Please explain, Berri Barmera Council

WELL, it’s that time of year again that councils bring out their annual business plan for public consultation.

This hopefully gives ratepayers an indication, of sorts, of what their bottom line may be for the coming year without too many hidden surprises. 

For the average ratepayer to absorb all the facts and figures can be challenging to work through, at best.

That’s until they receive their first quarterly rate notice, then the real cost to them becomes clear.

Unfortunately by this time it is all too late to make any real comments or objections to council.

You can only hope that any increases are kept to a minimum and are within the Local Government Price Index and CPI which is currently less than 2 per cent.

I looked closely at Berri Barmera Council’s annual business plan for the 2020/21 year.

Twelve months ago council proposed a 3.5 per cent increase to the Community Wastewater Management Charge (CWMC) for vacant residential land within the council area.

But in reality, when these unfortunate ratepayers received their first quarterly rate notice it had increased not by the 3.5 per cent as proposed by council, but by about 95 per cent: from $359 to a whopping $700. That’s an increase of $341 in total. 

I called upon the mayor, CEO and elected members at that time to justify this huge increase, or possible mistake by the rates department.

But 10 months on I am still waiting for a reply. So much for transparency, you would have to say.

While looking through this year’s 2021/22 business plan, I noted that council is proposing yet another 3.5 per cent increase to wastewater management charges for vacant residential land.

So, over the past two years, this would bring the increase total to around 100 per cent, or an extra $365 for ratepayers.

I again call upon the mayor to step forward and justify these huge increases in rate charges to this section of the community.

I believe this to be the right and decent thing to do at the very least.

Let’s build an affordable community for all.

DAVID MORITZ
Berri