By STEVE GRAY
THE Tenterfield Progress Association (TPA) has called on the Tenterfield Shire Council to state whether it will amend its rates policy in the light of a massive reduction in the value of land in the shire.
The Valuer-General has calculated that land values have fallen by more than 21 per cent in the last three years.
TPA vice-president Richard Holland said the valuation of land is heavily relied upon for the calculation of rates – so much so that the official valuation is printed on each rates notice.
“Will the council then agree that had the value of our collective lands increased 21 per cent, a correspondingly steep increase in rates would have been seen?
“Given then the current slump, by how much can we expect our rates to fall?”
Mr Holland asked whether the council will defer, or scrap altogether, its application for a Special Rates Variation (SRV).
“Does the council consider the ‘strong decrease’ in commercial and rural property values to be evidence of a recession?
“And if so, does the council propose to decrease rates on these property zones in order to give the local economy a boost in tough times?”
Mayor Peter Petty said he did not think the new valuations will affect the shire’s application for an SRV.
“We’ve taken this on board, and we’ll deal with it as we work along,” Cr Petty said.
