The Structures Asset Management Plan (StAMP) includes Road Bridges, Major Culverts, Pedestrian Bridges, Marine Structures, Retaining Walls, Board Walks and other Open Space Structures. The diagram below outlines where these assets sat in previous plans:

Some of the feedback Council is seeking is on the proposed levels of service (LoS).

LoS are the basis of the Asset Management Plan's lifecycle management strategies and work programs. They are designed to align with the strategic goals outlined in the Council Plan, balancing community needs with available resources.

As community expectations evolve, LoS are adjusted to address priorities fairly and equitably. For more information, refer to the Draft Structures Asset Management Plan. Levels of Service are included in section 3.5 (page 30)

There are multiple challenges facing the management of Council's assets over the 10-year horizon of the plan. These include:

• A cap on rates below inflation: as inflation makes the cost of materials and labour to repair and renew assets grow, a rate-cap below these yearly increases in costs requires Council to allocate a growing portion of the budget to these activities
• Aging infrastructure and New Requirements: Some assets in the Shire are approaching the end of their lifecycle and will need to be replaced in the 10-year horizon of the plan. Often this kind of renewal includes additional costs and different building and design requirements usually resulting in the need for new designs.
• Heavier Use of Assets: As the population of Bass Coast Shire grows, assets are being used by a growing number of people that use them for travel, business or recreation. This heavier use is results in needing to be repaired or renewed more often, placing greater pressure on the budget
• Growing Inventory of Assets: As new developments are built throughout the shire, the overall number of pieces of infrastructure Council manages also grows. This growing inventory places a greater burden on the budget to repair and renew Council assets

The Draft Structure Assets Management Plan recognises these challenges and recommends seeking to maintain existing levels of service despite the growing costs by allocating a larger share of Council's budget to the repair and renewal of assets.

The Draft Structure Assets Management Plan recognises the challenges facing Council in the management of structure assets and recommends seeking to maintain existing levels of service despite the growing costs by allocating a larger share of Council's budget to the repair and renewal of these assets. This is listed in the draft plan as "Option 3".

Alternatives that are being considered include aiming for a higher level of service and ensuring no assets are graded as "poor" or "very poor" condition by allocating an even larger share of Council's budget to asset management. This is listed as "Option 4".

Option 1 of the plan is the maintenance of current levels of spending and Option 2 proposes to decrease that existing funding by a further 25%. This will result in a much larger pool of assets being graded as "poor" or "very poor" condition. These options may also require council to restrict the use of certain assets if their condition falls below an acceptable level by imposing load limits or speed limits in the case of culverts and bridges or restricting access in the case of marine assets.

Some opportunities exist in the longer term to decommission assets that do not provide an important infrastructure, drainage or transport purpose in order to allocate funding to more critical assets. This could include the decommissioning some structure assets and consolidating users into a smaller pool of assets or providing appropriate detours.

Council sought feedback on all of the above, recognising that some elements, such as the need to ensure assets meet relevant safety requirements or the overall revenue Council is able to collect through rates, are non-negotiable.