Paul Mitchell, Murray Pioneer

Berri Barmera Council has cut a list of programs and expenses from its budget, in a bid to reduce its projected deficit in the next financial year – and avoid lifting rates.

Among the defunded projects are the Loveday Internment Camp, for which $53,877 was set aside in the council’s original 2024/25 budget, and the Rally for the Riverland initiative, a joint Riverland councils project – aimed at creating a “social indicators strategy” for the region – originally allocated $50,000.

A total of $453,775 of cuts were outlined in council’s May agenda and subsequently supported by elected members.

“It is essential that council takes a prudent, responsible and sustainable approach to setting the budget,” said Berri Barmera CEO, Tim Pfeiffer.

“In order to reduce our operating deficit, instead of further raising rates, council has reviewed the budget line-by-line and found savings”¦”

As a result of the cuts, council’s amended projected deficit figure for 2024/25 is now around $215,000.

In detailing the changes to its operating budget, council said the Loveday Internment Camp project and the Rally for Riverland initiative had both been “removed, to be discussed further, and if needed, included in a budget review”.

Despite the funding cut, Mr Pfeiffer said the Loveday Internment Camp remained “an important historic site of national significance”.

“However, council does not currently have an underlying strategy for the long-term preservation or management of the areas of Loveday Internment Camp under council ownership,” he said.

“Instead of funding additional works on site in 2024/25, council will take the opportunity in the coming year during to develop a long-term approach in order to guide future funding.”

The council’s razor gang found budget cuts across a number of other areas, including wiping $15,000 for a digital conversion of planning records. Rather than pay contractors to carry out the task, as originally planned, council has decided to use in-house staff.

Savings of $10,000 and $5000 have been earmarked from money set aside for “streets/parks collection” and “illegally dumped rubbish”, with council believing the $40,000 and $15,000 respectively now allocated should be “sufficient” for 2024/25.

In addition, just over $5000 allocated to the Friends of Bonney Theatre group has also been scrapped, as the group no longer meets.

This article appeared in the Murray Pioneer, 26 June 2024.