City of Melbourne to tip $5.5m into IT upgrades

The City of Melbourne has allocated $5.5 million in its draft 2018–19 Budget to support IT upgrades aimed at providing residents with superior online services.

The draft Budget also includes a $5 million commitment towards switching nearly 16,000 street lights across the municipality to energy-efficient LEDs.

At $576 million, the draft Budget will be the city’s largest ever. This spending also includes a $10.7 million investment to support the local economy, including initiatives to support small businesses and the retail sector.

Meanwhile, the Budget includes funding to explore the adoption of design competitions for significant proposed new projects, based on the model that has already been adopted in Sydney.

The draft Budget will be open for public comment until 13 June, and a final version will be considered by the council on 26 June.

“This Budget delivers on our vision for our city’s growth, prosperity and livability,” commented Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood, Chair of the Finance and Governance portfolio.

“It secures our competitive advantage as a top global city; as a premier location for business and knowledge sectors to expand and thrive. It increases expenditure on our core services and creates opportunities for our community.”

Image credit: ©Rafael Ben-Ari/Dollar Photo Club

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