The Redlands Coast community is invited to have its say on funding priorities to help guide Redland City Council during discussions for its 2027–2028 Budget.
Acting Mayor Julie Talty said the consultation, available online and face-to-face, provided the community with the chance to tell Council how they would like funding allocated across the many services Council delivers.
“Information provided in this engagement will help Council to understand where our community would like 2027-2028 funding and services prioritised,” Cr Talty said.
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“Council would like to hear from residents across the city about what they think are the most important services to be prioritised within the budget spend.
“All are important, but do we concentrate on things such as upgrades to park infrastructure, community facilities, city planning or local roads and footpaths?”
Cr Talty said core Council services would always be funded and the community could rely on Council to prioritise what was essential, but where there were opportunities to raise the priority of a particular level of service, community feedback was important.
“A council budget should serve everyone in our community, so it is important that as many people as possible participate in this engagement,” she said.
This survey includes an interactive online tool where participants can be a ‘Councillor for a minute’ and allocate more or less funding across eight service categories, with an opportunity to explain why they would prioritise spending in that way.
Council will begin discussions for the 2027–2028 Budget in early 2027.
“There are numerous matters taken into consideration when making decisions about the budget expenditure, including the responsibility of the local government to meet laws, regulations and public safety,” Cr Talty said.
“Budgets are built around priorities identified in Council’s Corporate Plan, Financial Strategy, Asset Management Plans and other supporting strategies, as well as community feedback provided through formal budget engagements and other engagements undertaken throughout the year.
“Council must balance essential services, community priorities, affordability and long-term financial sustainability.
“Last year our city’s budget focused on delivering the services that matter to our community every day – and carefully considered those more discretionary matters.
“I know many people are finding their household budgets are under pressure due to persistent rising costs of living.
“Council is not immune to rising costs, and understanding more about how the community would like to see services funded helps us to make tough decisions to manage rates.”
The budget survey will be open until Sunday 22 November 2026.
Further information, including the survey, is available on Council’s Your Say Redlands Coast webpage.
Survey postcards are available at Council libraries and customer service centres.
