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3:18AM Tuesday 02 December, 2008

Mayor aims to avoid rate hikes

14 October 2008

The regional council will look to its own business for extra revenue rather than slug ratepayers with further increases to cover the costs of amalgamation, mayor Bob Abbot told last week’s Noosa Residents and Ratepayers Association (NRRA) meeting.

Coast ratepayers were slugged with an increase in July – including a 9.1% hike in Noosa – when a Coast-wide rating system was introduced, bringing the base rate of all three shires into line.

Mr Abbot said the largest cost facing the council was aligning its IT systems, with cost estimates ranging anywhere from $3 million to $15 million. That idea clearly worried ratepayers, who asked the mayor if the council had approached the state government for a portion of the $27 million on offer to cover amalgamation costs.

“If it’s an amalgamation cost we’ll put it in, but as soon as you do they (state government) say, ‘That’s not an amalgamation cost’,” he said.

The uncertain answer drew an immediate response from the floor: “If you can’t get it from them you have to get it from us (ratepayers).”

Council has also lost its largest business unit, water, to the state government.

Mr Abbot revealed a plan that would increase capacity for council businesses, such as the airport.

“What I’m trying to develop is a series of council businesses without having to get it (funds) out of the community,” he said.

He said the Sunshine Coast airport provided council with about $3 million per year, but its real capacity was $20 million. Other areas include caravan parks and camping grounds and council has set up a department of sustainability and innovation to tackle the challenges.

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