Hot topic of rates takes centre stage

It only took a week for the thorny issue of Shire of Augusta-Margaret River rates to come front and centre of the local election campaign, with candidate David Binks saying “current rates levels are choking the community”. Mr Binks, pictured, served more than five years on the City of Busselton council and said he was working on a motion, if elected, to “provide suitable direction to the chief executive, along with a timeline” for an audit of the Shire’s finances. He stopped short of pledging rates cuts, and said he did not want to cut services or planned projects. While the latest rates rise was considered low at 2 per cent, which followed a rates freeze during 2020-21, Mr Binks said he wanted the “burden of high rates” eased. “The best approach is to work as a council with the chief executive to try and identify areas in which wastage may be occurring, thereby increasing the efficiency with which we are spending the ratepayers’ money, and that will provide more opportunities for community projects and possible future rate holds or even reductions,” he said. Incumbents Julia Meldrum and Shire president Ian Earl said the reality of life on council would show newcomers rates relief was difficult to achieve. “Rates are always a good topic to have a go at,” Cr Earl said. “We are a rapidly growing community and there is increasing demands on the Shire purse,” Cr Earl said. “The only way to cut rates is to significantly cut services.” Cr Meldrum said it was time to “rehabilitate, renovate, recycle, refurbish, renew what we have” after recent major projects, all of which were partly grant funded. “The rates make up the balance of funds needed to run the Shire for the year, and when there are ongoing financial commitments, year on year, and cost increases, year on year, council needs to ensure rates just cover those increases or consider reducing the services level/projects,” she said. Cr Earl said it was giving “false hope” to suggest “rates will ever go down”. He believed any cuts to services would spark uproar for the sake of minimal savings. Candidate Richard Moroney said rates needed scrutiny, but the costs for the region were inflated by tourism and service expectations. “Expecting our ratepayers to provide/maintain the services and amenities for an additional 500,000 people a year is not a cheap exercise or sustainable long term,” he said. “Every election we have prospective councillors tell us they are going to solve/fix this issue, and then that’s about the end we hear of it.” Candidates Tracey Muir, Helen Allan and Carl Wheeler said residents were struggling financially or would as the pandemic evolved. Ms Muir said some received lesser services despite high costs. “It seems that council does need to conduct a review of the rate structure and examine the services people receive for their rates,” she said. Anti-mandatory vaccination campaigner Ms Allan said more ratepayers would struggle once employment was risked by forced jabs, and she would advocate for financial relief. Mr Wheeler said modest annual increases were needed to avoid playing catch-up with rising costs.