Max,

I appreciate your concerns but I believe that you are deliberately being selective with your comments to suit your own opinion. I am happy to provide the following information and corrections (which you are already aware of but have not included in your comments):

The increase in the GRV residential valuations across the City was 2.95%– not 2.85%.
Saying some increases were above and some were below 2.85% is misleading. Seven suburbs had average valuation increases of more than 15%. Within these suburbs many residents had valuation increases of more than 30%. Only one suburb had an average decrease in valuation of more than 15%.
All properties are paying the same rate in the dollar.
Residential properties that had an increase in their valuation are receiving a concession that has the same effect of phasing the new valuation in over three years.
The rate in the dollar has not doubled – that is nonsense. The increase in the advertised rate is 0.02298 cents or 2.07%.
Nearly a third of residents (32%) will be paying the same or less rates than last year.
64% of residents will be paying between 0% and 5% more in rates.
As a result of concessions, approximately 2,463 residents that would have been paying more than a 10% increase in their rates have had them reduced to below 10%.
There are no market forces at play here. Council rates are simply a tax based upon the assumed ability to pay - they do not relate to the level of service provided to individual properties. When a resident’s GRV’s increases significantly there is no corresponding increase in the level of service that the City provides to that particular resident.

Your statement assumes that it is fair and equitable for residents to pay significant rate increases simply because the value of their house has increased. The Council thinks it is much fairer and equitable for all residents to pay their fair share of rates but be insulated by valuation shocks that have been caused through no fault of their own.

The application of concessions means that all residents will now have the comfort of knowing that they will be insulated from the effects of significant valuation increases in the future.

Ken Diehm
Chief Executive Officer
City of Greater Geraldton
t (08) 9956 6601 | f (08) 9956 6674

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