Ratepayers will start receiving their annual council bills from today and as usual many will wonder what’s in it for them too.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A few weeks ago the council was careful in saying it was framing a new budget for the new financial year within the bounds of being sustainable and not rushing in to any new major capital works.
While it has admitted an infrastructure backlog of something
like over $45million a couple of years ago – that’s in things needing to be done and capital maintenance works needing to be completed – it is nothing but circumspect today about the probability of new, big things.
The council has already said there is no point in building more assets if they cannot be maintained and renewed
into the future.
Like many, they would like to do more, but budgets, reality, and lack of available resources restrict that. It also restricts the levels of service we have come to expect from councils.
You only have to look at the parks and gardens of our council area to understand there is not always enough money to do the things we used to see done.
So, when we get our rates bills, many will want to ask what they’re paying for, and how the decisions about what they’re spent on are arrived at.
The council, while it cops a caning from consumers about its communication links to the community, has previously outlined that. It did it at a series of road trips around the region before it finally adopted its budget for this next year.
Despite that, there will be many who have no idea what any of that included.
New land valuations – the Valuer-General estimations that occur every two years or so – will have impacted on rates bills this time around as well.
If your land has increased in value, expect an increase in your rates bill.
If it hasn’t, you might be paying less in rates.
The average Tamworth ratepayer will be paying about $67 more for the average residential property, and it is likely to be nearly $2400.
But the bite might be in water, waste, sewerage and other charges you can incur by living here.
If the recent council survey is any indication, then many don’t know
much about what they pay for and what they get from local government.
The survey copped flack from many when it suggested ratepayers were willing to pay more to improve services. Feedback on social media suggested that was so wrong it was laughable.
However, there will be those who would want their dollar to be doing more, and expect the council to do that.