22 May 2015

More cash for mowing in Canberra suburbs in next ACT Budget

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The 2015-16 ACT Budget will spruce up Canberra’s suburbs with a $7.75 million investment in more mowing and other maintenance, Chief Minister Andrew Barr has announced today.

From the media release:

Since becoming Chief Minister, I’ve been out from behind the Treasurer’s desk listening to what Canberrans want and we all agree we want the look of our city to reflect the pride we feel in it.

So this investment sees $7.754 million provided to allow more frequent mowing, weed control, tree maintenance and cleaning of bus stops, lakes and ponds.

The extra mowing will include a ‘surge mowing capacity’ so high visibility and high use areas like major parks and arterial roads get an extra mow when they need it.

It also includes an extra mow for the whole city. Currently we mow every suburb five times a year. Under this budget initiative we’ll mow them all six times.

The upcoming Budget will be for Canberra – renewing our city suburbs and delivering on the resources our community needs. This Budget will ensure Canberra remains the world’s most liveable city – and a place all Canberrans can be proud of.

The Budget investment will see a rolling cleaning program of the almost 440 hectares of urban lakes and ponds, such as Lake Tuggeranong and Lake Ginninderra, which the ACT Government looks after. Funding will allow additional removal of debris from within lakes and ponds, as well as litter picking around their edge. We’ll hire two more staff to clean up our lakes and ponds, which means they’ll be cleaned every quarter rather than every six months.

The ACT Government manages over 700,000 trees in the urban area. This extra funding will allow for increased maintenance of trees around road signs, bus stops and in high visibility areas. This will help alleviate line of sight issues, as well as allow additional formative pruning works on young developing trees.It will also allow for more weed removal on road verges, median strips and cycle paths.

Minister for Territory and Municipal Services Shane Rattenbury said that the additional funding will provide TAMS with the resources required to support the growing number of Canberra suburbs.

“In recognition of the continued development of our city, the Budget also provides $8.084m over four years to maintain roads, paths, streetlights, road verges, parks and playgrounds in new suburbs. The funding also provides for waste collection from new dwellings,” Minister Rattenbury said

“TAMS takes pride in looking after our city and this funding will help to ensure our public places and recreational areas are well maintained and enhance Canberra’s status as the world’s most liveable city.”

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JC said :

This however is a genuine increase in numbers for more mowing.

Agreed JC. But its from the reduced base of last year.

JC said :

rommeldog56 said :

Whilst its good to see municipal services recveiving extra funding – which is obviously so critically needed – you have to wonder if in cases like mowing, it really is just restoration of some or all of the reduction in mowing that was so evident last summer.

But still, it’s another opportunity for this ACT Gov’t to spin things I suppose.

Lucky its approaching an election year too, I suppose !!!! Not that I’m not cynical, mind you……

Not sure the government is spinning anything here. There was no reduction last year though yes the grass was longer because it was wetter and plants grow like crazy when they have water. Wild like to hear your solution as to how you handle the wetter years?

This however is a genuine increase in numbers for more mowing.

Not so. Via a spokswonman from TAMS, on Mark Partons show on 2CC, she admitted that the number of grass cuts had been reduced to fit in with a reduced budget from the Government. The then Grass cutting contractors also said that.

Mysteryman said :

dungfungus said :

rommeldog56 said :

Whilst its good to see municipal services recveiving extra funding – which is obviously so critically needed – you have to wonder if in cases like mowing, it really is just restoration of some or all of the reduction in mowing that was so evident last summer.

But still, it’s another opportunity for this ACT Gov’t to spin things I suppose.

Lucky its approaching an election year too, I suppose !!!! Not that I’m not cynical, mind you……

There were a lot of Territory parks and gardens resources deployed at the arboretum in the past 12 months. This must be costing ratepayers heaps.
The financial accounts of the arboretum and the Glassworks are well hidden from public scrutiny.
I, for one, would like to know how much these pet projects are subsidised by ratepayers.
Also, there is a thing called “Minister’s Special Events Fund” which was hammered last year – millions of dollars going to the NGA to promote blockbuster exhibitions.
The Territory cannot afford this largesse any more.

Yes we can. The problem of debt isn’t this territory’s problem, it’s Future ACT’s problem. Haven’t you learned anything from successive Labor governments?

“Future ACT’s problem”
Hopefully, there will be a federally appointed administrator presiding through that period.
The Liberals clearly do not want to govern and who can blame them?

dungfungus said :

rommeldog56 said :

Whilst its good to see municipal services recveiving extra funding – which is obviously so critically needed – you have to wonder if in cases like mowing, it really is just restoration of some or all of the reduction in mowing that was so evident last summer.

But still, it’s another opportunity for this ACT Gov’t to spin things I suppose.

Lucky its approaching an election year too, I suppose !!!! Not that I’m not cynical, mind you……

There were a lot of Territory parks and gardens resources deployed at the arboretum in the past 12 months. This must be costing ratepayers heaps.
The financial accounts of the arboretum and the Glassworks are well hidden from public scrutiny.
I, for one, would like to know how much these pet projects are subsidised by ratepayers.
Also, there is a thing called “Minister’s Special Events Fund” which was hammered last year – millions of dollars going to the NGA to promote blockbuster exhibitions.
The Territory cannot afford this largesse any more.

Yes we can. The problem of debt isn’t this territory’s problem, it’s Future ACT’s problem. Haven’t you learned anything from successive Labor governments?

rommeldog56 said :

Whilst its good to see municipal services recveiving extra funding – which is obviously so critically needed – you have to wonder if in cases like mowing, it really is just restoration of some or all of the reduction in mowing that was so evident last summer.

But still, it’s another opportunity for this ACT Gov’t to spin things I suppose.

Lucky its approaching an election year too, I suppose !!!! Not that I’m not cynical, mind you……

There were a lot of Territory parks and gardens resources deployed at the arboretum in the past 12 months. This must be costing ratepayers heaps.
The financial accounts of the arboretum and the Glassworks are well hidden from public scrutiny.
I, for one, would like to know how much these pet projects are subsidised by ratepayers.
Also, there is a thing called “Minister’s Special Events Fund” which was hammered last year – millions of dollars going to the NGA to promote blockbuster exhibitions.
The Territory cannot afford this largesse any more.

rommeldog56 said :

Whilst its good to see municipal services recveiving extra funding – which is obviously so critically needed – you have to wonder if in cases like mowing, it really is just restoration of some or all of the reduction in mowing that was so evident last summer.

But still, it’s another opportunity for this ACT Gov’t to spin things I suppose.

Lucky its approaching an election year too, I suppose !!!! Not that I’m not cynical, mind you……

Not sure the government is spinning anything here. There was no reduction last year though yes the grass was longer because it was wetter and plants grow like crazy when they have water. Wild like to hear your solution as to how you handle the wetter years?

This however is a genuine increase in numbers for more mowing.

Whilst its good to see municipal services recveiving extra funding – which is obviously so critically needed – you have to wonder if in cases like mowing, it really is just restoration of some or all of the reduction in mowing that was so evident last summer.

But still, it’s another opportunity for this ACT Gov’t to spin things I suppose.

Lucky its approaching an election year too, I suppose !!!! Not that I’m not cynical, mind you……

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