Small Rate Rise But Fees Increase

July 16, 2025

South Burnett councillors unanimously voted on Wednesday to adopt their 2025-26 Budget, which includes a 2.25 per cent rate rise – or $45 per year – for almost 7400 property owners.

However, Mayor Kathy Duff warned that because of inconsistencies within rating categories caused by land revaluations, some landholders would find themselves paying more than this while others could be paying less.

The Budget also includes a 15 per cent rise in the waste management levy, a 6 per cent rise in waste collection and recycling charges, a 6 per cent rise in water access and consumption charges and a 3 per cent increase in sewage charges.

For residential customers, this means an annual rise of $32 for the waste management levy, $12 for garbage, $5 for recycling, $47 for water access and $24 for sewerage access.

There has been no change in the rural fire levy, which supports local Rural Fire Brigades, or the community rescue levy, which supports LifeFlight.

The total rates and charges collected – compared with 2024-25 – will rise by 5.28 per cent, however this also reflects the growth in rateable properties, sewerage and water connections, and waste collection services.

The Budget includes operating revenue of $86.6 million (up from $84.7 million) and capital expenditure of $42.8 million.

Major projects include:

• $5.8 million – Gordonbrook Dam raw water off-stream storage
• $5.1 million – SBRC Bitumen reseal and rehabilitation program
• $2 million – Blackbutt-Crows Nest road widening
• $1.1 million – Kingaroy trunk sewer upgrade
• $1 million – Tingoora-Chelmsford Road Stage 2 upgrade
• $725,000 – Boondooma Dam upgrade to bunkhouse area, new en suites and cabin repairs
• $550,000 – New playground in Coronation Park in Wondai
• $525,000 – Switchboards renewal at Yallakool Park
• $475,000 – Bjelke-Petersen Dam facilities refurbishment and two new cabins
• $460,000 – Tessmanns Road footpath extension in Kingaroy
• $350,000 – Nanango switchboards renewal
• $204,000 – Parking at Alan Downie Sportsfield in Nanango
• $200,000 – Re-roofing Wondai Town Hall

A total of $13.7 million has also been allocated for road construction and maintenance, $9.4 million for capital works on water supply assets; and $6.4 million for capital works on wastewater supply assets.

For the seventh year in a row, Council plans to take out no new loans in 2025-26, and over that time has halved its overall debt to $17.1 million.

Pensioner discounts will remain, as will the 10 per cent discount for payment of rates within 30 days of issue.

[UPDATED]

* * *

A major debate during the Budget meeting occurred when Cr Ros Heit moved an amendment to the proposed motion on Water Supply charges.

Cr Heit moved, Cr Deb Dennien seconded that Council reduce the charges for the three non-potable water areas (Wooroolin, Kumbia and a small scheme in Nanango) by 20 cents per kilolitre over the three water usage tiers, and increase the charge on high volume water users by 1 cent per kilolitre.

Cr Heit argued that it was inequitable that residents who receive non-potable water were charged the same amount as residents who receive potable water.

She said potable water could be used for drinking, cooking, showering; was tested regularly to ensure it was safe to drink and treated to meet safety standards. Non-potable water was not recommended for cooking, showering or drinking and should be boiled first; was untested, untreated and of unknown quality.

The increase for high-volume users, who already receive a discount, would cover the decrease in non-potable charges, Cr Heit said.

She argued there were “big discrepancies” in Council’s water charges as there were separate charges for potable and non-potable water at standpipes; and users on the Proston Rural Scheme, which is also non-potable, paid a cheaper amount with no usage tiers set.

Mayor Kathy Duff said Cr Heit was opening “a can of worms” which had already been debated, while other councillors mentioned the original cost of establishing the Kumbia scheme and emphasised they could not support a price rise for high-volume users when they did not know the impact it would have on local businesses.

“We can’t just sit here and off the cuff put the price up for commercial users … I don’t know how it will affect them,” Deputy Mayor Jane Erkens said.

She pointed out that Kingaroy was already losing PCA’s peanut processing facility.

The amendment was lost 5 votes to 2, with Cr Heit and Cr Dennien voting for it.

The original motion, which detailed a 6 per cent rise on access and consumption charges and a 3 per cent rise for high volume users, was carried 5-2, with Cr Heit and Cr Dennien voting against it.

All other parts of the Budget were passed unanimously except for the three-year averaging of land valuations (which spreads rate rises over three years) and the waste management levy rise, which were not supported by Cr Heath Sander.

Cr Sander provided no reason for his opposition to three-year averaging but argued that Council – and Australia – needed to find a better way to handle waste management.

• Download: Councillors Report On Their Divisions (8.7Mb PDF)

• Related article: Council To Vote On 2.25pc Rate Rise

* * *

Mayor’s Budget Address

Mayor Kathy Duff thanked staff members and outlined some of the projects which will be undertaken by the South Burnett Regional Council during 2025-26.

* * *

Citizenship Ceremony

During a break in the Special Budget Meeting, a large Citizenship Ceremony was held in the Town Hall Forecourt, one of the largest ceremonies held in the South Burnett outside of Australia Day events.

  Council