{"id":329610,"date":"2023-03-08T18:12:08","date_gmt":"2023-03-08T08:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=329610"},"modified":"2023-03-21T12:31:59","modified_gmt":"2023-03-21T02:31:59","slug":"where-did-our-money-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2023\/03\/08\/where-did-our-money-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Did Our Money Go?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A report which details how much money the SBRC received from ratepayers in the past 10 years and where that money was spent should put an end to divisive social media claims that most funding goes to Kingaroy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Cr Kirstie Schumacher
(Photo: SBRC)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

March 8, 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Dafyd Martindale<\/strong><\/p>\n

Social media claims that Kingaroy receives the majority of the South Burnett Regional Council’s funding have been demolished by a new report on Council spending.<\/p>\n

The report – which details Council’s income and expenditure over the past decade – was tabled at the SBRC’s February General Meeting after a request from Cr Kirstie Schumacher at October’s General Meeting last year.<\/p>\n

Cr Schumacher, who represents Division 4, said she was tired of reading social media comments that Kingaroy was receiving more than its fair share of funding.<\/p>\n

She requested staff produce a report on Council income and expenditure covering the past 10 years to show what Council actually received in ratepayer income and where those funds had been spent.<\/p>\n

The report – something that has never been done before – shows that funding has been spread fairly evenly over all six of the region’s Divisions during the past decade.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It lists the amount of general rates generated by Kingaroy, Nanango, Blackbutt, Wondai and Murgon during the past decade and the number of ratepaying households in each major town.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The report shows that Kingaroy – the region’s largest town – accounts for almost 30 per cent of all ratepaying households (5249) with Nanango holding second place (2881).<\/strong><\/p>\n

In total, the five major towns contributed $152,768,519 in general rates between 2013 and 2023.<\/p>\n

The report then includes the amount of general rates generated by rural properties, villages, other properties, shopping centres and power generation sites such as the Tarong Power Stations and Coopers Gap Wind Farm.<\/p>\n

These “special” categories contributed a further $101,922,835 over the same period.<\/p>\n

In total, this combined funding (ie. towns and special categories) of $254,691,352 – along with grant funding received for particular projects – was spent on a wide range of capital works covering roads, footpaths, parks and other general infrastructure across all six divisions, each of which are individually detailed in the final report.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The project lists show the majority of the Council’s general rates funding was spent on upgrading or maintaining the region’s 3200km road network, most of which services rural properties, and the balance on maintaining or upgrading existing Council infrastructure.<\/p>\n

The report also shows that in some years, each Division received more than its ratepayers contributed in rates. In other years, it was less.<\/p>\n

However, it also shows that on average over the past 10 years, funding has been spread fairly evenly across the region, and no Division has been treated any better – or worse – than any other.<\/p>\n

(NB. Divisions 3 & 4 cover Kingaroy and surrounding areas.)<\/p>\n

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The report also separates general rates funding – which can be used on capital works projects – from water, sewerage and waste management charges, which are separate items on every Rates Notice.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These areas of Council operations are run as business units that are required to be self-funding and use whatever revenue they collect to maintain and upgrade the region’s water, sewerage, and waste management services.<\/p>\n

In general, these systems have fixed running costs that remain largely the same from one year to the next.<\/p>\n

However, these business units also need to reserve excess funds for multi-million dollar upgrades to water and sewerage processing plants and proposed new landfill or waste transfer sites, which may only be replaced every 10 to 70 years.<\/p>\n

In the past decade, major upgrades have been carried out to Kingaroy’s waste water treatment plant and the Gordonbrook water treatment plant.<\/p>\n

But replacements for similar systems in other towns are planned for future years, and this is where unspent funds in these categories will be put in the future.<\/p>\n