CITY of Ballarat councillors have adopted the 2021-22 municipal budget, and a new revenue and rating plan during a marathon three-and-a-half-hour online council meeting last week.<\/p>\n
After a freeze on rate increases last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, council voted in favour of a State-capped 1.5 per cent rate increase.<\/p>\n
Mayor Cr Daniel Moloney said \u201cThe draft revenue and rating plan proposes an appropriate and affordable approach to rates and other charges over our four-year term.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cr Ben Taylor intended to vote against the budget and rate rise but a technical difficulty saw him miss the chance.<\/p>\n
Given leave to speak after the vote, Cr Taylor said \u201cAs much as I think the budget as a whole is fantastic in what it\u2019s been delivering, the question it comes down to though is why do we always go to the maximum 1.5 [per cent rate increase]?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt shouldn\u2019t just be a given that we just go straight to the maximum.\u201d<\/p>\n
A predicted municipal income of $267.5 million, and expenditure of $199.8 million, leaves a projected operating surplus of around $67.7 million.<\/p>\n
With a focus on pandemic recovery, the budget also allocates $130.9 million to capital projects and $72.8 million to paying staff.<\/p>\n
Waste management charges are up by 14.75 per cent or around $52 to a total $416 per property and City of Ballarat CEO Evan King said this was due to increases in waste collection costs and a significant increase in the Environmental Protection Agency levy.<\/p>\n
Commercial and industrial rates, however, are set to decrease over the next four years to bring the municipality into line, and competition, with its neighbours.<\/p>\n
As such, residential, rural residential and farm properties are set to take on a greater proportion of the rate burden.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CITY of Ballarat councillors have adopted the 2021-22 municipal budget, and a new revenue and rating plan during a marathon three-and-a-half-hour online council meeting last week. After a freeze on rate increases last year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, council voted in favour of a State-capped 1.5 per cent rate increase. Mayor Cr Daniel […]<\/p>\n