A COUNCILLOR with nearly 20 years' experience under his belt says there is more Bathurst Regional Council could do to get its finances in order before increasing rates by nearly 70 per cent.
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Ian North has joined Cr Warren Aubin in saying he will not vote in favour of a motion at the August 16, 2023 meeting that would move council closer to a supersized rate hike.
The report that will come before councillors seeks the endorsement for community consultation on a potential permanent special rate variation (SRV) application to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART).
The report recommends a special rate variation which consists of 43.5 per cent in 2024-25 (including the forecasted rate peg of 3.5 per cent) and 17.5 per cent in 2025-26 (including the forecasted rate peg of 2.5 per cent).
Senior staff have cited a number of factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the "highly volatile inflationary environment", as reasons why council needs to consider increasing rates revenue to adequately fund its current services and infrastructure needs.
While general manager David Sherley said council has introduced a large range of efficiency measures to reduce operating expenses, Cr North said more could be done if there was a further review of council's operations.
"You've got to look at it, because you're not doing your job properly if you don't consider everything," he said.
"We've looked at it, but it's something where I think there's more we can do within the structure of council moving forward.
"To be honest, the very biggest thing in this whole process is everyone is hurting, and this to me would be absolutely ridiculous for council to do now without going through many more processes."
Cr North said a review would include service delivery and identifying projects that could be deferred or scrapped altogether.
"There's got to be a good balance, but a better look at our projects and a better look at the services people wish from council," he said.
But there has been some criticism levelled at previous councils, including by current councillors Marg Hogan and Kirralee Burke, for not seeking a permanent SRV earlier.
They said this move might have prevented the current proposal for a nearly 70 per cent increase.
Cr North, though, has defended previous councils and said he was "proud of the fact we've never had to do this before".
"It's come up in discussion, is it something we need to look at, and it's just never progressed," he said.
"I think every one of us, when we've spoken about it, have said, 'No, we can do more', and I still think we're in that stage. We can still do more."
If council does proceed with an application for a SRV as significant as the one proposed, he worries what impact it would have on households and business owners.
"There's no one I talk to that isn't struggling, that isn't modifying their behaviour," Cr North said.
"Everyone is hurting at every level.
"... I just think we can do a lot more before we even think about putting up our rates."
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Rachel Chamberlain
I have been a journalist at the Western Advocate since 2014.
I have been a journalist at the Western Advocate since 2014.
