Jump online to have your say and tell us what you think. The Delivery Plan is about the next four years, while the Operational Plan - which also incorporates council's budget - is about the next 12 months.

I'm really proud of the proposed budget, which reflects our commitment to investing in capital works and infrastructure projects that are core functions of Council's operations.

The budget proposes significant investment - $143 million - into capital works projects. Of this, more than 43 per cent is being earmarked for roads, while about 35 per cent has been allocated towards water and sewerage works.

This level of investment will enable us to work on clearing the backlog of infrastructure projects needed to keep pace with the growth of our population, and help us recover from the severe flooding and rain events we've experienced over the past 18 months.

It is no news to anyone that as a community we have done it tough. We've seen two and a half years of COVID-19, and significant natural disasters have impacted many parts of our region. Now, we're seeing compounding cost of living pressures further impact people's financial health - whether it be fuel, housing or groceries.

A proposed rate freeze will hopefully lessen the hardship currently facing our community. Yes, it is true that increased revenues from rates help support the delivery of council services, but efficiencies can be found in other parts of the business to help make up for the shortfall and enable the council to remain viable.

I encourage those who haven't yet logged on to see what will certainly impact their lives over the next 12 months, to do so on council's "Have your say" website.

We want to know what matters to you, so that my council colleagues and I can be better informed about our community's views when the draft budget comes back for final endorsement in June.