Council to keep rate increases to a minimum

The process has been challenging as we set a course to long-term financial sustainability. Councillors conducted eight Budget Committee Meetings and eleven workshops.

All aspects of the South Burnett Regional Council operations have been reviewed, and in conjunction Council has reviewed its rates and charges.  The general principle adopted by Council in determining rates and charges is that service charges will directly relate to the services provided eg water supply, wastewater, waste collection.  For those rate payers who have no access to certain services, they are not charged for those service rates for example. 

Costs which are not able to be recovered by cost recovery fees, business activity fees or utility charges shall be met by the levying of a general rate. 

General rates are principally allocated to rateable properties in the regional area based on the Unimproved Value (UV) of the land under the Valuation of Land Act, as supplied by the Land and Property Division of the Department of Resources and Council has no control over this aspect.  In determining the general rating strategies, Council recognises that:

• The valuation of the South Burnett Regional Council area became effective from 1 July 2022;
• The level of services provided to the land and the cost of the provision of the services compared to the rate burden that would apply under a single general rate; and
• The differing levels of demand that some land uses place upon the services which council is required to provide.

For rating, Council divides rateable land into the following categories:

• Residential Lands;
• Commercial Lands;
• Industrial Lands;
• Rural Lands; and
• Other Lands

The commercial, industrial, and residential categories are further subdivided to reflect differing classes of land within those broader categories. Council, as part of the budget processes, reviewed all categories and implemented new categories for transformers, heavy industry, multi-unit dwellings, feedlots, and piggeries.

This general rate increase remains true to Council’s commitment over this term to keep rate rises at a minimum, with increases at or below the State’s Consumer Price Index of 7.4% (as of March 2023), with a residential rate rise of 3.65%.  This will account to an average (residential) weekly increase - $1.07

Individual properties will see differing levels of impact from the rate rise due to the individual property valuations.

Council rates and utility charges revenue is projected to increase through a combination of natural growth and general increases by 5.67% in 2023/24 financial year compared with the rates and utility charges levied in 2022/23.  This change in total rate take is also below inflation.