Council can do more for cost of living
Not many candidates running in this election want to talk about rates… it can be a divisive topic. Local governments are certainly under enormous pressure and Southern Downs is no exception.
Going into an election candidates will often be vague or evasive, knowing that what they believe is either unpopular or unachievable.
I don’t think this is fair to the voters and I will be frank about my position on rates. Firstly there is no doubt that our council needs a balanced budget and any savings will need to be offset with new revenue. Some of my positions will need to be tested by council officers to ensure they are consistent with various laws and policies.
My commitment to the residents of Southern Downs is I will vote to freeze the general minimum rate for all 4,531 residential homes currently only paying this minimum amount. Further to this I will only support increasing the rate in the dollar by CPI or less.
This will of course see a reduction in revenue for our council and I will work with all other councillors to ensure we can balance the next budget. There will no doubt be other areas where savings can be found and not one person will have the whole answer.
Some additional revenue will be possible from properly rating short term accommodation homes for example Airbnb. These properties in many instances are still paying residential rates but making nearly twice the income compared to a long term rental. They are now effectively a commercial venture.
I will also work with my fellow councillors with a view to provide significant rate relief to residential ratepayers which are currently owner occupied or short term accommodation and repurposed to the long term private rental market provided they meet two conditions. The minimum term of a lease set at 2 years, and the annual total rent is not more than one sixth the land value or sixteen thousand dollars which ever is greater; all before the issuing of the July 2024 rates notice.
This is just some of the measures that will have my support and I will work with my fellow councillors to achieve this for those living in our region and having the biggest cost of living pressures.
An important reminder the the current rates are due on 26 February and if you are having financial difficulty please contact council to discuss a possible payment plan.
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