Rates up for debate

By Jim Mynard
CASEY Council will hold a special meeting on Monday to discuss the complicated and controversial Casey Community Rate Review Committee report.
The committee was formed in December 2004 after residents in the rural sector took action against an escalation of rate charges on rural properties.
They complained of restrictions placed on their properties because of heritage and environmental regulations, and many owners lost the right to subdivide their properties because of the green wedge.
The committee was asked to recommend a rating system that would be as fair as possible to all ratepayers in the municipality.
The committee produced an extensive report that covered commercial and residential, vacant blocks, industrial, rural, green wedge, heritage, pensioners, and retirement villages.
It also considered matters such as garbage charges and financial hardship.
The report recommends that the rating system be altered to one used by most surrounding councils.
The committee found that the issue of high council rates and/or high annual rate increases was a very real concern for many residents and their families.
“The current uniform rating system is inflexible and fails to recognise and cater for the diversity of land uses and planning zones,” the report said.
“Relying on land valuations alone as the basis for calculating council rates can produce inequitable and unfair outcomes.
“Some ratepayers bear an inequitable share of the rate burden.
“The system does not fully utilise legislative mechanisms to mitigate the potentially adverse and regressive impacts of the property based council rating system.”
The report said the system was producing outcomes that were inconsistent with the council’s broader social, economic and environmental objectives.
“The rating policy is inconsistent and incompatible with other council policies in documents such as the Casey Heritage Strategy, Casey Planning Scheme, and Business Attraction Policy,” it said.
“The problems and concerns with the rating system have also been identified by other council reports.
“There is scope to produce additional rate revenue from vacant land and thereby alleviate the financial impost on ratepayers to fund the provision of infrastructure and services.
“Reform of the rating system is required in order to achieve a more equitable system.”