Forum –
I refer to the story Jump in rates for Gosford area (CCN, July 2); it didn’t take long for the lies to become apparent!
What a waste of ratepayers’ time and, more importantly, money!
The deceit on the part of the Administrator in not disclosing the full plan is appalling.
We were asked for our opinion on a ‘temporary’ rate increase to attempt to pay off Council’s debt which we, the ratepayers, did not cause.
Our voice meant nothing because the Administrator went ahead and applied for the 15 per cent ‘temporary’ increase regardless of our opinion.
We were told it was only temporary – for three years – and this is what IPART approved.
Yet all along the Administrator intended to go back to IPART to make it permanent.
In the (referenced) article it states that Council adopted its operational plan and budget at its Council meeting on June 29.
It also went on to state that the operational plan is dependent on IPART approving further rate increases and that Council has flagged plans to try to make the rate increase permanent.
This is confirmed in a subsequent article on page 5 where (Administrator) Hart states “The Council’s long term financial plan presumes the rate increase will become permanent”.
So not only can Gosford area residents expect an increase this year of up to 40 per cent, we can now expect that this increase will become permanent –contrary to what we were assured would happen.
Why are we, the innocent ratepayers, expected to continue to pay for Council’s gross mismanagement of our funds?
Where will it end?
Email, Jul 2
Hazel Gibbons, Green Point
My rates have gone from 570 then to 690 and this year up again to 942 so over 2 years it’s increase is over 70 per cent. If this it permanent I will have to move after living at this property since 1989
The smoke and mirrors rates rise by council is a total deception. Proven by taking a look at the actual rating amount factored into the rates notice. A 45% increase is applied compared to last year’s rates by lifting the rate from 0.02 to 0.03 per dollar of land value set by the Valuer General. Now when council applies for permanency of this deception in a couple of years, they will also use the next land value increase to deal out a double deception hurting rate payers even more. As ratepayers we need to find a fairer system for rates that stops inflating land prices from pushing rates so high in the first place? Not sure what a new rate model would be to be fair to all, but the current system is unfair & needs to be calculated by a factor other than land value! Worth a look I think?