Rates up 300 per cent

WE, THE residents of Kiandra Mews, Hampton Park, request every ratepayer in the City of Casey to carefully scrutinise their rate notices over the past 10-15 years and they will be very surprised to see that their rates have skyrocketed by more than 300 per cent.
Our wages, salary or pensions have not gone up to this extent or percentage. Impossible. Soon low-income families who have huge home loans may have to sell out.
Each street should form a group and petition the State Government to probe into the functioning of councils.
Each ratepayer should also check that apart from the garbage collection each week are they getting value for their rates, even the lawns in front of your homes are not mowed by the council.
Secondly we have emailed the council as to why council owns assets such as buildings, libraries, community centres, halls, ovals, stadiums etc, all these have been paid for from the millions and millions of dollars of ratepayers’ money.
We received an email from a council officer (Peter Gillieron) stating that the council has a freehold title which is the highest form of land ownership (not buildings) giving councils the maximum flexibility in perpetuity (forever) to pursue its perspective. In other words our ratepayer money can be used as and when they please without our consent/permission.
We emailed the Honorary Tim Bull (Minister for Local Government) on this issue and his reply was that councils have a significant role as a custodian (guardian) of a large number of community assets (buildings, ovals, community centres etc, etc). These assets are integral for the range of services and facilities provided by the local council for the local community.
The Minister has also mentioned that he is working on a new website “My Council” to enable ratepayers to compare their council performance and see if they are getting value for money.
Every ratepayer must remember that they have a right to question the council. Councils are elected by the people, for the people and cannot do as they please without the consent of the entire community.
Last but not least we add that councils are not recognised as a government in the Australian Constitution, hence we think it is illegal to collect rates, so ratepayers you can refuse to pay your rates till the council brings down the rates.
They can sell/privatise the community assets as mentioned by the Minister for Local Government and thereby fill the coffers of the council.
Dunstan Girton,
Hampton Park.