Ballina and Byron shire councils are among eight councils across NSW that have officially applied to increase their general revenue above the rate peg for 2017-18.
The rate peg set by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has been set at 1.5 per cent however councils requiring additional revenue are able to apply to IPART for either single year or successive annual percentage increases above the rate peg.
These special variations can be permanent or temporary, and are assessed against guidelines published by the Office of Local Government.
Ballina Shire Council has applied for a 17.64 per cent cumulative increase over three years that would be retained permanently in the rates base, to fund renewal of core infrastructure and actions to improve the health of waterways.
Byron Shire Council has applied for a 33.55 per cent cumulative increase over 4 years to be retained permanently in the rates base, to fund additional asset renewal and maintenance.
IPART Chairman Dr Peter Boxall said all applications would be determined by IPART by mid‑May and could be applied to rates for the 2017-18 year.
‘Each application will be carefully assessed against the criteria established by the Office of Local Government with councils required to demonstrate the need for and the purpose of the additional revenue, evidence of community consultation and an assessment of the impact on affected ratepayers,’ Dr Boxall said.
‘As councils must engage with the community when assessing options for a special variation, we expect councils will have sought and considered the community’s views on the special variation.
‘Community members wishing to make submissions directly to IPART can do so until four weeks after receipt of the application, and these submissions will be considered as part of our determination.’
Full details about the assessment criteria for special variations, the detailed proposals submitted by each council and how to lodge a submission can be found at www.ipart.nsw.gov.au.
Boo hiss to Byron Councillors and staff… Just like insurance companies that increase premiums to cover payouts instead of going after the ‘rorters’.
I have illegal dwellings all around me and Council does NOTHING to get rates from these people, or stop them from being erected, which causes extra drain on infrastructure.
Same for holiday rental, illegal or legal … they ain’t paying an amount that reflects their impact on our infrastructure.
So good ol’ legitimate ratepayers foot the bill … again ! And I can’t even get a decent road home … except when I fix it myself !
Councils have a backlog in maintenance in Infrastructure. So will this rate-rise increase be spent on that infrastructure backlog? Why is there a backlog? Because money has not been spent in the past on infrastructure maintenance.
It is like asking politicians if the NDIS is fully-funded, when the NDIS was set down in 2012.
Could council please increase resident income by 33% first. Where’s the money from parking meters and fines gone?