The Narrandera Concerned Ratepayers Group has received around 300 signatures on its petition objecting to the Narrandera Shire Council’s proposed Special Rate Variation plan.
The petition was created on October 16 at the groups first meeting where over a hundred people gathered to voice their concerns.
Chairperson of the Concerned Ratepayers Group, Narrandera accountant Wesley Hall, said that the community response to their petition had been great. “We’re really happy with the number of signatures we have gotten – they came in left, right and centre. We had around 140 locals at our very first meeting and we had around 124 signatures on our petition that very first night.
“If council votes for the Special Rate Variation in their upcoming meeting in November, we will keep going with the petition for the IPART submissions in February.”
The Council hopes to apply to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) for a permanent SV of 41.5 per cent in 2024-25 for one year or a two year SV of 25.5 per cent in 2024-25 and 18.0 per cent in 2025-26, which will accumulate to 48.1 per cent.
If it is successful, the changes in SV will generate around $2.3 m to be put towards things such as:
- Ensuring financial sustainability
- Upgrade of the Narrandera stormwater system (loan repayments on Council’s share of that cost)
- Maintaining existing service levels.
- Staff salary system improvements.
- Technology upgrades including cyber security and a new enterprise management system.
- Compliance including the Audit Risk and Improvement Committee and risk management.
- Infrastructure renewals to reduce the backlog in asset conditions.
However, Mr Hall believes that the rise in rates will only hurt locals and that the council needs to reassess its expenditure.
“Our community definitely doesn’t want the special rate variation, they just won’t be able to afford it,” he said.
“They don’t see value in it; they see a council that wastes $120,000 on consultants and unnecessary projects… council needs to cut expenditure and have a look at their budget.
“I’m the local accountant but even blind Freddy can see how bad the financial management is at the council and the mismanagement is being transferred 100 per cent onto the ratepayers with no pain being felt by council itself.”
Over the past month, Narrandera Council has held consultations in Narrandera, Barellan, Grong Grong and Sandigo and has been open to feedback submissions from the community.
With the final day of submissions now closed last Friday the council will now prepare a report based on the feedback received.
The report will be considered by Council at its next meeting on November 21, when a final decision will be made on whether council will go through with a SRV submission to IPART.
If the Council does decide to go ahead with the submission, the Concerned Ratepayers Group hopes to escalate the objection to take a deeper look at the reports from the consultations.
“We will escalate the objection and we will really analyse financial reports that the consultants have made,” Mr Hall said.
“We have requested a meeting with the consultants to go through what we believe are inaccuracies in the reporting.”
Narrandera Council is aiming for a much higher short-term hike than either of its neighbouring shires Griffith and Leeton .
On the table for discussion is the option of either a one-off 41.5 per cent rise next financial year, or two gradual increases that would see rates rise by a total of 48.1 per cent over the next two years.
The average resident would see their rates go up from $748 to $1051 next year under the first option; or up to $1100 by 2025/26 under the second option.
Leeton’s councillors ended up voting against making the rate hike application after a strong community campaign led by former councillor Alison Egan, while Griffith’s councillors voted in favour of requesting the special rise.
Narrandera Council says that an SRV is necessary because its income from rates has not kept pace with increases in expenses. It argues that the SRV will generate an additional $2.3 million, which is necessary to ensure financial sustainability, upgrade the Narrandera stormwater system, maintain existing service levels and upgrade technology and infrastructure.
When Leeton Shire Council canvassed an SRV last year, it received 900 submissions, most of them opposing the rate hike. A majority of Leeton councillors voted against it, so the council never asked the regulator to raise rates.
Opposition to the proposal at Griffith was not nearly as fierce as it was in Leeton, with only 157 resident submissions made. The council voted in favour of making the application for the SRV at its October meeting.
This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 9 November 2023.
Related stories: Petition against rates hike, Basis for rate variation explained; Council puts case for a special rate variation; Council flags big rates hike.
