Local residents across NSW, including here in outer South Western Sydney, have just over two weeks left to provide feedback on a draft bill to implement key reforms to ensure a fairer and more flexible rating system for councils and ratepayers.
Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock said submissions will close on February 5 for the Local Government Amendment (Rating) Bill 2020 which would implement the Government’s response to IPART’s local government rating review.
“This bill is a significant step in continuing to ensure we have a fair and equitable rating system that responds to the changing needs of communities across the State,” Mrs Hancock said.
“A range of sensible reforms will provide greater flexibility in the rating system to improve distribution of the rating burden in local communities to make rates fairer and help councils cater for population growth and infrastructure costs.
“Most significantly, the government is proposing to align rating income growth with population growth to help councils provide for growing communities while still protecting residents from unfair rate rises through the rate pegging system.”
Other proposed reforms in the bill include allowing the 17 new councils created in 2016 to gradually harmonise rates over four years to protect ratepayers from excessive and sudden rate rises.
Councils would also be permitted to create more flexible residential, business and farmland rating subcategories to enable them to set fairer rates that better reflect access to services and infrastructure.
“All submissions will be carefully considered as we finalise the bill to be introduced to Parliament early this year,” Mrs Hancock said.
A comprehensive consultation guide Towards a Fairer Rating System was released last year to assist those wanting to make a submission by the February 5 deadline.
More information can be found on the Office of Local Government’s website here.
