Despite a vociferous social media campaign, there were no deputations or members of the public present in the gallery as Ballina Shire Council unanimously voted to proceed with a special rate variation at its epic final meeting for the year.
The motion acknowledged the feedback from the community consultation process (which was overwhelmingly opposed to the SRV), but argued the rate rise was necessary because:
- Increasing rate income is essential to adequately fund asset renewal and reduce the risk of infrastructure deterioration, along with maintaining essential services.
- The additional rate income generated will improve Council’s overall financial position and long-term financial sustainability.
Ballina Council says it ‘remains committed to ensuring that Council’s total rates and charges bill remains relatively affordable and comparatively lower than councils of similar scale and size, and every effort will be made to minimise increases in other annual charges during the four-year period of the special rate variation, subject to Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) approval.’
Times are tough
Cr Erin Karsten said, ‘It’s completely understandable that people question a rate rise when times are tough. I don’t think any of us are super excited about having to put this forward, but we appreciate that it’s necessary…
‘One off injections like dipping into reserves or selling assets, sure it can cover short term shortfalls, but they don’t fix the underlying mismatch between annual expenses and annual revenue,’ she said.
‘Cash reserves and property sales don’t generate recurring income, so they can’t solve a recurring problem without a stable recurring income stream. The Council would face the same problem again within a few years, but with fewer assets and reserves remaining,’ said Cr Karsten.
‘The SRV spreads costs fairly and predictably over time, ensuring Council remains financially sustainable and able to support the community through future challenges.’
Cr Therese Crollick concurred.
Cr Eva Ramsey said she was aware of the added pressure Ballina Council was placing on ratepayers.
‘Most households are doing it fairly tough anyway, and our community is made up of 55 per cent of public pensioners and self-funded retirees. It’s not going to be easy on any of them, and people are already under mortgage stress.
‘So any increase is going to make a real impact on real people, and it weighs heavily on me.’
Cr Ramsey said she also understood the financial stress Council was under, which was why the SRV needed to be implemented now, rather than waiting for four or five years and making the resulting financial stress even higher.
Sustainability into the future
Cr Phil Meehan said it was unsurprising that the community did not support raising the rates, but the decision was about ‘sustainability into the future’.
Cr Kiri Dicker said it was unrealistic for councillors to always expect to make easy or popular decisions, and that ‘difficult decisions are easier if they are shared between us.’ She agreed that the SRV was necessary for financial sustainability.
‘In the four years that I’ve been elected here, our overall financial position has worsened, even with SRV assumptions factored in. So even regardless of the decision we make today, we still have a lot of work to do,’ she said.
‘I have considered the core propositions put to me by objectors, including the suggestions that this council is wasteful in its spending. And I fundamentally disagree with that. I’ve been looking for waste for years, and it’s not very often that I find it…
‘Of course, there will always be some people who will genuinely be in financial hardship. But we can’t wait for everyone to agree before we make a decision like this.
‘Imagine running a business where you could never increase your prices unless every single one of your customers said that was okay?’
Anger
‘People have every right to be angry about the cost of living crisis, but there are lots of people that you should be blaming for the cost of living crisis before you blame your local council,’ said Cr Dicker.
‘I think what I’ve realised through this process is that people ultimately will pay for things that they value. And sadly, people don’t really greatly value the work of their local council, and that is really disappointing. I’m actually extremely proud of what this council has been able to deliver amidst so many structural constraints.’
Cr Simon Chate agreed, saying the rate rise was very manageable, amounting to about $10 per quarter increase. ‘I feel like we’ve got the balance right here.’
Cr Damian Loone agreed with his fellow councillors, commenting on the ongoing cost-shifting from federal and state governments on to local government. Cr Michelle Bailey also supported the SRV, noting that councillors were also ratepayers, and ‘we don’t do this lightly’.
Cr Simon Kinny said he was ‘fully in support of the SRV… I’m nailing my colours to the mast as well.’
Hard sell
Mayor Sharon Cadwallader spoke next. ‘Has it been a tough sell? Yes, it has,’ she said.
‘There’s only so many costs you can keep on absorbing when we’re constantly faced with the cost shifting. I think this council punches way above its weight, and I’m very proud of how we operate as a council.
‘I make no apologies that we’ve had to take this this step forward.’
Cr Erin Karsten closed the debate by thanking staff for their diligent work in delivering services to ratepayers for the lowest available cost.
‘I’d also like to say thank you to all my fellow councilors around the table here for the debate that we have on many topics and the discussion today… We don’t always agree, but we do do a great job at challenging one another,’ she said.
As a a result of the motion, Ballina Council has now authorised the General Manager to apply to IPART for a special rate variation based on six per cent per annum for the four year period from 2026-27 to 2029/30.
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