Mayor Tips Minimal Rates Increase

South Burnett Mayor Keith Campbell (Photo: SBRC)

June 19, 2018

South Burnett Regional Council’s 2018-19 Budget will impose a minimum rate increase on ratepayers, Mayor Keith Campbell promised on Tuesday.

The Budget will also deliver a small General Operations surplus, the first achieved since amalgamation.

“With roads being the number one concern for the ratepayers of the South Burnett, Council’s Budget will continue to address this matter over the next 12 months,” the Mayor said.

“Meeting the challenge of maintaining over 3000km of road network within our region will always be difficult for smaller regional and rural councils, where there are simply not enough funds to provide all the services expected in our communities.

“This Budget, however, attempts to address the funding issue for roadworks in a planned approach to bring this matter under control.”

Mayor Campbell said that despite the injection of funding from State and Federal Governments over the past few years, the Council continued to raise about 83 per cent of its revenue from its own sources (ie ratepayers).

Almost three-quarters (74.1 per cent) of Council’s income comes from rates and charges.

A further 8.9 per cent comes from user fees and sundry income, and 5.4 per cent from Main Roads contracts and private works.

“This leaves only 11.6 per cent now coming from grants,” the Mayor said.

The 2018-19 Budget meeting will be held at the Glendon Street Council Chambers in Kingaroy at 9:00am on June 25, and is open to the public.

Editor’s note: While this is the first year the SBRC has forecast a general operations surplus, it is not the first year it has predicted an overall budgetary surplus

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Gympie Regional Council has forecast that almost two-thirds of residential ratepayers can expect an increase of between zero and $2 per week next year, but 37 per cent of ratepayers will face an increase of between $2.01 and $10 per week.

The forecast was contained in a draft of the Council’s 2018-19 Budget released for public consultation late last month.

Barring any major revisions before the Budget is handed down next Wednesday (June 27), Gympie Regional Council is forecasting an operating surplus of $1.3 million and a 2.5 per cent average increase in residential rates.

The Council will scrap the 10 per cent discount it currently offers for early repayment of water and sewerage charges, but says those charges will be reduced next year to reflect this.

The 10 per cent discount for early payment of rates will remain, along with a $160 per annum pensioner rebate.

In addition to general rates, ratepayers will continue to pay $65 a year for an economic development levy, $112 per year for a roads infrastructure charge and $36 per year for an environmental levy, along with State levies for rural fire services and the Emergency Management Levy, none of which are subject to discounts.

Gympie Council said it currently received 70 per cent of its funds from rates, levies and charges, 8 per cent from fees and charges and 5 per cent from interest and sales.

The remaining 17 per cent of Council’s income comes from grants and subsidies.