AMALGAMATION OF RATING STRUCTURES (RATES HARMONISATION)
In accordance with NSW State Government requirements that there be a 4-year rate path freeze for any newly created council under the Local Government Amendment (Rates – Merged Council Areas) Act, the two rating structures adopted by the former Cootamundra & Gundagai Shires as at 12 May 2016 continued to apply for 4 years from that time. This 4-year period has now expired, and in accordance with Council’s 2020-2021 Operational Plan, Council has amalgamated the rating structures effective from 1 July 2020. The many different rate categories, sub-categories and structures of the former shire councils have been reduced to just 4 (in accordance with the Local Government Act, 1993, and as detailed below), and Council has simplified the rates structure whereby every rate assessment is subject to the same base rate of $307.11, and then an ad-valorem rate for the particular rate category (essentially a rate of “cents-in-the-dollar”) applied to the land valuation. Similarly, the many different types and amounts of service charges that are levied annually with the rates have also been consolidated so that uniform charges apply throughout the council area.
The Valuer-General of NSW also undertook a general revaluation of land valuations within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council area during the previous year, and these new land valuations (with a base date of 1 July 2019) will apply to rates levied from 2020-2021. The combination of rates and charges harmonisation, and the general land revaluation, has impacted all rate assessments to some extent, and some ratepayers will see significant changes in the amounts of their rates and charges compared to previous years. Whilst Council is unable to vary or reduce the rates and charges payable, or the due dates, ratepayers who may experience difficulty in paying their rates and charges by the due date are encouraged to contact Council to discuss a mutually acceptable periodical payment plan to ensure that overdue rates and charges are brought up-to-date within a reasonable period.
A full simplified list of the 2020-2021 rates and charges that are levied on the annual Rate Notice are detailed below
RATES
Category Base Rate Ad-Valorem Rate
Farmland $307.11 0.2102605
Residential $307.11 0.4881518
Business $307.11 1.2009279
Mining $307.11 0.2100000
ANNUAL CHARGES
Waste Management Charges
Domestic Waste Management $456.00
Organics/Green Waste $ 60.00
Residential Waste Management – Other $456.00
Organics/Green Waste – Other $ 60.00
Rural Waste Charge $ 67.00
Unoccupied (Vacant Land) Waste $ 67.00
Commercial Waste Management (per service) $456.00
Stormwater Management Service Charges
Residential Stormwater Management $ 25.00
Residential Strata Stormwater Management $ 12.50
Business Stormwater Management $ 25.00 per 350 m2 of land size, max $250
On-Site Sewerage Management Administration Charge $ 46.00
Professor Joseph Drew
Council engaged the services of Professor Joseph Drew, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Local Government in the Institute for Public Policy and Governance at the University of Technology Sydney and adjunct Professor at the Department of Business Administration, Tokyo Metropolitan University to research options to identify the most equitable rating system for implementation for CGRC.
The video below is a compilation of research and recommendations from Professor Drew.