Draft Asset Management Plans: Building and Transport

An asset is anything the Council owns and maintains for the community, such as roads, footpaths, buildings and community halls.

An Asset Management Plan (AMP) is a long-term planning document that outlines how Council will operate, maintain, and improve its assets over time.

Asset Management Plans help Council make informed decisions about the services provided by assets, the condition of those assets, future renewal needs, risks and long-term costs.

The aim is to ensure assets continue to support community services in a way that is safe, sustainable and financially responsible.

We need these plans to be responsible with your money and to plan for the future of our growing city. The plans help us:

• Meet our legal requirements under the Local Government Act 1999 
• Identify the funding needed to maintain and upgrade assets over the next 10 years to an agreed level of service
• Outline the principles we'll use to make decisions that balance community expectations, risks, and our financial resources.

This consultation relates to two draft plans:

• the Draft Building Asset Management Plan
• the Draft Transport Asset Management Plan.

The Building Asset Management Plan covers Council-owned buildings and facilities.

The Transport Asset Management Plan covers transport-related assets such as roads, footpaths, kerbs, kerb ramps and traffic control devices such as speed humps.

Council has limited resources and must make decisions about how funding is used across a wide range of community needs.

This means Council needs to balance community expectations with available funding, asset condition, risk, legislative requirements and long-term financial sustainability.

Some suggestions may be considered for future planning, while others may not be feasible or may need to be prioritised against other projects or services.

Council cannot renew or upgrade every asset at once. Priorities are determined by considering a range of factors, including:

• safety and risk
• asset condition
• legislative requirements
• community need
• accessibility
• available funding
• whole-of-life costs
• future demand
• climate change impacts
• alignment with Council’s strategic plans
• Your feedback from consultations like this one!

Community feedback is one important part of this process, but it must be considered alongside technical, financial and legislative requirements.

A level of service describes what the community receives from an asset and the standard Council aims to provide.

For example, a level of service for footpaths may relate to whether they are safe, accessible and free from major trip hazards.

A level of service for community buildings may relate to whether they are clean, functional, accessible and suitable for community use.

Customer levels of service describe how the community experiences an asset.

For example:

• footpaths are safe and accessible
• buildings are clean, functional and well maintained
• roads are suitable for everyday travel.

Technical levels of service describe what Council does to provide that service.

For example: 

• how often assets are inspected
• how maintenance is scheduled
• when renewal works are considered
• how asset condition is monitored.

Both types of service levels help Council understand whether assets are meeting community needs and being managed responsibly.

Council considers both community feedback and technical information when deciding what works should be prioritised.

This includes looking at whether an asset is safe, whether it is nearing the end of its useful life, whether it supports important services, and whether funding is available.

Some works may need to be prioritised because of safety, compliance or asset condition. Other works may be considered as part of future budgets, long-term planning or service level reviews.

No, any future investment decisions would need to be considered through Council’s annual budget and long-term financial planning processes.

However, community feedback may help inform future decisions about service levels, asset renewal, new projects and funding priorities.

The Asset Management Plans help support Council’s broader strategic objectives by setting out how important community assets will be managed over time.

They provide a practical link between Council’s long-term vision and the physical assets needed to support services, places and community outcomes.

The funding for our assets primarily comes from council rates, but we also receive significant contributions from grants and subsidies from both State and Federal governments. Our Long-Term Financial Plan is directly linked to our Asset Management Plans to ensure we have a sustainable and responsible approach to funding the maintenance and upgrades of all our assets.

Council is consulting because community assets are provided for public benefit, and community feedback helps Council understand whether those assets are meeting current and future needs.

Consultation also helps Council make more informed and transparent decisions about service levels, investment priorities and long-term asset planning.

You can directly influence negotiable aspects of the plans, such as:

• The priorities for future maintenance and upgrades
• What you expect from our community assets (the ‘customer levels of service’).

Yes, there are a few non-negotiable aspects that are guided by legal or technical requirements. Your feedback is crucial for helping us decide on priorities, but it cannot change:

• Existing laws and safety standards, such as building codes and road design specifications
• Technical recommendations from engineers and other professionals
• The total budget for maintenance and upgrades, which is set by Council.

While your feedback can’t change these aspects, it will help us decide how we spend the allocated budget and what we prioritise for maintenance and upgrades.

These plans focus on our existing assets, but if you have an idea for a new project, we encourage you to share it! You can do so by contacting us directly, or by participating in other consultations, such as those for the Strategic Community Plan or our Annual Business Plan and Budget, where we plan for future projects and investments.

These plans guide our long-term strategy for managing assets, but for immediate issues, we have a different process.

If you spot a problem like a pothole, a damaged sign, or a building issue that needs urgent attention, please report it directly through our Request a Service portal on our website at prospect.sa.gov.au, or by calling us. This ensures our team can respond as quickly as possible.

Once the consultation closes, all feedback will be reviewed and analysed by the project team. Your feedback will then be used to help finalise the draft plans before they are submitted to Council for consideration. We will then publish the final plans on our website, as well as a summary of the feedback we received and how it helped to shape the final plans.