Blackbutt farmer and businessman Peter Scott

September 30, 2013

A public meeting will be held at the Blackbutt Memorial Hall on October 15 to allow South Burnett ratepayers to quiz Council on rates, charges and the $200 roads levy.

The meeting follows the recent delivery of two petitions to the South Burnett Regional Council from the Blackbutt area, one concerned with the construction of a new toilet block at Blackbutt, and one claiming rates in the Blackbutt area have risen by as much as 32 per cent as compared with 2011-12.

The meeting will be chaired by Blackbutt farmer and businessman Peter Scott, the organiser of the second petition which he says gained 860 signatures.

Mayor Wayne Kratzmann told southburnett.com.au he would be attending the meeting to explain Council’s position on the charges.

Mr Scott said the mayor would be given five minutes at the start of the  meeting. Mayor Kratzmann would then answer “questions on notice” and then the meeting would  be thrown open to questions and answers from the floor.

Mr Scott said he had been contacted by people from Murgon, Wondai and Maidenwell and expected ratepayers from all over the South Burnett to attend.

He said he had drafted Articles of Association to form a Ratepayers’ Association which may also be discussed on the night.

Mr Scott said his petition had demanded an immediate repeal of the road levy and a repeal of all recent rate rises to ensure that increases were no greater that the CPI in any year.

The petition alleged that rates and charges in the Blackbutt and surrounding area have risen on average 28 per cent when compared with 2011-12.

However, Mr Scott said the rates of one Blackbutt businessman, whose land was zoned industrial, had risen 32 per cent.

“People simply cannot afford to pay their rates,” Mr Scott said.

He said his property on Haynes Kite Millar Road near Blackbutt was one of the highest rated properties in the South Burnett.

“It’s absolutely outrageous,” he said. “We have no sewage, no water, no garbage collection, no nothing …”

Mr Scott also claimed his road had not been “looked at” by Council for four years and was only repaired recently because of flood reconstruction efforts.

“Council have a lot to explain about their financial management. If they think we are going to sit idly by then they have another thing coming,” Mr Scott said.

The meeting will be held at Blackbutt Memorial Hall from 7:30pm on Tuesday, October 15.

Footnote: Mr Scott complained to southburnett.com.au that he had been charged $142 by Council to hire the hall for the public meeting, however Mayor Kratzmann said this afternoon the charge had been levied by the Blackbutt community group which manages the hall, not the South Burnett Regional Council.

[UPDATED October 2, 2013]

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