PLAYFORD Council will cap its rate rise at 3.3 per cent for the coming financial year by cutting funding to a list of previously earmarked projects.
It comes after elected members endorsed the council’s 2019/20 Budget and Annual Business Plan (APB) at their meeting last Tuesday.
The agreed rate rise is lower than the 3.9 per cent increase initially outlined in council’s draft budget, released in May, which was met with resistance from ratepayers and some councillors.
Funding for the continuation of the new Grenville Centre is incorporated into the final budget, but projects originally planned by the council including more programs for the Northern Sound System and a purpose-built adult change facility at Fremont Park have been put on hold.
The 3.3 per cent rise consists of 0.4 per cent for the new Grenville Centre, 0.7 per cent to deal with the State Government’s hike to the Solid Waste Levy, 1.9 per cent to factor in inflation and 0.3 per cent for a traffic management program, nuisance and litter act, and a Disability Discrimination Act program.
Elected members first rejected rate rises of 3.8 per cent and 3 per cent at the meeting, before a majority of councillors endorsed the final 3.3 per cent figure.
Earlier in the meeting, councillors were presented with two petitions with a combined 463 signatures, both calling for rate hikes to be minimised in response to the draft budget’s proposed increase of 3.9 per cent.
The first petition, with 94 signatures from the Angle Vale Gardens Retirement Estate, called for a rise of no more than 1.9 per cent (the rate of inflation).
“As most of us depend on pensions or fixed incomes, increasing rates above the CPI (Consumer Price Index) places an unreasonable burden on us,” the petition read.
“We see no reason why the City of Playford needs a further increase in rate revenue above what is expected due to population growth.
“As the City of Playford area is not a particularly high income area, the size of the proposed rate rise is unfair to many existing residents.”
The second, submitted by councillor Shirley Halls, included 369 signatures and also lobbied to only raise rates in line with inflation.
“We the ratepayers and residents of the City of Playford inform council that it is our will that rates for the financial year 2019/20 rise by no more than CPI, or 2.5 per cent, whichever is the lesser,” the petition read.
“The expenses of new buildings, legal costs, etcetera, are of council’s making, and not made as a result of consultations with ratepayers.”