Ballarat ratepayers have been assured they will not be slugged with a rise above the Essential Services Commission’s cap over the next two financial years despite council quizzing residents over the issue.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A City of Ballarat-commissioned survey carried out by Market Solutions asked 800 Ballarat residents whether they were satisfied with council performance and if they were willing to cough up more for improved services.
Any councils hoping to be granted an exemption to the 2.25 per cent cap must submit their application by the end of March, with the commission to hand down its findings within two months.
Ballarat innovation and organisational improvement director Cameron Gray said council would look at other avenues to improve its revenue stream.
READ MORE: City chief calls for rate cap changes
“Rate capping and cost shifting have severely compromised City of Ballarat’s ability to maintain existing assets and deliver on services,” Mr Gray said.
“City of Ballarat will continue to lobby for a fairer share of the tax dollar to ensure our community’s assets are maintained and vital services continue to be delivered.”
The assurance comes less than one month after councillors called for a review of the state government’s Fair Go Rates System, which puts a limit on how much rates can rise each year.
In December Local Government Minister Marlene Kairouz said “the days of ratepayers being hit with year-on-year rate hikes were over” after tightening the 2018/19 cap by 0.25 per cent on the previous year.
Councillors have criticised the scheme since its inception in 2015 and in 2016 Ballarat City Council was unsuccessful in its attempt to receive an exemption.
Ballarat City deputy mayor Daniel Moloney said regional councils needed to be treated differently to their metropolitan counterparts due to their smaller rate base and their responsibility to deliver additional services not provided by either tier of government.
For instance, regional councils such as Ballarat are tasked with running a tourism office.
“We do need to have a conversation with our community where we ask what services do they want to keep and what are they prepared to lose to keep rates down,” Cr Moloney said.
