Rate capping report released
The Legislative Council’s Environment and Planning Committee has released its first report into the State Government’s rate capping policy.
While the MAV welcomes the four recommendations from the report (PDF - 2.37MB), we acknowledge that councils already comply with some of them.
We were pleased to see a recommendation calling for the State to re-establish the $160 million Country Roads and Bridges Program. The MAV, along with councils, campaigned hard to ensure the longevity of this vital funding program, however it was scrapped this financial year.
The committee also recommended that detailed data on council rates be published annually; that the ESC monitor and report annually on levels of debt held by councils; and that councils provide information to ratepayers explaining what is and isn’t subject to the cap, and explain each component on the rates notice including where councils have collected money on behalf of the State Government.
This is one of six reports that the Committee will produce until 2018. The next report is due in May 2016.
We encourage councils to read the report in full.