Clarence Valley ratepayers will be slugged 4.7 per cent more for residential rates and an extra 6 per cent for water access and consumption after a split 6 to 3 vote by Clarence Valley Councillors when they endorsed the 2024-2025 Fees and Charges.

This year’s rate increase follows last financial year’s 5.4 per cent rate hike, that was approved by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal, which was the third highest rate increase of 128 councils in NSW.

At the June 25 Clarence Valley Council CVC meeting Cr Karen Toms moved the Council officer’s recommendation which was seconded by Cr Debrah Novak.

Cr Bill Day then asked, “What will be the annual cost to the General Fund to repay the loans established for the Aquatic Centre and Treelands Drive Community Precinct projects.”

General Manager, Laura Black said the annual Principal and Interest repayments for the Yamba Community Precinct are $499,134 and annual Principal and Interest repayments for the Regional Aquatic Centre are $1,981, 981.

Cr Novak said a ratepayer who had been trying to understand how Council implements its rates and charges for the past year had lobbied all councillors to adopt a different method of “how we pull our rates and charges together”, with council choosing to use a differential rate rather than a flat rate applying to land values from the NSW Valuer General.

Cr Bill Day said he couldn’t support the motion as it increases rates which will be used to fund the two projects he just questioned, amongst other things that he disagreed with, such as a potential Special Rate Variation SRV.

“The NSW Government Rate Peg limit this year is 4.7 per cent, the highest allowable increase in Council rates that I can ever remember, and at the same time NSW residents are experiencing the worst cost-of-living crisis we have seen in decades,” he said.

“If ever there was a time for Clarence Valley Council to trim costs and budget and collect less rates than the maximum Rate Peg increase, the time is now.

“This Council has already advised through workshops that we’ll be discussing a Special Rate Variation, on top of this 4.7 per cent. The first workshop was held last November, and the project was shelved until after the Council elections coming up this September, it will be then reintroduced when the campaigns are over, and the votes are counted.”

Cr Greg Clancy said he supported Cr Days views as “no one likes to pay more rates”, but considering the amount of borrowing Council had done and the financial position both Council and ratepayers are in he would be opposing the motion.

“We do have to increase the rates, we do have to keep up so that Council can carry out its functions, but I do think we’ve overstepped our mark in terms of our borrowings and that is pressure on the community, so I can’t vote for this,” he said.

Cr Karen Toms acknowledged the current difficult financial climate but said the loans Council took out were to fund resolutions the Council made, not staff, and whether councillors supported them or not was irrelevant.

“It’s a shame that some councillors still aren’t happy with the democratic process that we have followed”¦but really, once Council resolutions are made it is up to all councillors to stand behind them,” she said.

“It’s a shame that we’ve got a couple of councillors, who are in my opinion just being antagonistic because they didn’t agree with some of the decisions that were made in the past.”

Cr Clancy then called a point of order saying “antagonistic, I think, is a bit of an unnecessary claim”, to which Mayor Peter Johnstone responded, “ok thank you councillor, the councillor is finished.”

The motion was carried 6 votes to 3 with Cr’s Clancy, Day, and Jeff Smith voting against.

Full details of the motion and rating amounts for residential, business, water, and sewer can be found from page 27 of Council’s June 2024 meeting minutes at https://www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/Council/Council-meetings/Minutes-and-agendas.

What it means for you. Residential rate Base Amount increases: $540 to $560 for Yamba, Maclean, Townsend, Grafton and Junction Hill. $712 to $739 for Angourie, Brooms Head, Diggers Camp, Iluka, Minnie Water, Sandon River, Wooli, and Wooloweyah.

Business rate Base Amount increase from $540 to $560.

Farmland Base Amount increases from $350 to $363.  

This article appeared in the Clarence Valley Independent, 3 July 2024.