Council has released its draft budget for 2015/6. Rates and charges are up as per normal. What is different is the carefully designed sleight of hand that makes it incredibly difficult for residents to pinpoint precisely what the rate increase actually is. Instead of up front declarations of intent we have paragraphs such as –

Average rates and charges per assessment for 2015-2016 increase by approximately 4.94%. This is made up of an additional 600 assessments, an increase of 6.5% for rate revenue and 2.5% for waste and recycling charges.

This is a distinct departure from previous budget announcements as evidenced from the two screen dumps presented below. One is from the 2014/5 budget papers and one from the current draft budget. Readers should note the change in terminology and hence the change in the presented figures. The bottom line is that Glen Eira’s rate increase remains at 6.5% for ten years in succession!

2014b2015b

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By way of comparison we’ve listed other councils’ proposed rate increases. Not all councils have as yet published their draft budgets. Below is what is available at the time of writing.

Banyule – 4.95%

Bass Coast – 6.3%

Bayside – 3.8%

Benalla – 4.5%

Bendigo – 5.0%

Boroondara – 4.5%

Brimbank – 4.8%

Cardinia – 5.5%

Colac – 4.9%

Corangamite – 5%

Dandenong – 5.5%

East Gippsland – 4.5%

Frankston – 5.5%

Golden Plains – 5.26%

Hobson’s Bay – 4.0%

Horsham – 5.0%

Indigo – 4.5%

Kingston – 4.25%

Latrobe – 3.0%

Manningham – 3.53%

Maribyrnong – 3.7%

Melton – 4.4%

Monash – 6.0%

Moonee Valley – 5.0%

Moorabool – 5.0%

Moreland – 5.0%

Mornington – 5.9%

Mount Alexander – 4.5%

Moyne – 5.75%

Nillumbik – 5.5%

Port Phillip – 4.75%

Pyrenees – 5.25%

Shepparton – 4.95%

South Gippsland – 4.9%

Stonnington – 4.5%

Strathbogie – 4.0%

Surf Coast – 5.5%

Towong – 6.0%

Warnambool – 5.5%

Wellington – 3.5%

Whitehorse – 7.6%

Whittlesea – 3.5%

Whyndham – 3.8%

Yarra – 4.5%