Following council’s budget roadshow meetings last week, attendees approached the Pastoral Times saying an increase in the project’s budget by $2 million was still causing some concern.
But council general manager Phil Stone has said the extra spend on the project is simply that ... extra.
The project includes upgrades to the town hall, estates building and the original council offices.
“It is the scope of the project that has grown over time,” Mr Stone explained.
“We started with a fairly contained plan, and with the additional funding received we were able to do more.
“And that’s because much of the project has been funded externally.”
Mr Stone said the only additional funding council has had to allocate to the project is $300,000, passed by council last month.
This increase in the budget is to cover unexpected repairs to the historic town hall’s floor, likely caused by movement during construction.
It is the first time council money has been used on the town hall during these upgrades.
Council also contributed $2 million at the start of the project.
The extra $300,000 brings the total project spend to $8.1 million.
Funding not provided by council has been covered by federal and state government grants.
Mr Stone said the project timeline has also been extended as a result of that extra funding and project inclusions, and some difficulties in sourcing building materials.
Work started on the town hall project in August 2020.
It was initially anticipated to take 12-18 months, but the completion date had been delayed “for up to a year”.
The estates building part of the project is completed, with council staff moving into the space this week.
The customer service centre re-opened at the Cressy St building on Tuesday.
Mr Stone anticipates work on the town hall will be completed by the end of December, and open for use from October.
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