What’s the impact on rates?
Comments on Council’s draft 2021-2022 budget close tomorrow (11 June), amid widespread local news coverage on the budget:
“’Mayor warns of ‘no frills’ and ... ‘Ugly’ budget”
“Change but ... CEO, Mayor reassure staff on cutback fears”
“Council cuts ten full-time positions”
“Council staff reassured – CEO, Mayor reassure staff on cutback fears but jobs likely to remain unfilled”
in the last week alone by Jeremy Sollars in the Daily Journal and the (new!) Stanthorpe Record.
The headline is that there is a 1.6% general rates rise forecast, which includes increased water consumption charges.
Despite warning of “suffocating” costs of repairing and upgrading water and sewerage infrastructure (budgeted at $895,000 for 2021-2022 with $500,000 of that coming from a State government grant), the Mayor has remained quiet on the much larger $3.5m capital cost in the 2023-2024 forward budget for Council’s investment in Emu Swamp Dam.
The Mayor and CEO have resisted requests to run community information sessions on the proposed investment in Emu Swamp Dam, and more particularly have provided no detail on what the impact on rates will be. Perhaps we are beginning to see that impact.
In the Stanthorpe Record on 8 June the Mayor was quoted as saying “We need to have an open and transparent conversation with the community ...”. We agree wholeheartedly. So let’s schedule those open and transparent conversations now. It’s only once the community knows the impact on rates of this proposed investment that we can decide whether it represents value for money.
Ratepayers and residents should have a forum to be able to ask questions such as why the Council has prioritised the short-term, high risk option of buying into Emu Swamp Dam. Why is the Council doing this rather than embracing options that would give us long-term, cost effective and sustainable water security such as free plumbed-in water tanks for all Stanthorpe dwellings or any of the other water supply and storage options which (like the sewerage infrastructure upgrade) would be State Government funded? Why has it ignored its own expert reports, which have time and time again said these other options are better value and more reliable? And why is the Council ignoring these long-term solutions as opposed to the proposal to buy in to Emu Swamp Dam, which has been described as a short-term solution even by this Council?