By STEVE GRAY
AS Tenterfield Shire Council lauds its public consultation meetings to discuss the Special Rates Variation, a councillor says the proposed rates hike might be too much to ask.
B Ward Councillor Blair Maxwell said the council may have to consider cutting costs if the proposed rate variation is too much for people to bear.
He said residents, and particularly pensioners and beef producers, were doing it tough and may not be able to afford the proposed rates increases.
“Council is better off submitting a realistic, achievable goal of what council considers realistic and what the community can afford to pay,” Cr Maxwell said.
He said the council had to strike a fair balance between what the administration wants and what the community can afford.
Council has proposed rates rises that amount to more than an 80 per cent increase over 10 years.
“There has to be a balance,” Cr Maxwell said. “If people can’t pay we won’t be doing any favours to ourselves.
“We need to look at what’s affordable. We may have to look at further cost-cutting.”
“We’re going to probably realistically have to look at further cost-cutting of services while still maintaining the renewal program of our roads.”
Cr Maxwell welcomed the community consultation process.
“It’s been good to see quite a bit of feedback from the community,” he said.
Mayor Peter Petty said the eight meetings were attended by a total 325 people.
“It was great to see such a good turnout and so many good ideas,” he said.
“The great majority of people were there to inform themselves of council’s proposal and we had many positive comments following the presentations.”
Council was due to consider its application for a Special Rates Variation at its regular monthly meeting on Wednesday.
A spokeswoman for the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal which will assess the application said the tribunal could accept Tenterfield Shire’s application in its entirety or vary it as circumstances demanded.
Meanwhile objectors to the rates variation, the Tenterfield Rates and Anti-amalgamation Forum has called on the council to allow an independent evaluation of their administrative efficiencies.
“I think we have every right to demand it and receive it,” spokesman Robert Walker said.
“We need to find savings of only 15 per cent and there would be no need for the rate rise and we could rest easy in the knowledge that our money is being applied efficiently and effectively.”
