Across Ballina Shire, the small businesses that give our towns their personality – the cafes, tradies, shops, and service providers who know their customers by name – are asking residents to sign a petition opposing Council’s proposed Special Rate Variation (SRV).
They’re not just worried about their own bottom line. They’re speaking up for the families, pensioners, and renters who will feel every extra dollar in their rates bill.
Unfortunately, many locals suspect that no amount of feedback will make a difference.
Ballina Shire Council’s public consultations are synonymous with ‘decisions already made.’
Council proudly describes itself as a ‘responsible economic manager’ – yet its record tells a different story.
Residents can point to a long list of poorly-delivered or over-budget projects: the Lennox Head Community Centre; Wollongbar Sports Fields and Elvery Lane; the Gap Road dog park; and the bike paths to Ballina Heights and up to Pat Morton Lookout – both criticised for safety and design flaws.
Then there are the glossy, consultant-driven master plans for Kingsford Smith Park, Cawarra Park and Hampton Park – big on rhetoric, thin on results.
Each of these examples chips away at community trust. So when Council asks ratepayers for more, the question naturally arises: why should we pay more for less?
Council’s own figures show that the proposed SRV would add about $166 to the average household rate.
The small businesses now petitioning against the SRV are the ones who actually build the local economy. They take risks, employ locals, and reinvest their earnings here.
They don’t have poker machines. They don’t sell alcohol. They rely on customer loyalty, hard work, and community spirit.
These are the people Council should be supporting – not penalising.
Most residents know how this story ends: Council will likely approve the SRV, regardless of community sentiment. The sense of déjà vu is palpable – consultation without consequence, democracy without listening.
What’s being lost here is not just money. It’s trust – the most valuable asset any Council can hold.
If Ballina Shire Council truly wants to restore public confidence, it needs to demonstrate that fairness applies to everyone, not just those with million-dollar balance sheets and poker machines flashing in the corner.
Real leadership means tightening your own belt before tightening everyone else’s. It’s time for Council to remember who it serves – not who it leases to.
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. 
