[Bermagui Community] Community Meeting on Rates

[Bermagui Forum]

 <https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffacebook.us15.list-manage.com%2Ftrack%2Fclick%3Fu%3D9030b531e962ad02c68a923c8%26id%3D5620215ed2%26e%3D6e6a08d3a7&data=05%7C01%7C%7C8cc983b07ce64589182c08dacf78be9d%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638050414763772725%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=uTuna7MUjvfi9fIryxx5qtcxi6pVDoW4Vuz98RKm%2Fn4%3D&reserved=0> Visit our Facebook page <https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffacebook.us15.list-manage.com%2Ftrack%2Fclick%3Fu%3D9030b531e962ad02c68a923c8%26id%3D5108cb0780%26e%3D6e6a08d3a7&data=05%7C01%7C%7C8cc983b07ce64589182c08dacf78be9d%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638050414763772725%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=HkF4T7nOJRP9uSphXzFGu%2FtKL1dtrNMpHNmazSeaiOA%3D&reserved=0>
View this email in your browser <https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmailchi.mp%2F7dbd4f804806%2Fbermagui-community-forum-update-11-july-20266086%3Fe%3D6e6a08d3a7&data=05%7C01%7C%7C8cc983b07ce64589182c08dacf78be9d%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638050414763772725%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=z5opdKGTnA7b3J8H2v3fvdVnCQQ6gLR692KSXnevKY4%3D&reserved=0>
Bermagui Community Forum Update
In this issue

. Co <applewebdata://3FCC1BD8-DC00-4DFD-A0B2-88D5D617552A#Rates>mmunity Meeting 4pm, 1 December <applewebdata://3FCC1BD8-DC00-4DFD-A0B2-88D5D617552A#Meeting>


 
Management Committee

 Coordinator:                       Geoff Steel <mailto:geoffsteel1 at bigpond.com>
Deputy Coordinator:      Narelle Myers
Fergus McWhirter
David Monro
Bill Southwood


-----
 
The Bermagui Community Forum has organised the community meeting so that Councillors hear your views on Council’s current proposal to set the wheels in motion to achieve a substantial rates increase.

Some Councillors and staff will be attending the Bermagui Community Market that afternoon as part of Council's "community consultation".

The Forum does not consider this as sufficient consultation on such a pivotal issue.

The Issue for Discussion at the Community Meeting

The Bega Valley Shire Council at its meeting on 16 November agreed to make an application to the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) for a Special Rate Variation to increase general rates, to be permanently applied from 1 July 2023.

The amount of the rate increase to be requested will be determined after community engagement on the four options modelled in the Long Term Financial Plan 2023-32.

These four options are:
A - 90% increase in 2024
B - 45% increase in 2024 and a further 37.2% in 2025
C - 43% increase in 2024
D – 4.1% increase in 2024 (Max amount allowed by State Govt without separate approval).
The rate increase would not apply to water, sewer and waste rates, so for most residents a 90% increase in general rates would mean around a 40% increase in overall rates.

Please bring your questions and concerns on this issue to the meeting. 

Choices to be Made

If the community doesn’t want to accept a 90% rates increase, then it appears the community will be impacted by reduced facilities and services such as:
Reducing swimming pools from 6 to 1 or 2 pools (they are expensive to maintain)
Delays for road repairs to local roads
Not proceeding with grant-sourced capital works where the full cost is not covered (e.g. boat ramp or bridge replacements)
Halt to Council-funded capital works (e.g. new toilet blocks, playgrounds)
Longer delays to DA approvals
Significantly reduced library hours to reduce staff cost
Fortnightly rubbish collection instead of weekly
Increased user-pay fees for some services
We will ask for a show of hands on these choices at the meeting so we have specific feedback for Council.
If you have any friends that may be interested in joining our email list, please refer them to our sign up page on Facebook <https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffacebook.us15.list-manage.com%2Ftrack%2Fclick%3Fu%3D9030b531e962ad02c68a923c8%26id%3D4ab44bfbf7%26e%3D6e6a08d3a7&data=05%7C01%7C%7C8cc983b07ce64589182c08dacf78be9d%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638050414763772725%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=s9MQwLU1VwBRaHjPZ95tcHucd0uX18JZk1xZQkpV3kI%3D&reserved=0> or the BCF website <https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffacebook.us15.list-manage.com%2Ftrack%2Fclick%3Fu%3D9030b531e962ad02c68a923c8%26id%3D0cb0fc1e12%26e%3D6e6a08d3a7&data=05%7C01%7C%7C8cc983b07ce64589182c08dacf78be9d%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638050414763772725%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=YI3cAdZw2N7graTChFLs7Vx0yOaueJw9PCXDe6QAtBY%3D&reserved=0>


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://scpa.org.au/pipermail/bermaguicommunity_scpa.org.au/attachments/20221128/80f0402f/attachment.htm>