Councillors react to potential 68.6 per cent rate rise for Bathurst

In a jaw-dropping move announced on August 11, 2023, Bathurst Regional Council is considering making an application to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) for a permanent special rate variation (SRV).

Senior council staff have recommended a SRV consisting of 43.5 per cent in 2024-25 and 17.5 per cent in 2025-26, representing a cumulative special variation of 68.6 per cent over two years.

For the average residential ratepayer, who now pays $1,262.12 per year, they will see a cumulative increase of $865.97 by the end of the 2025-26 financial year.

READ MORE: Rates shock: Council wants to go up by almost 70 per cent over two years

Senior staff say council must consider increasing rates revenue to adequately fund its current services and infrastructure needs after a range of factors have placed "considerable stress" on its budget.

On Wednesday, August 16, councillors will be asked to vote on a motion to endorse the undertaking of community consultation on the potential application for the SRV.

So far, just one councillor has publicly said they will not be voting in favour of it.

Warren Aubin said he will not support any motion that would put council further along the path towards an increase of almost 70 per cent.

"I could not go down the street, look people in the eye, and think I've done a good job by putting the rates up this much," he said.

"I just couldn't do it. There's no way I will back this at all.

"It's almost unthinkable to think we could actually hit our constituents up for this sort of money."

While agreeing that the infrastructure backlog is a problem, he doesn't accept that a rate increase of this magnitude is the only option.

"There should be something being done other than raising the rates and hitting the ratepayers," he said.

"I cannot - cannot - vote to increase the rates on our ratepayers when we're already suffering under these governments that are just doing nothing about decreasing the cost of living.

"Everything is going up. Petrol's up, interest rates are going up, the cost of food in your supermarkets is up - how can we, hand on heart, say yes, a 70 per cent increase on rates in the next two years will be what we need to do?"

Cr Aubin said the city's owner-occupiers would not be the only ones hurt, as investors would likely pass on the increased cost to their tenants.

There could also be an impact on the future growth of Bathurst.

"It's not only ratepayers, it's people looking to come to live here, to set up businesses here; they won't do it," Cr Aubin said.

"... Are we that desperate that we need to do this, that we're going to absolutely stifle business, stifle investment in our city, even lose residents?

"People would look and go, 'Oh, God, can't afford that. We're going to up and leave', and that's the sort of thing that would happen."

READ MORE: 'A generation who will never afford to rent a house': Bathurst's homelessness crisis

Other councillors who spoke to the Western Advocate remain on the fence about the potential increase.

Cr Jess Jennings said he would vote in favour of proceeding to public consultation and is "very keen to see what the response is like from the community".

"It may seem you get an obvious response, but we also want to maintain services and improve services into the future, hence the need to at least put it to the community at this stage," he said.

However, as for actually increasing rates by the amount proposed, he is undecided.

"There's a lot more information to come in and to be factored into the equation," Cr Jennings said, referring to IPART's pending final report on the review of rate peg methodology.

"I haven't made my final decision."

Even more on the fence is Cr Kirralee Burke, who said she doesn't know what her vote will be on Wednesday night.

She sees substantial arguments for and against what council is proposing.

"My cohort of people, families and stuff, that I represent, we just can't afford more financial rises in any area, and I understand that 68 per cent over a couple of years is a lot," Cr Burke said.

"But I understand also that it needs to happen in the fact that council's experiencing all the cost rises that everyone else is.

"In every other kind of business, the consumer absorbs the price increases, and unfortunately, in the case of council, ratepayers are now that ones that are going to be looking at potentially absorbing those cost increases, which is not ideal."

She also thinks smaller increases above the rate peg should have been pursued earlier by previous councils.

"It's difficult for people. I think that this has probably gone a little bit too far," she said.

"I feel like a smaller amount a long time ago probably could have helped."

The August 16, 2023 council meeting is due to start at the conclusion of the public forum, which begins at 6pm.

The meeting will be live streamed on council's YouTube channel.

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