City of Busselton proposes 7pc increase to rates

The City of Busselton has announced a proposed 7 percent rate increase ahead of the adoption of its 2024-25 budget.

The proposed increase would apply to all rating categories, excluding Holiday Homes, and is inclusive of a 1 percent allocation to a new reserve fund for the purpose of paying for future sport and recreation provision.

The City is also proposing an additional increase for Holiday Homes to support ongoing management and compliance functions, with a total average increase of 15.12 percent.

The City said the introduction of the State Government’s Short Term Rental Accommodation reforms meant the City’s registration scheme would end by January 1, 2025.

“The City is proposing to recover an estimated $200,000 of lost revenue through a higher differential rate for holiday homes.”

The City noted a rise in costs of materials, insurances and service provision in proposing the increase in its draft budgeted expenditure of $154m, as well as its decision to not increase rates following the COVID pandemic.

“We fully understand the current cost of living pressures the community are facing, but unfortunately the City is also experiencing those same pressures when funding the delivery of a wide range of projects and services for residents,” City of Busselton CEO Tony Nottle said.

“Developing a balanced budget is always complicated, with many competing demands and increases in the cost of service delivery due to current market conditions.

“On top of that, the City is still playing catch up following the last 4 years of comparatively low rate increases, having rated 6.7 percent below CPI and 2.8 percent below its own long term financial plan forecasts.”

Mr Nottle said maintenance of community assets like parks, reserves, footpaths, community buildings, drainage, playgrounds, roads and coastal infrastructure, as well as events and community programs were part of the City’s ongoing responsibilities.

“Critically, we are also planning for future infrastructure development to support our growing population, so we need to put some money aside to ensure we can meet those future needs while ensuring we continue to maintain a high standard of daily service delivery in line with the expectations of our community,” he said.

Ratepayers and electors may make submissions in writing until the close of the advertising period at 4.30pm on Wednesday 10th July 2024.

All submissions will be considered when preparing the final 2024- 2025 budget for adoption by the Council.

Submissions may be sent to enquiries@busselton.wa.gov.au or by mail to Locked Bag 1, Busselton WA 6280.