Ipswich City Council will take a proactive response to the summer mowing season by increasing the number of maintenance contractors from two to 10.
Finance and Governance Committee Chairperson Councillor Paul Tully said this will ensure plenty of cover across the region for the traditional summer wet season grass growing and mowing onslaught.
“In recent years, we’ve dealt with more frequent and severe weather events and rising service delivery costs. Engaging 10 maintenance contractors instead of just two is a substantial change and sees council take a strategically different approach to help meet community expectations,” Cr Tully said.
“Council has listened to residents, who have called for the basics such as mowing to be done well.”
Ipswich City Council manages more than 8,500 hectares of parkland and reserves across more than 550 sites, plus pathways, median strips, roundabouts and road islands.
“New residential areas built as our population booms means there are more places for us to maintain, while more than 500,000 square metres of new green spaces have been created under the Voluntary Home Buy-Back program,” Cr Tully said.
“We will be entering a new contract arrangement that supports the reliable delivery of scheduled and reactive grounds maintenance activities, aligned with council’s service standards and strategic objectives.
“The contract is structured into 10 separate portions, covering both geographic zones and specialised service areas across the region. These services include routine and seasonal maintenance of parks, streetscapes, open spaces, cemeteries, sports fields, referable dams, and Voluntary Home Buy-Back program sites.
“This strategy will see council engaging one supplier per zone, with each supplier responsible for all works within their designated area. This approach improves accountability, enables localised service delivery, and allows council to manage performance more effectively.
“The contract term is 4.5 years with two optional two-year extensions, supporting long-term supplier investment and service continuity leading into the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.”
Cr Tully said council’s priority was on maintaining public open spaces to a high standard, with regular mowing and maintenance.
“Grass mowing is one of the hot topics within the community every summer and council has introduced several measures in recent years to combat the growing problem,” he said.
“The team has also been boosted with a cache of 52 new and 33 replacement pieces of equipment including mowers, tractors, slashers, whipper snippers, blowers, trimmers, trailers and more.”
The arrangement will be delivered under a schedule of rates model, with fixed pricing and annual CPI adjustments, providing financial stability and flexibility to respond to seasonal demand and asset growth. The total cost will be $60 million excluding GST.