George Knott, Byron Bay
Byron Council recently advertised a draft program which included revised fees and charges for water and sewerage. Contained within this draft program were proposed increases in water and sewerage charges for the Mullumbimby catchment.
The proposed increases would mean that a land owner or developer would have to pay $37,739 per lot, or block of land, for water and sewerage. In the Ballina shire this fee is $22,684. In the Tweed shire this fee is only $18,192.
In my mind a 159 per cent increase in fees and charges for water and sewerage since 2007/2008 is unacceptably high.
There have not been wage increases which support such increases in fees and charges.
The proposed fees and charges are not being fairly levelled across the shire.
The Mullumbimby catchment cannot bear such a disproportionate burden of the overall fees for the shire. If it becomes too expensive to live in the Mullumbimby catchment we will get to a stage where the workers in the Byron shire all live outside the shire.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
