At yesterday’s Tweed Shire Council meeting (20 April) all councillors voted for the application for a Special Rate Variation (SRV) of 2.35 per cent on top of the upcoming increase of rates by four per cent. If approved this will increase Tweed Shire rates by 6.35 per cent.
Tweed Shire Council originally applied for the SRV in case they needed to seek the SRV while looking at ways that the council could reduce expenditure. However, it appears that the Council has reached the conclusion that if they are to continue to provide the existing level of services then a rate increase will be needed.
Burden of costs from the State government
Mayor Chris Cherry was clear to highlight that there are significant costs that are placed on the Council from the State government that they are required to meet despite the fact that the State government has provided no extra funding to cover those costs. This is coupled with the State government removing the ability for Council to collect extra income from levies such as the Environmental Enforcement Levy.
Councillor Cherry said, ‘We do not have enough funds to cover all of the expenses that we have ongoing. Also, the expenses that have been put on our shoulders from the State government [including] not being able to collect the environmental levy anymore for our compliance officers, needing to improve our cybersecurity and our storage of our data.’
‘So there’s a lot of costs there that we need to cover, and that we haven’t had in the past. What we’re proposing to put on exhibition is the report that council has gone through and said in order to cover all of the services that we went to, are required by the state to provide, and all of the things that are required by other legislation’ this is what it will cost.
‘We need to look at cutting services or service levels if we don’t have an increase in rates of 2.35 per cent,’ she told the meeting.
Councillor Cherry highlighted the point that many of the other councils applying for SRV are applying for ‘ 30, 40, even up to 100 per cent variations’.
‘I know that it’s an incredibly hard time for everybody. But I’m very fearful that if we don’t take this step now, it will actually be worse next year and the year after and the year after because these things are compounding and these are ongoing costs,’ she said.
No seconder for Byrnes NoM
Councillor Reece Byrnes had moved a Notice of Motion (NoM) earlier in the meeting to ask for a report ‘on costs associated with the Elected Body on a yearly basis’ as a way to bring down the costs of council and avoid a SRV increase.
Cr Byrnes outlined that the NoM would include looking at ‘Costs associated with Council vehicles used by the Mayor/Councillors, dinners and beverages by Councillors, costs incurred for flights to conferences, [and] costs incurred for accommodation at conferences.’
However, the NoM did not receive a seconder and therefore the motion lapsed.
Cutting services
Councillor Meredith Dennis owned that this would be one of her biggest decisions as a councillor this year saying it ‘all boils down to the point there’s actually not enough money’.
Councillors Dr Nola Firth, James Owen and Rhiannon Brinmead all highlighted services that would be cut without the SRV.
Councillor Firth said that new cycleways and footpath programmes would not go ahead and ranger and animal management facilities would be downgraded as well as support for community events being unavailable.
Councillor Owen highlighted the reduction in hours or closure of the council’s aquatic facilities, the reduction in rangers and the impact this will have on ‘issues with animals and dogs off leash and dog attacks’ as well as the closure of the Kingscliff Library. He said that during a recent visit to the Kingscliff Library that there were ‘people of all ages and generations there’.
‘The reality is, if we don’t put the rates up, then we’re going to lose staff.’
‘Council provides 55 services and does a very good job of it. I don’t want to see those services reduced.’
Make your view known
Mayor Cherry encouraged the community to get involved in giving council feedback so that they can determine if a rate rise or service cuts are the preferred option for their ratepayers.
‘I really encourage people to have a look and see because I think that people need to think long and hard about this and think about what their priorities are and how they and how they see Council going forward,’ said Mayor Cherry.
‘I think everybody out there in the community understands that the cost of providing services and the cost of materials, the cost of paying staff, every cost has increased dramatically in the last 12 months. So I think that I’d really encourage people to have a look at what has been proposed. Have a look at the services that we’re proposing to have to cut’ if there is no SRV.
All councillors voted in favour of putting the SRV on exhibition for community feedback.
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