The looming spectre of annual property valuations came under heavy fire from Ballarat City councillors and staff on Wednesday night.
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Councillors teed-off in anger at proposed changes they said could cost the municipality thousands of dollars for no extra revenue.
The change will create $200 million in extra land tax revenue.
A central valuer general would complete the property valuations for every council in the state under the plan.
Council business services director Glenn Kallio said he questioned how a valuer general would service 79 municipalities.
“The concern we have with the valuer general is they will be overwhelmed if every council is using it,” he said.
“By council controlling its own valuer general we can deliver a better product.
“That is very black and white, if you have a big volume of 79 councils going into one process, logic tells you that won't be as good as each council running its own.”
A spokesperson for treasurer Tim Pallas said earlier this month there was no financial burden on councils under the scheme.
There are 18 councils already using the valuer general, which can save councils up to 30 per cent of the cost of doing their own valuations.
Valuations are completed every two years to calculate land tax and rates for each property.
Rates are set at a percentage, so valuations change the for each property, but not the overall amount taken in by council.
Cr Des Hudson said the government was using councils as a plaything.
“We will be the one that takes the fall with our residents,” he said.
“I wonder if the state government will have any percentage of what they gain coming back to local government – the answer is no.”