Council has released its draft budget, which will be discussed at tomorrow night’s meeting (April 24).

It’s proposed cash expenditure budget for 2018/19 is $130,673,000.

This represents an increase of 11.9 per cent on the cash expenditure budget for the 2017/18 financial year. 

The draft budget suggests spending $5,259,850 on building works in the coming financial year.

This includes $4,593,500 on refurbishing the Civic Centre and $150,000 on the Bowral Memorial Hall refurbishment.

It is expected that $18,294,804 will be spent on roads, bridges and footpaths across the shire.

According to the draft budget, there will be $4,300,000 spent on the Station Street upgrade in the 2018/19 financial year.

The Kirkham Road renewal would receive $4,771,695 and $1,405,623 would be spent on the local roads resealing program.

There would also be money spent on the shire’s sewerage treatment plants.

Two million would be spent upgrading the Bowral plant while one million would go towards an inlet bypass at Mittagong and $250,000 on the Mittagong sewerage depot upgrade.

Funds for an upgrade at the Moss Vale sewerage treatment plant are allocated in 2019/20 financial year.

Renewing and upgrading sewer mains and service lines in the Highlands has been allocated $2,400,000.

Money would also be spent on the shire’s pools.

Bowral Pool would have $225,000 spent on it including the kiosk, amenities, the plant room and equipment renewal.

Meanwhile $50,000 has been allocated for Mittagong Pool and $19,000 for Bundanoon Pool.

Eridge Park could be another winner in this year’s budget. According to the draft budget it will receive $294,850.

This will include lighting renewal, fence, storage and tree renewal and velodrome resurfacing.

There would also be $55,060 spent on a Tulip Time relocation feasibility study.

Money has also been scheduled for streetscape improvements at the northern entrance to Bowral ($10,300).

There are also plenty of environmental projects scheduled to take place in the coming financial year, funded by the Environment Levy.

These include environmental weed management ($480,000), vegetation conservation ($147,000), rivers and streams program ($120,000) and  landcare and bushcare ($47,000).

There remains 103 projects on council’s unfunded  projects and services list