LOGAN City Council is facing a $1.2 billion funding gap over the next eight years, raising the risk of delays to infrastructure upgrades and putting pressure on existing services.
The council’s Strategic Asset Management Plan 2026 says service and funding for current infrastructure lifecycle costs “cannot be maintained for the next 10 years.”
It states: “some activities may need to be deferred or adjusted”.
This could mean delays to upgrades and pressure on maintenance for roads, parks, water mains and other infrastructure residents rely on every day.
The council is already under increasing pressure from residents to upgrade infrastructure to cater for ongoing growth in the fastest growing city in Queensland.
Logan’s population was 392,339 in June 2024 and is forecast to hit 662,000 by 2046.
Mayor Jon Raven said council would continue to manage assets responsibly, but it needed additional support.
“Local government only collects 3 cents out of every dollar of tax taht people pay. This means we do not have the income to fill this gap on our own,” he said.
“We will need ongoing financial support from the state and federal governments to meet the shortfall.”
The state government’s regional funding program recently committed more than $100 million for a wastewater treatment plant.
Council is currently relying on two major mechanisms — borrowing and developer contributions — both of which come with trade-offs.
The 2025/26 Budget shows council borrowed $174.7 million to fund capital works, including roads and drainage.
Council debt is forecast to increase to $845.6 million by 2027.
Budget documents show developer-donated assets totalled $234.9 million in 2023-24.
In 2024, the federal government launched an inquiry into local government sustainability. Another inquiry into local government sustainability is underway.
Logan resident Kyla Campbell has started a petition on Logan City Council’s website, listing housing growth, insufficient planning and investment and limited access routes in and out of suburbs as key issues.
“Despite increasing population, property development and rising council rates, there have been no meaningful road capacity upgrades delivered to support this growth,” Ms Campbell said.
The council is balancing the cost of new infrastructure for a growing city with the cost of maintaining and renewing older assets.
Division 11 councillor Natalie Willcocks said the current challenges weren’t unique to Logan and long-term forecasts were inherently uncertain because they depended on evolving circumstances.
“The biggest constraints on our funds and our capacity for asset maintenance or upgrades are likely to come from external pressures, particularly rising construction and infrastructure costs,” Cr Willcocks said.
The council puts the current replacement value of what it manages at $12.2 billion.
Council documents indicate up to $472 million in projects could be delayed over the next decade if sufficient funding is not secured, though this does not necessarily mean new projects will be halted altogether.
Cr Willcocks said the council was investigating “alternative income opportunities,” to bridge the funding gap.
“At this point, there are no changes planned to current maintenance standards or asset upgrade and renewal timeframes,” she said.
But this could be impacted if the council heeded community demands to slow development to allow infrastructure to catch up.
How the council closes the gap remains uncertain, however, what is clear is Logan must fund new infrastructure for its growing population while also maintaining and renewing existing assets.
This is a challenge that could shape how quickly roads, parks and other services improve in coming years.
“Council is planning for Logan’s long-term future so we can deal with a $1.2 billion gap and still keep key services going for our city over the next 40 years,” Cr Raven said.
$1.2 billion black hole in city’s coffers
