The rejuvenated Central Highlands Ratepayers Association is preparing to bankroll campaigns of approved candidates in the forthcoming local government elections, such is its dissatisfaction with its council's rating policy.
CHRA president Kevin Pickersgill expressed his concerns with the Central Highlands Regional Council's rating policy in March 2023, when it tackled unimproved capital value increases for rural land of 103 per cent by capping rate increases, and said this week that the situation was no better nearly a year later.
"What they did was unprecedented in the council arena, and it's highly dangerous," he said. "I've been a councillor twice, with Bauhinia and with the amalgamated council, and I know a bit about the subject."
The Comet-based grazier said about 55pc of the amount had been passed on to rural ratepayers that way, which meant there was still 48pc that would have to be accounted for some way.
On top of that, he said he'd been told by government valuers that land valuations would be going up another 100pc this year.
His main concern was that the council had applied increases in the unimproved capital value of land as a standard measure for what rates to charge, without adjusting the cents in the dollar to moderate increases or decreases.
"For councils, the unimproved capital value is a tool, which councils use to adjust the rate in the dollar to charge - that's the way it's always been done," he said. "What these guys did was link UCV increases directly to what rates to charge."
In a year such as the one landholders in the region had just been through, he said that was causing a lot of financial pain.
"The council's policy has no idea of people's earning capacities, whether this can be afforded," Mr Pickersgill said. "I think the council has totally lost its way. It urgently needs to go back to the accepted way of rating people."
A council spokesperson said it had used the correct methodology to calculate general rates when the new region-wide valuations were issued in 2021, in accordance with local government legislation, which allows a number of different mechanisms to be used.
"Council aims to achieve a certain relativity between each of its 77 differential general rating categories in recognition of the characteristics of the land, the rating effort burden and the impact on council's assets and services," it said in a statement.
"The rate in the dollar for an Emerald residential property, valued greater than $60,000, is already almost 2.8 times higher than the rate in the dollar for a property in the rural land category.
"When there are significant valuation increases council must consider how these can be moderated when setting the rates and is not locked into only making adjustments through the rate in the dollar - the local government legislation allows the use of capping and valuation averaging in these situations."
Mr Pickersgill said the CHRA had been calling for supporters to nominate as candidates for councillor and mayor positions at the council elections to be held on March 16, and said the group was prepared to support the right people financially.
"I don't think the current crop will be the fair-minded group we need," he said, adding that no-one in the group had been able to access a councillor with their concerns.
"People are asking why they have councillors - the mayor seems to be the only one allowed to speak at meetings. Councillors seem to have lost their way," he said.
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
