Central Coast councillors adopted a rate rise of 4.3 per cent at Council’s June 23 meeting without mentioning it.
The theme was continued when Council issued a press release later that night outlining the highlights of the budget and operational plan, which lists all the projects planned for the new financial year starting on July 1.
The rate rise was contained within a suite of Integrated Planning and Reporting documents which included: a 10-year Community Strategic Plan; a four-year Delivery Program and one-year Operational Plan and Fees and Charges; a Workforce Management Strategy; Asset Management Strategy; and a Long Term Financial Plan 2025-2035.
Councillor Jane Smith tried to get the documents debated individually but she was voted down by the three Team Central Coast and five Liberal councillors.
The 4.3 per cent rate rise is the maximum increase Council can charge ratepayers in total as set by the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART).
The minimum rate will be $645.59.
The ordinary rate of 0.00450033 in the dollar will be based on 2022 land valuations which means individual rates depend on land valuations.
Overdue rates will be charged at an interest rate of 10.5%.
The long-term financial plan included keeping the one-off 15% rate increase imposed for 10 years in 2021-22 which is supposed to be lifted in 2031-32.
Council wants to keep that special rate variation and will have to apply to IPART to do so in the coming years.
Councillor Belinda Neal tried to get an amendment not to retain it after 2031-32 but failed to get the numbers.
She also wanted councillors to be given at least 14 days to consider these documents in future.
She said it took about 12 hours to read the documents over the weekend after getting them on Friday.
The councillors also gave themselves a pay rise of three per cent, the maximum increase allowed as set by the Local Government Remuneration Tribunal in April.
There was no debate; only Councillor Corinne Lamont voted against it.
The annual fee to be paid to each councillor will be $36,690 and the annual fee to be paid to the Mayor will be $114,300 minus an annual fee of $10,000 be paid to the Deputy Mayor.
Total cost to council: $36,690.00 x 15 councillors ($550,350) plus the $114,300 Mayoral fee = $664,650.
This amount represents an increase of $18,930 from this year.
In addition, the total superannuation payments based on the new contribution level of 12% will be $79,758 for the 2025-26 financial year, up from the $74,257 commitment for the 2024-25 financial year based on a 11.5% contribution rate.
The total increase from the current Financial Year will be $24,430.20.
Merilyn Vale
I dint know how you all got back back in . you make decisions that only benefit yourselves. no consultation is done . why did you give yourselves a pay rise ? you haven’t proven that your fit for the job yet.
With the exception of Councillor Lamont who voted against a pay rise, what a shockingly decrepit bunch of individuals. These are voluntary roles taken by individuals who proclaim their civic mindedness but are quite happy to take a slug of rate payer money. As I understand it they also voted in favour of the maximum pay rise permitted. Where one asks is the leadership of the Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee? He talks a good story about financial responsibility, but was he to be seen leading from the front and rejecting a pay rise? No!