We echo the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) concerns about the rate cap. It is a blunt instrument that does not take account of costs escalating outside Councils’ control. Often these costs are increasing by much more than CPI, especially in construction and infrastructure maintenance.
We are acutely aware of the cost of living challenges facing our residential rate payers and the share being carried by our business rate payers. Nonetheless, the cost of renewing and maintaining infrastructure, some of which is at end-of-life, is putting real strain on our ability to sustain the same range of services we’ve traditionally delivered.
We have invited the new Local Government Minister to meet with us for a constructive conversation on service sustainability, and whether a single rate cap is the best way to achieve it.
Mayor, Councillor Jim Memeti