The draft Budget details Council’s funding for projects and services, forecast financial position, and proposed rates, fees and charges for the year. It includes more than $534 million in funding for Council services and projects in the 2024/25 Financial Year. The draft Budget can be viewed in the Resources section as "Draft DPOP Part 5 - Budget".
Your feedback will be used to inform final changes made to the proposed projects, services, budgets, fees and charges in the draft plans. Community feedback will be presented to Councillors and considered before the adoption of the plans.
Rates can fluctuate annually, and are calculated on a combination of factors. These include the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) rate pegging, which sets the maximum increases Council can apply, and changes in land values reported by the NSW Valuer General to Council. For the 2024/25 year, IPART has set the rate peg to 5.1%, which is reflected in this draft budget. It is important to note that the rate peg increase authorised by IPART applies to Council’s overall income from rates, and not individual ratepayers’ rates. Individual rates are influenced by individual factors, such as land valuations conducted by the NSW Valuer General. Consequently, rates for individuals may deviate more or less than the approved percentage, depending on how land valuation changes relative to other ratepayers’ land values in a given year.
Council may charge and/or recover fees for any service it provides. Fees and charges are distinct from the rates and annual levies applied to properties within the LGA.
When setting fees and charges, Council considers the nature of the service and recognises any community service obligations and wider policy objectives, including its commitments to equity and social justice.
Typically, Council’s fees and charges need to rise a small amount each year in line with the rising cost of service delivery to the community. This year, Council is proposing that most of fees and charges (69%) will have increases of no more than 5%.
Fees that have increased by more than 5% can be viewed “Key Changes to Fees and Charges since 2023/24” in the Resources section.
If adopted, the new Fees & Charges will commence on 1 July 2024.