I've submitted an idea previously, do I need to resubmit to be considered in this year's budget process?
No. Any submissions that have been received previously have been catalogued and will continue to be revisited during any future budget discussions or planning activities.
All submissions are considered in the context of other community budget submissions and Council's existing plans and studies including:
What will happen with my submission once it’s received?
When Council receives your submission, you will receive confirmation. Council will then do an initial assessment of your submission and may:
- Confirm that your submission is suitable as it is
- Ask for more information to help Council better understand your proposal
- Suggest that your proposal needs to be submitted through a different channel, such as the customer service request system or externally to a different service provider
After the submission deadline, all submissions will be assessed against Council’s established plans and a report will be prepared for Council to be presented. After discussions, a draft budget will be developed which will include any successful submissions.
Once the budget has been drafted, Council will let you know whether your submission was successful. If your proposal is not chosen you will be given feedback regarding why it was unsuccessful and unless you are otherwise advised, submissions that are not successful will be kept to:
- Inform future planning and budget discussions
- Be assessed against any suitable internal or external funding opportunities in future
What might cause my submission not to be included in the budget?
While every submission will be considered, it may not be possible for all submissions to be included in the final budget. This could be due to a number of factors, including:
- Little or no alignment with Council’s strategic priorities
- The submission falls outside the scope of services provided by Council
- Further work is required to develop the submission for it to be ready for consideration
- Further analysis of the proposed costs may be required
- The proposal is beyond Council’s financial capacity
Is the budget submission process the same as Council’s Community Grants Program?
No. The budget submission process is not about providing grant funding to groups, businesses or individuals to implement particular priorities. It is to help inform how Council prioritises what services, projects or initiatives Council may undertake on behalf of the community.
However, if your submission meets the eligibility requirements of Council’s Community Grants Program, you will be notified and may be encouraged and assisted to make an application for grant funding. Similarly, Council catalogues all submissions and assesses them regularly against external grant funding opportunities.
What won't be considered under the budget submission process?
The budget submissions process is not intended to address day-to-day issues, such as fixing potholes or general maintenance to public spaces. You can notify Council of these issues by submitting a Customer Service Request.