SUNSHINE Library has been selected as the best option for the relocation of Brimbank City Council’s municipal offices.
At the latest council meeting, three Brimbank administrators voted the existing Keilor municipal offices could be made available for community use – after being vacated.
Administrators chairperson John Watson said maintaining the present Keilor and Sunshine offices had been a financial burden for the council.
“We can no longer afford to do nothing about the municipal offices as mounting costs of maintaining and leasing office space will continue to have a negative impact on our budget and service delivery,” Mr Watson said.0
“Many of these spaces are not owned by council, therefore we spend money on leasing offices.
“We lease three offices in Sunshine, including half of our Sunshine Municipal office. The best option is to gather staff in one office location on council land.”
An independent review of 35 possible new sites to relocate the council offices found the Sunshine Library site would be the best choice.
“Not only does council own the land which reduces our cost, but this provides an opportunity to do a much better upgrade of the Sunshine Library, add more community meeting space, and be located in an area that is best serviced by public transport and parking, making it accessible to all. “We will also be looking for other government and non-government services to rent space there,” Mr Watson said.
“Including tenants will help council meet costs, provide a broader range of services to the community and makes good business sense in the longer term.”
The council will soon commence an Expression of Interest process for the development of the new office, an improved library and additional community space at the present Sunshine Library.
