We don’t usually put the Finance team front and centre.
But we think this is an important conversation.
Costs are rising - at home and across our City. At the same time, our community continues to grow, creating more demand for services, infrastructure and long-term planning.
That’s why we launched KalaValue - a series designed to help explain the City’s financial position in a clear, open and accessible way.
KalaValue was created to give our community a better understanding of:
No jargon. No spin. Just clear information.
Thank you to everyone who attended our recent KalaValue workshops across Kalamunda, Forrestfield, Lesmurdie and online.
These sessions provided an opportunity for residents to hear directly from the City’s Finance team, ask questions and better understand the financial challenges and decisions facing local government.
Community interest and participation in the sessions is appreciated.
Missed the workshops or want to watch the session again? Watch the recording here ☝️
Use the timestamps below to jump to topics of interest:
The cost of delivering services is increasing, while the City continues to manage a large and growing asset base.
That means more roads, buildings, parks and facilities to maintain - and more pressure on how services are funded into the future.
We believe it is important to explain these challenges early, so our community is informed and understands what is involved in future planning and budget decisions.
If you would like to provide feedback or ask a question, please contact the City:📧 enquiries@kalamunda.wa.gov.au
We want to have this conversation early.
Rather than presenting a final outcome, we think it’s important to explain the situation, provide context and ensure the community understands what’s involved ahead of key decisions.
In simple terms, the cost of delivering services is increasing, while demand for services and infrastructure continues to grow.
This includes maintaining roads, buildings, parks and community facilities, as well as delivering day-to-day services.
The cost of delivering services is increasing faster than the City’s revenue.
At the same time, the City has grown, which means more assets and services to support.
We’ve been working to manage costs and improve how we operate.
But the increases we’re seeing - particularly in contracts, construction and maintenance - are significant and ongoing.
There comes a point where those pressures can’t be absorbed without impacting services or how we plan for the future.
The City is:
This work is ongoing and forms part of the broader planning process.
If nothing changes, the City would need to look at reducing service levels, delaying maintenance, or deferring infrastructure investment.
Over time, that can lead to bigger challenges and higher costs.
This is about making sure we’re planning responsibly for the long term.
At this stage, no decisions have been made.
What we are doing is being upfront about the financial pressures the City is facing - rising costs, growing demand and increasing infrastructure to maintain.
Those factors will be considered as part of the upcoming budget process, along with community priorities.
What we’re doing is explaining the reality of the City’s financial position.
There are a number of factors that will influence future decisions, including costs, service expectations and community priorities.
This engagement is about making sure those conversations happen in an informed and transparent way.