Townsville City Council owns, operates and maintains more than $7 billion worth of assets that make this city one of the best places in the country to live, work and explore.
The assets that Council manage include the water treatment plant, roads, footpaths, parks and gardens, art galleries, libraries, buildings and Council-owned land.
Mayor Jenny Hill says it is imperative for each asset to be managed efficiently to keep the city running smoothly.
“As a local government, Council allocates a significant amount of its budget each year to maintaining, operating, improving, replacing and growing assets for the betterment of the city. This includes more than $7 billion worth of assets that Council maintains,” Cr Hill says.
“Our population is expected to pass 200,000 in the next 12 months and it’s essential for our city to keep up with that growth in order to serve the community and support expansion across the city.
“That’s why Council keeps a keen focus on the maintenance of our assets, ensuring that our residents and visitors have the best services available.”
Cr Hill says there have been a number of notable Council asset management projects during the past few months.
“Council is often looked at as the service that provides rates, roads and rubbish, but the reality is that Council provides much more than that to the city of Townsville,” she says.
“Council has delivered several large projects for the city recently, including the Southern Suburbs Rising Main, the Mount Louisa Walking Track car park, and the Corcoran Park netball court upgrades. The scope of these projects ranges from essentials for wastewater capacity as the city grows right through to sports and recreation to increase the amenity of our local parks.
“That’s because all the pieces matter in the way we run this city – we want locals to have the essentials and to also enjoy living here both now and into the future.”
Townsville is a dry tropics city, resulting in variations in rainfall and making water security a topic of importance at Council.
Cr Hill says it is more important now than ever to be water smart across the city as the population continued to grow.
“Water is a precious resource and it’s essential that every Townsville resident understands that we need to make the most of this important natural resource,” she says.
“Council is continuously replacing household water meters as they reach the end of their asset life to ensure that we’re accurately tracking how much water is being used. These replacements are capable of providing real-time data to households thanks to new technology, giving residents a better understanding of how they’re using their water and ways they can be more water smart.
“This is just one way that Council prudently manages its asset replacement cycle, ensuring new technology is integrated into our city and offering improved sustainability across Townsville, which is a key focus at Council.
“Council will continue to assess the current and future needs of the city while managing assets across the city, making sure the choices made are benefiting our residents while continuing to prepare for future growth.”