Fraser Coast Regional Council Rates
When your rates are more than your income tax you may begin to wonder if it’s time for the Fraser Coast Regional Council to take a serious look at non-essential costs. Jim MacKellar certainly thinks so.
Over half of the ratepayers on the Fraser Coast will pay more in Council rates and charges this year than they will in income tax.
Analysis of the Median Household Income figures from the last national census, suburb by suburb, reveal that the FCRC is one of the few, if not the only, local government in the country that takes a larger slice of the financial cake than does the Commonwealth Government.
Local government has long claimed to be the poor relation in Australian governance because of the limits on their tax base. But the FCRC has now shown how to reverse this imbalance and break free of its spending constraints.
But one must wonder if they have taken into consideration the ability of people to pay these amounts of money. This consideration is set out in their own Revenue Policy.
Have they considered that they govern one of the most economically challenged and welfare dependent regions in the whole nation? We have more struggling households then anywhere else in the country.
When people are struggling to make ends meet they usually budget in a way that cuts out all but the necessary costs. Luxuries and extravagances are avoided and every dollar is stretched to its limit. This is certainly true of our pensioner community.
I would have hoped that our Council, as leaders of the community, might have been prepared to adopt a similar outlook when spending ratepayers money. But they do not seem to understand what it is like to have to struggle to keep body and soul together. Either that or they just simply do not care.
August 18th, 2010 at 9:39 am
Sadly Jim’s letter is based on a falsehood. As about half the residents in this town are retirees, I doubt many of them pay income tax at all!!!
Regarding rates, as the residents expect more from council, added to which the state government devolves more and more duties to council, one must expect our rates to rise.
Could council cut cost? Yes, of course it could, what large business couldn’t? But until the people and council move to a user pays system things will not improve.
Johangel
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:13 am
Johangel, your response indicates one of the big problems we have in this region. The Fraser Coast does not consist only of Hervey Bay and the sooner we all accept this the better we will be able to respond to our increasing problems.
Minor point, if those pensioners you refer to do not pay income tax then their rates are definitely higher than their taxes, wouldn’t you think?
August 24th, 2010 at 7:32 am
Jim,
The point I made and which you chose to side step is very valid and correct. Obviously if a person pays no income tax their rates will be greater than their tax!!!
After a comment like that people should worry about voting for you. As to my “response”, I believe it is far more logical than your first post.
September 6th, 2010 at 2:25 pm
I will be leaving this area due to the rates being almost triple that of surrounding council areas. There is no way I am paying almost 3000 per year for ?what? basic rubbish collection? I cant even get council to cut down a tree here. Fraser coast council is a joke.
September 14th, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Jim, you have quite politely echoed the sentiment of numerous rate payers, particularly those that do not live in Hervey Bay. Joeangel, I think if you were to dig a little into just what our council gets up to you would change your tune too. I know a person who has thoroughly looked into the activites/decision making/financial management of this council and I was gobsmacked, more so because the information was actually “evidenced.” In a nutshell, people need to be made aware that this council has shown themselves to be incompetent to the extreme. They come up with rediculous idea after rediculous idea (eg: convention centre in Hervey Bay – wave bye bye to the Brolga) and who pays for it? us of course. The rates they impose on us (being a recognised low socio-economic area) now are more expensive than many more affluent places in Australia, how sad is that?? (and no, that is not an exaggeration). Our council is greedy, not altogether bright with money management, arrogrant in the way they treat the people who voted them in and are not appropriately held to account for the truely bizzare decisions they make. At the end of the day the lot of them should be sacked including the CEO and some of the staffers. Start again with a new lot and make them accountable for their decisions and actions – this council really isa joke.
September 15th, 2010 at 10:34 am
Gary,
Your post fails to address any of the points I made!!!
As to our council; it was elected by the people, who knew or should have known their track record.
Regarding the proposed “convention centre”, I voiced the same concerns some months ago.
As for this council’s performance; can I suggest you tell me some thing I don’t know?
September 20th, 2010 at 9:12 am
My parants live in Sydney and pay $1700 in rates. the average rates here seem to be $3000 and up. So what do we get? a water park that cost nearly as much to get fixed in the year its been open than it cost to build,(white elephant) rubbish picked up and then councellers who give themselves the maximum pay rises for litterally doing a bad job. Main street is a mess, yet side streets seem to contantly get uneeded upgrades. We called the council up to get some stray cats and we were told that cats are not a problem, well maybe we should drop the cats to those who are responsible for this decision and let them look after them. Unemployment is high and teenagers seem to have no idea about how to present themselves when applying fo a job.
My family moved here 2 and a halgf years ago and have seen little or any competence from this council. it is a mess and needs a huge overhaul.
this place would run much better without the council
September 21st, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Dont be so mean, the councilers need a pay rise for their no work and have to get the money from somewhere. This council thinks that every body here has millions in the bank and there are no poor people here. It is time for a new council.
January 8th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
We own a house and rent a (very small) commercial property to run our business, and just realised that between the two, we now pay over $44 PER DAY in Council rates.
$44 PER DAY.
I have no idea why I live here now.
February 4th, 2011 at 6:19 am
We moved from Sydney to Hervey Bay But if we were told what the amount for council rates were maybe i dont think we would have moved here, Dont get me wrong Hervey Bay is a beautiful place BUT rate prices are a JOKE, as rates are TRIPLE to what we used to pay & what do council do for you NOTHING, SORRY THEY GIVE THEMSELVES A PAY RISE which they dont need. You only get foot paths in certain streets if you go for a walk you have to walk on wet grass (especially in winter), some streets a have a foot path BUT only so far then grass. Hervey Bay needs new councilers and to DROP their RATE PRICES