August 18, 2021
There were 1129 property transfers in the South Burnett Regional Council area between January 1 and June 30 this year.
Council staff presented the figure at the Finance standing committee meeting on Wednesday in response to a question on notice from Regional Development portfolio chair Cr Kirstie Schumacher.
With roughly 18,000 properties on Council’s rates books, the turnover represents about 6.3 per cent of all South Burnett properties.
The meeting also heard many sales were former rental properties which were now occupied by new owners.
This change has led to a tightening rental market in some parts of the region.
Council officers will now produce a similar report every six months.
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The cents-in-the-dollar value for rates on commercial land in Murgon is higher now than other towns in the South Burnett due to the equalisation process implemented across the region after council amalgamation – but total rates are the same.
Wednesday’s committee meeting heard that rates paid on Murgon’s commercial land were among the lowest in the region prior to the 2008 amalgamation.
In a question on notice, Cr Kathy Duff had asked why commercial land in Murgon had a higher rate-in-the-dollar value than any other town.
Officers said shortly after amalgamation, Council had begun a multi-year process of equalising rates for similar types of properties in similar rating categories.
The aim was to ensure the burden of paying for services was shared equally across the region among properties which received the same services.
In 2008-09, land rated as “Commercial” in the region’s five major towns attracted periodic rates of between $457 and $600, depending on which town the property was located in.
However, by 2010-11 when the equalisation process ended, all commercially rated land received the same $690 bill.
As Murgon properties had lower valuations than similar commercial land in other towns, the only way to achieve this was to adjust the cents-in-the-dollar figure.
Officers noted that during the coming year, Council would be conducting a review of its General Rating categories with the aim of bringing the cents-in-the-dollar figures closer together.
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South Burnett Regional Council will submit five sites to the sixth round of the Federal Government’s Mobile Black Spot Program.
The five sites are:
- Boondooma Dam
- Mt Mowbullan in the Bunya Mountains
- Moffatdale, the Burnett Highway and Redgate
- Malar Road, Kingaroy
- Crawford, Memerambi and Wooroolin
In previous yeasr, the South Burnett Regional Council’s previous applications to the program have resulted in the elimination of 11 former mobile blackspots.
These were at Boyneside, Durong, Kumbia, Wattle Camp, Gordonbrook, Maidenwell, Tingoora, Windera, Cooranga North, and parts of Memerambi and Kingaroy.
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The SBRC’s annual Australia Day Awards presentation ceremony will shift to Nanango next January, and will be held on Sunday, January 23.
Until this year the ceremony was held on the eve of Australia Day (ie January 25).
However, a successful Australia Day Awards presentation held in Wondai on a Sunday afternoon this year has persuaded Councillors to shift the date.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Councillors said they believed a Sunday afternoon session allowed more people to attend.
The 2022 presentation ceremony will be held at either Nanango High School’s hall or the Nanango Showgrounds.
2022 Australia Day Award nomination forms will be available from Council’s Customer Contact Centres later this year.
