Our 5 main concerns impacting you the farmers, businesses, residents, tenants & pensioners of Oberon are;
- The huge 39.4% rate rise; this cannot happen.
- The huge 40% to 54% increase in water and sewerage access charges; this cannot happen
- The Council going into a debt in 2020 to the extent of at least $306,000 rising to $516,000 in 2026; this cannot happen
- Increased borrowings from $1.56 million to $4.6 million; this cannot continue
- Council will again have to increase rates after 2020 to pay for the loans and the new debt; this cannot happen
Ratepayers and residents are already experiencing large increases in electricity bills, stagnant wages, stagnant pensions and marginal superannuation returns. From 2015 to 2020 Councils that have pegged their rises to Inflation will go up only 9.94% not 39% cumulatively as in Oberon. Despite some Councillors spruiking that there has been a large increase in Bathurst Rates they have only gone up 1.5% for 2017-18 compared to Oberon’s 6.95%. For those in the Town Improvement fund area there is a surcharge on the rates that nearly doubles their rates. When Oberon compares its rates to other Councils it never includes the Town Improvement Fund levy.
Oberon in obtaining the Special Rate Variation increase rates by cumulatively 39% said it needed it for roads however much of the increase has not been designated for roads as the part carried forward less inflation for each previous year goes into consolidated revenue.
Our Solution:
1. Provide incentives for business to set up in Oberon to create more jobs
2. Negotiate with the NSW state government for NSW Forestry to make a meaningful contribution to roads and infrastructure
3. Efficiency; you are careful with your household and business spending, we believe Oberon council needs to be careful and efficient with spending your rate money
Efficiency. We believe that Oberon council can be operated efficiently providing considerable savings in operation expenditure. At the June Burraga Community meeting, Council informed the attendees “There is not a list of savings in the presentation. We need to remember we only do things for the community; we are not here to make profits every year.” This implies current management does not have an efficiency program in place to ensure “value for money” for the ratepayer. There is no intent to finding savings so that the maximum IPART variation is not levied on us ratepayers. Similarly there will be no savings to prevent further rate rises in 2020. The one cost saving proposed by Council, to reduce from 9 to 7 Councillors, was thrown out.
A new relationship needs to be created with the current Minister for Forestry. A new team will seek to obtain a meaningful contribution from Forestry and National Parks to roads in our Council area. We would seek to reduce the burden on ratepayers by the contribution obtained.