July 30, 2017
The South Burnett Regional Council’s 2.5 per cent rate rise is lower than half its neighbours this year.
A study of the 2017-18 Budget papers from neighbouring Somerset, Toowoomba, Western Downs, North Burnett and Gympie Regional Councils has disclosed only Gympie and Somerset residents enjoyed lower rate rises, though not by much.
Gympie Regional Council led the pack with a 2.1 per cent rate hike.
However, it introduced a new $5.40 per visit fee to use the region’s tips which has some Gympie Councillors worried this will only increase illegal waste dumping.
This was followed by Somerset Regional Council, which handed down a 2.2 per cent rate rise for 75 per cent of that region’s residents, and an unspecified increase for the remaining 25 per cent.
The South Burnett came in third place with a 2.5 per cent increase.
It was followed by Western Downs Regional Council (2.9 per cent), Toowoomba (3 per cent) and the North Burnett (3.9 per cent).
South Burnett Mayor Keith Campbell said in his Budget speech that councillors had worked particularly hard to keep this year’s rise as close to CPI as possible.
This had prompted a tightening of the Council’s community grants program, and will see between 10 and 13 staff positions reduced over the coming year through natural attrition and voluntary redundancies.
The Mayor said roads would continue to consume the biggest slice of Council’s expenditures.
$24.58 million will be spent on the design, maintenance and renewal of the region’s road network over the coming 12 months, which represents 51 per cent of the Council’s general operations and capital works Budget.
