Threat of 7.9pc house rate rise

By Rebecca Fraser
CASEY homeowners look set to be slugged with a 7.9 per cent rate rise.
The hike followed a narrow vote at last week’s Casey Council budget weekend and mayor Kevin Bradford has expressed disappointment over the proposed increase saying it could add further pressure to Casey families already struggling to make ends meet.
However, the mayor has been quick to attribute the rise to a growing void left by the State and Federal Government’s cost shifting that has seen council foot the bill for certain services and infrastructure needs.
Cr Bradford also said the rate increase would help fund much needed infrastructure for Casey’s growing population that was currently increasing by approximately 55 families each week.
The mayor said the council’s proposed rate rise would be in the lower half of rate increases across Victoria.
Cardinia Shire and Greater Dandenong announced more modest increases of 7 and 6.5 per cent respectively this week.
The rate rise is set to add around $75 to an average yearly rates bill which equates to rough $1.52 a week.
Casey deputy mayor Rob Wilson said councillors had taken a bold move by increasing the rates to this level, but it needed to happen to address the city’s urgent infrastructure needs.
The deputy mayor said if rates did not rise now to meet the growing infrastructure needs, pressure would continue to mount on council until they found themselves in a poor financial position and were forced to make rates much higher in the future.
“There are so many projects that residents want and we as councillors are trying to respond to those needs but people need to be aware that if they ask, these things have to be paid for,” Cr Wilson said.
At next Tuesday’s council meeting, Cr Wilson is expected to move a motion regarding the Government’s cost shifting and the impact has had on council.
Councillor Lorraine Wreford voted against the proposed rate increase and said the rise was unnecessarily high and could have easily been much lower.
Cr Wreford said some of her colleague’s attempts to blame infrastructure needs and government cost shifting on the proposed rate rise were excuses they used to put projects in the budget that were not high priorities.
Craig Exon of Berwick’s Salvation Army Church said the rate rise would hit families hard.
“It will certainly make things worse for some Casey families and I think the rate rise will see an influx of people coming in for assistance. Things are seasonal and when things such as petrol, interest rates and council rates go up more people do come in,” he said.
Councillor Michael Farley this week said although residents would be paying higher rates in the long run, the new infrastructure would help boost property values.
“As long as people are getting quality services and new infrastructure I think they will wear it (rate rise),” he said.
Mayfield Ward councillor Steve Beardon has since called for a review of council’s operating budget to reduce ‘continual rate rises’.