Two speakers chose to give their submissions in person and both referred to the plan, which was adopted in April and sets out how to make the council carbon neutral by 2025.

Patrick Hockey, representing the Ballarat Climate Change Action Network, said the budget suffered from the absence of any reference to the plan. He said it gave the sense that the plan was not high enough in the mind of officers when formulating the budget.

Mary Debrett, meanwhile, of the Ballarat environmental group BREAZE, called for the budget to include details on exactly how the council was allocating funding against the action plan.

In response, Terry Demeo, the council's director of environment and infrastructure, said the draft budget had done "more than its fair share" in working towards the carbon neutrality goals.

Mr Demeo pointed towards the funds allocated to replace existing street lights with energy efficient LED lights, and money put aside to extend the city's canopy cover.

The City of Ballarat's CEO Justine Linley, meanwhile, said a draft budget was a broad document and that it would not be feasible to itemise every item in that context.

Other private submissions were made regarding the budget - which were not aired last night - but The Courier understands more than half of them related to the environment.

The main proposals in the budget include funding of $15 million spread over three years to revitalise the Bridge Mall precinct, including reopening the area up to vehicles. The budget also includes $2 million set aside for the second stage of works to the Civic Hall, with plans to install a commercial kitchen and stage equipment.

The council will also fund upgrades to Ballarat's main library on Doveton Street, with $1.9 million earmarked over the next two years.

Rates will increase by 2.5 per cent next year to help cover the costs. This is the maximum allowed under a state government cap.

Charges are also set to increase. The waste management fee would go up from $339.51 to $363.10 - a 6.9 per cent increase, while the green waste collection fee would rise from $68.23 to $70.30, up 3 per cent.

Rates and charges are by far the most important source of income for the council, making up more than 50 per cent of its total revenue.

This year's budget is predicated upon gathering rates of slightly in excess of $122 million from rates and charges. The total budget is set to be $222.5 million if the plan is approved, a rise of more than $12 million from 2018.

Employee wages are predicted to be the highest expense - a projected $67.5 million over the next year. The next largest expense is materials and services, with $67.1 million earmarked for the next financial year.

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