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MORE than 100 Hills Plains residents took to the streets yesterday to express their disgust at Tamworth Regional Council’s shock rate hike.
The furious residents are among 238 property owners in the Moore Creek area set to be slugged on average an extra $680 a year in rates.
The rise comes after the council’s Local Environment Plan was amended in 2011-12 to place the subdivision into a higher rate-paying category.
However, a council oversight meant for several years the higher rates were not charged and are only coming into effect this financial year.
Residents lined Mahogany St yesterday afternoon to sign a petition calling for the council to grant them a review of the new categorisation.
If no review is forthcoming, then the council will be presented with a list of infrastructure improvements people want their extra money spent on.
Forest Hills resident Tim Paton said most residents were happy with existing services, but not if they were going to cost them 30 per cent more.
“The majority of the people are probably willing to accept that there will be a rate rise, and we’re happy to pay for equal services,” he said.
“The reality is, we don’t necessarily get equal services, so why should we be paying for them when we’re not getting them?
“For example, the council is hitting us with stormwater charges when they actually don’t have to process the stormwater.”
Tamworth councillor Mark Rodda, who attended yesterday’s gathering, said he doubted the rezoning decision from four years ago would be revisited.
However, he said there might be scope to address some of the concerns residents had raised over just what services they would receive.
“I’m here to listen to their concerns and take back whatever I can to my fellow councillors for consideration,” he said.