The Newcastle Ocean Baths refurb, public domain upgrades in the city's east and west, and construction of an organics waste facility are among the standout projects City of Newcastle will fund next financial year.
The elected council voted (9-3) to adopt the $330 million budget and operational plan for 2021/22 on Tuesday night after the documents' exhibition in April.
The budget forecasts a $1.2 million operating surplus, a return to black ink achieved primarily by winding back capital works expenditure to pre-pandemic levels.
The council is predicted to have a $22 million deficit this financial year because it increased capital works spending to $116 million in an effort to ease the economic impact of COVID-19.
The $90.4 million capital works program for 2021/22 includes $13.7 million for upgrades to roads, bridges and footpaths; $9.1 million for parks, playgrounds, sports and aquatic facilities; $8 million for an organics facility to compost food and green waste; $8.1 million for public domain works at Wallsend, New Lambton and Newcastle East; and $7.7 million for stormwater upgrades.
Every Labor councillor in the chamber spruiked the budget, but there were no speakers against it.
Lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the "balanced budget" would continue a path of "financial sustainability" but keep works projects rolling.
"On almost every second street corner you can see works going on," she said.
Rates are set to increase 2.0 per cent in the year and the domestic waste management service charge will rise to $400 from $375.
The budget attracted 46 submissions during public exhibition, of which the council said 92 per cent were "positive or constructive".
Budget items supported in the submissions included work to enable the art gallery expansion, the Wallsend town centre upgrade and environment initiatives.
The allocated spend on cycleways, about $1.5 million, was criticised for being well below the $5 million due to be spent this year.
Cr Nelmes said a further $1.5 million would be spent on cycleways, noting works in Hunter Street Mall and New Lambton, but that money had been allocated as part of public domain projects.
Cr John Mackenzie (GRN) said the capital works spend was an amount "we are likely to see going forward".
He said there would always be "fine-grain details" about how and where funding could be better allocated.
"It's a good election-year budget because [it] will be delivered by the incoming council, and I think having something which is solid and delivers on priority infrastructure maintains the financial stability of council," he said.
Newcastle Independents councillors John Church, Kath Elliott and Allan Robinson voted against adopting the budget.
Cr Church said after the meeting that it was "good to see money allocated for Stockton Beach remediation and the long overdue Newcastle Ocean Baths upgrade", but "the long-term trend of under-spending on cycleways, footpaths and the inland pools continues".
