Richmond Valley Council (RVC) has announced it will increase its rates by almost 40 per cent in the next five years, leading a prominent council-watcher to call for the LGA to be broken up.
Richard Gates, who edits the Valley Watchdog blog, said IPART’s approval of a 39.1 per cent increase to RVC rates over the next five years will force those living near the coast to consider an application for a boundary change.
‘The IPART-approved rate increase punishes those living at the coast with a much higher rate burden than those who live further inland with much lower property values,’ Dr Gates said.
‘The new rates regime in combination with all the other charges will mean that a residential ratepayer with an unimproved capital property value (UCV) of $100,000 will be paying $300 more per annum than a Ballina ratepayer with the same property value,’ he added.
‘The problem is made even worse by the fact that the Richmond Valley Council is much more socially disadvantaged by any index you care to name than Ballina which has a lower rates burden.’
According to NATSEM figures, 19.15 per cent of Richmond Valley households live below the poverty line compared with the national average of 11.8 per cent and 14.7 per cent for Ballina.
The number of households in rental stress is 41.5 per cent compared with 33 per cent for Ballina, the figures show.
Council welcomes decision
But Richmond Valley mayor Ernie Bennett welcomed the IPART’s decision, saying the approved rate rise would allow the council to increase funding to help attack the infrastructure backlog, fund part of its expanded capital works program and improve its financial sustainability.
‘The community can be reassured that all money generated through this rates increase will be used to make our local government area a better place to live,’ Cr Bennett said.
RVC’s GM John Walker said the additional funds would be allocated towards roads, Council-owned and managed facilities and parks, riverfront improvements in Casino, Coraki and Woodburn, as well as Evans Head CBD improvements, replacement of children’s playground equipment, additional car parking, town entrance signage and cultural and art facilities.
Mr Walker said independent experts had warned the cost of ageing infrastructure would be a much greater burden on the community if the council was unable to spend money on immediate and continuing renewal works.
IPART ‘out of touch’
Dr Gates accused IPART of being ‘out of touch’, especially in the context of the recent federal budget which he said ‘will disproportionately impose on those least able to pay’.
He added that given ‘the Casino-dominated council and IPART [are] not prepared to listen to the concerns of ratepayers at the coast who carry and have carried for some time a disproportionate rates burden’ it was time for the state government to step in and ‘carve up Richmond Valley, with the coastal part of the council with concerns and issues similar to Ballina going to Ballina, and the rest to Lismore or Kyogle’.
Isn’t it time to hold on to rate payments until this incompetent bunch fall over?
Casino has just seen another pay increase for the GM whose greatest achievement so far has been an automated self cleaning toilet costing hundreds of thousands when it would have been better to employ a part time day cleaner to make existing toilets useable.
Having the gall to increase rates when their clear support for Metgasco and its plan to turn this region into a gasfield which will devalue properties even further. Time to take on these clowns I’d say!
Are you withholding rates Philippe?
In reply to the comment made by Phillippe Dupuy,Could he please get your facts right, if you are going to make a comment. such as the Public Toilet in the main street of Casino. the correct information is that this was not Council’s idea as this project took five long years of campaigning by the Richmond Valley Ratepayers and Residents Association Inc. and it was very much needed by the Elderly and young member of the Community. This had to be put in the budget and budgeted for and this does not affect the rates in any shape or form.
Now the tourists have somewhere to avail themselves of this convenience at the weekend and when other conveniences are closed.
Metgasco, is governed by the State and therefore has nothing to do with the Rate Rise.