By Laura Michell
Wyndham council has adopted its 2025-26 budget – but not before councillors made several amendments to the document which was presented to the community during May.
The budget was adopted during council’s June 24 meeting, despite some councillors opposing the inclusion of $372,000 for a private security patrol trial in Truganina.
During the meeting, councillors moved eight amendments to the budget, some relating to the private security patrol trial, while others related to community infrastructure.
Cr Peter Maynard’s proposal for council to conduct a survey to gauge support for Manor Lakes Library opening on a Sunday was accepted by his colleagues and added to the budget, as was Cr Maria King’s request for a potential location for the Wyndham Vale Men’s Shed to be identified as part of the implementation of council’s Wyndham Vale North Master Plan.
Cr Josh Gilligan successfully added funding for a signalised pedestrian crossing at Hummingbird Boulevard and Wootten Road in Tarneit; a dedicated Wyndham North Events and Activations Program; and a suburb review to reform the size and total number of suburbs in the municipality.
Cr Susan McIntyre was unsuccessful in her bid to commit council to consider contributing any additional funding needed to re-develop Point Cook’s Saltwater Pavilion.
The project has already received $5 million from the federal government and $1.4 million from the state government, but is not included in council’s budget.
The proposal was knocked back amid concerns it did not specify how much council would contribute.
On the other hand, Cr Jennie Barrera’s proposal for council to provide $600,000 over four years for concept designs for the pavilion redevelopment, capping the total project cost at $7 million, was accepted.
Cr Larry Zhao made an unsuccessful attempt to extend the private security patrol to Williams Landing Ward, while Cr McIntyre and Cr Jasmine Hill were unsuccessful in their attempts to remove the trial from the budget altogether.
The budget includes a $165.1 million capital works program, which mayor Mia Shaw said had been informed by what the community had told council mattered most to it.
The budget also includes an average rates rise of 3 per cent.
