Community led rates model included
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Snowy Monaro Regional Council has agreed to include a sixth model in those being presented to the community through the upcoming consultation process. The model was developed by members of the community and presented at the April Council meeting.
“This is a complex undertaking and it is great that we can have such positive support from the community in looking for a solution that creates fair and equitable distribution of the rates burden,” said Mayor Peter Beer, Snowy Monaro Regional Council.
The amount of time and effort put into the model was commended by the councillors who then agreed this was a good option to add to the mix for broader community consideration.
To develop the model, the group started from the simplest rating structure that is possible under the legislation. After working through a range of different options they came back to the simple model as the one they preferred. This includes a base rate and ad valorem that is the same for most landowners. The group conveyed that they understood the model still had negative impacts, but that the simple consistent approach gave a fairer outcome and would have less negative impacts than the current models on exhibition.
The rates review process is a requirement of the current legislation and will not add a single cent to the total rates collected by Council, only how it is spread among landowners.
Council’s YourSay page includes information on rating structures, the six presented models and a link for people to check the rates calculated under the different models, which will soon be updated with the new model information. https://yoursaysnowymonaro.com.au/rates-harmonisation1
Our community is encouraged to discuss their thoughts on this forum, ask questions and complete the survey so all feedback can be compiled and reviewed thoroughly. Council team members are travelling around our towns and villages to meet with community groups. To provide even more information options, online forums will also be held. Concerns raised on impacts of harmonisation Concerns were raised at the April Council meeting over the impacts of the harmonisation process. A debate on whether to include options to have different rates structures for different farm localities led to debate over the reasonableness of changes to the ratepayers. Council will be approaching the NSW Government to lobby for more time to allow changes to be put into place that ensure no landowner is unfairly impacted by the change.