: so that's the commercial side of it, and all of

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Speaker 3: our wist goes to Shoal Bay.

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Speaker 4: But we will look at the absorbing that this year.

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Speaker 3: We do have a substantial amount of waste reserve, and

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Speaker 3: then we will see how it all hands out.

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Speaker 4: But what's really important with.

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Speaker 3: Waste is that we've spent well. We will be spending

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Speaker 3: about one and a half million dollars upgrading our archial

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Speaker 3: waste transfer facility in order to make it easier for

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Speaker 3: people to recycle and hopefully divert some of that waste

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Speaker 3: that goes to landfill. So you know, it's important as

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Speaker 3: part of our sustainability strategy that people get on.

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Speaker 4: Board with recycling.

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Speaker 3: We also have a waste sorry, a compost bin and

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Speaker 3: worm farm rebate out at the moment, So if you

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Speaker 3: haven't got a compost bin or worm farm and you

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Speaker 3: want one, we are giving a fifty dollars rebate at

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Speaker 3: the moment and this is all towards sustainability and reducing

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Speaker 3: what goes towards blandfield.

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Speaker 2: Well there you go. I like that idea. I reckon

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Speaker 2: that's a good one.

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Speaker 1: Now, when you talk about the infrastructure spend or what

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Speaker 1: is proposed when it comes to infrastructure, and I guess

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Speaker 1: that you know that investment out there in Palmerston, what

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Speaker 1: are you guys looking at.

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Speaker 3: We're looking at spending twenty seven million the next financial

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Speaker 3: year and that includes Swell, which is our swimming pool

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Speaker 3: project which will commence shortly. We hope we've also got

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Speaker 3: to the Kali Community Hub so the dog park and

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Speaker 3: pump track should begin the next financial year, improving shade and.

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Speaker 4: Accessibility for playground.

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Speaker 3: We're doing a lot of tree planting right across the

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Speaker 3: municipality and other sustainability sustainability projects such as Soul of

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Speaker 3: Power as well.

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Speaker 1: Now, what is the biggest focus do you think it's

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Speaker 1: a for your municipal plan for this financial year or

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Speaker 1: for the year.

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Speaker 3: I think it will be swells and that's alutely a

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Speaker 3: huge project to redevelop our.

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Speaker 4: Swimming pool and make it more user.

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Speaker 3: And family friendly as well, so it'll be accessible, there'll

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Speaker 3: be something there for every age group. We still do

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Speaker 3: have free access to our council facilities, so we know

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Speaker 3: it's tough times, but we've managed to keep free access,

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Speaker 3: so free community room, higher, free access to the pool

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Speaker 3: and we have free parking in the CBD. So we're

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Speaker 3: really trying to do the best that we can with

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Speaker 3: the current economic situation and the inflation, but.

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Speaker 4: We are giving back to the community.

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Speaker 3: Ramping up in the dry season, we always have our

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Speaker 3: very popular family friendly events such as flip nix and

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Speaker 3: different music events. So next weekend is our first on

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Speaker 3: Francis there and it will be Pride events, so you know,

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Speaker 3: we do put a lot back out into the community.

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Speaker 1: But Athena, I know that you said just a little

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Speaker 1: while ago that this is obviously all part of that

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Speaker 1: consultation process. How's the consultation gone so far? Have you

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Speaker 1: had a lot of feedback?

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Speaker 4: I haven't personally.

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Speaker 3: So the consultation is open until the second of June

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Speaker 3: and then Council will be presented with the responses from

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Speaker 3: the community.

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Speaker 4: After that point we do twenty eight.

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Speaker 3: Days worth of consultation, which is more than the local

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Speaker 3: government that requires us to do. And if you wanted

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Speaker 3: to have a stay on our plans for the next

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Speaker 3: twelve months, just jump onto the council website and find

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Speaker 3: the links.

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Speaker 1: Have you say, well, Lathena Pasco Bell, the Mayor of Palmerston,

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Speaker 1: We always appreciate your time. Thank you very much for

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Speaker 1: having a chat with us this morning.

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Speaker 4: Thanks Katie, thank you